April 28, 2022 - Reading, PA
Governor Tom Wolf was joined by Representative Manuel Guzman Jr. at The Salvation Army in Reading to call on Pennsylvania's Republican-led General Assembly to finally act to support Pennsylvanians by passing legislation for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-funded $500 million PA Opportunity Program, which would send $2,000 checks to Pennsylvanians."My administration has done a lot of hard work to get the commonwealth in a good place financially," said Gov. Wolf. "Together, we've built a solid foundation we can build on for a better future and can afford to invest in Pennsylvanians. Times are tough right now as prices have gone up on everything from gas to groceries, and I'm here to talk about solutions. I support long-term solutions to better support working families, like raising the minimum wage, but I'm also proposing a solution to help Pennsylvanians get back on their feet right now."In February, Gov. Wolf unveiled a $1.7 billion proposal for Pennsylvania's $2 billion in federal ARPA dollars. While Democratic leaders in the Senate and House have introduced legislation, Senate Bill 1619 and House Bill 2531, to support Gov. Wolf's PA Opportunity Program, Pennsylvania's Republican-led General Assembly have been slow to act on committing the federal funding or introduce a plan for the dollars. With continued inaction by the legislature, the money will be sent back to the federal government by December 31, 2024.List of Speakers in Order:Representative Manuel Guzman Jr.Governor Tom WolfMayra Del Toro - StudentNarayana Linhares - StudentLt. Hector Cid - The Salvation Army of Reading
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