Urging the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to amend House Bill No. 2380 to include a three percent cost of living adjustment for publicly mandated human services purchased by counties , including child welfare, mental health, mental retardation, drug and alcohol treatment and long term care.

WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has mandated that counties provide human services, the Commonwealth must appropriate adequate funding to counties so that the counties can offer quality services; and

WHEREAS, The Commonwealth’s 67 counties, including Philadelphia County, rely on private human services agencies to deliver publicly mandated services to the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens; and

WHEREAS, Private human service providers are facing the same economic challenges that impact private citizens and state and local governmental agencies, including increased costs of fuel, labor and other supplies; and

WHEREAS, House Bill No. 2380 does not include funding for a cost of living adjustment for county purchased human services which will result in underfunding of publically mandated services for 2 million of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents; and

WHEREAS, The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania supports the inclusion of a three percent cost of living adjustment for child welfare, mental health, mental retardation, drug and alcohol treatment and long term care within the Commonwealth budget, given the needs of Commonwealth residents and availability of state revenues; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thomas Killion has submitted an amendment which if enacted would provide, an appropriation, “for up to 3% cost-of-living adjustment only for services purchased by counties; and

WHEREAS,

The Killion amendment would provide funding to offset the increased costs of private human service agencies so that they can continue to provide quality services

; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council urges the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to amend House Bill No. 2380 to include a three percent cost of living adjustment for publicly mandated human services purchased by counties, including child welfare, mental health, mental retardation, drug and alcohol treatment and long term care.

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