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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Jay Purdy |
State Rep. Thomas Blackwell |
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Blackwell says budget package is a plus for Philadelphians
HARRISBURG, July 17 – State Rep. Tommy Blackwell, D-Phila., said the hard-fought
battle over the new state budget and its associated legislation that concluded
today will prove to have been worth the struggle and the additional two weeks
of session to hammer out the package.
Blackwell said two aspects could impact virtually all Philadelphians.
SEPTA will receive a total of $565.6 million for operations and maintenance, an increase of $147.2 million, 35 percent more than last year, with an opportunity to attract an additional $122.5 million for capital projects.
“This is an unprecedented commitment by the Commonwealth to ensure the viability of SEPTA, prevent the loss of additional routes and make desperately needed repairs and improvements,” Blackwell said. “This budget means a lot to the many people who rely on SEPTA, especially to those who use it to get to and from their jobs and to important meetings and appointments. They will see the fruits in the level and quality of service.”
Blackwell said that along with other Philadelphia members of the General Assembly, he will work to get SEPTA and the Philadelphia School District to help students be able to afford to use SEPTA to travel to and from school in light of the recent 11 percent fare increase.
Blackwell noted his continuing displeasure with the management of SEPTA, especially its failure to address the disruption and financial damage that the long reconstruction of the Market Street El caused to small businesses along the route. Last month, Blackwell had threatened to withhold his support for SEPTA funding unless the authority took steps to resolve the Market Street issue.
“No one is getting everything that they want in the transportation bill,” Blackwell told the House in floor debate while urging the body to accept the plan agreed to in negotiations between the House and Senate leadership and Gov. Ed Rendell.
“I still have issues with the management approach of SEPTA that I intend to follow through on, but from a financial standpoint, this budget represented an opportunity to provide a remedy for many of the ills that challenge the authority and the people who rely on it.”
Blackwell also cited aspects of the governor’s Prescription for Pennsylvania plan that were included in the budget package.
“By allowing doctors to increase the number of physician assistants they supervise, we’ll see increased access to basic medical care and especially health screening and prevention services,” Blackwell said, “and they will also be able to relieve the long wait at hospital emergency rooms by taking on some non-emergency cases for minor injuries and illnesses.”
Blackwell added he expects to see a dramatic reduction in the amount of hospital-acquired infections among patients as the state kicks in a program to implement practices in hospitals that are proven effective in reducing the number of patients who develop an infection while hospitalized.
“At the same time, we will be moving to ensure that people don’t end up getting sicker as a result of their hospital stay. This will mean a savings of millions of dollars statewide in the costs of treating these acquired infections.”
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