(Central Square) – Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro at a signing ceremony Monday at the Young Women’s Fellowship YWCA in Carlisle, praised the state’s recent budget agreement to enhance funding for rape crisis centers by 100 percent.
This was a change from last year, when a budget impasse forced many centers to cut services and lay off staff. Under the recent agreement, state funding for Pennsylvania’s 47 rape crisis centers increased by $12 million. Although many Republicans questioned whether there was actually a budget ‘balanced,’ Shapiro maintained that the plan and prioritization of survivors was a mutual effort.
“We stayed at the table and found ways to unite Democrats and Republicans to tackle these big challenges, including doubling funding for our rape crisis centers across Pennsylvania,” said Shapiro, a Democrat. “This is the highest amount ever recorded in the history of our Republic.”
Rape crisis centers currently serve 26,000 Pennsylvanians each year. Of this number, 6,000 are children. YWCA Board Member Andrea Greene she recalled that when she was a child, there was a particular lack of response and resources for victims.
“As a child, it wasn’t until many years later that I was able to find my voice and ask for help.” Greene said.
For Greene, the recent budget is a way to rewrite the narrative that she and many other vulnerable children have experienced.
“Educate young people how to say no and ask for help through rape crisis centers across the Commonwealth,” she said.
While the main theme of the signing was giving a voice to survivors, Shapiro also took the time to harshly criticize those who he felt had failed to operate the voice they had already been given.
“I have made it very clear over and over again that the behavior of Senate Republican leadership in cowering in the face of opposition from the Catholic Church and the insurance lobby is cowardly.” Shapiro said.
Although Shapiro campaigned on promises to bring justice to victims of child sexual abuse, she was unable to force passage of legislation that would have given victims two years to bring their perpetrators to justice.
Six bills were successfully proposed and passed in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, but each time they were defeated in the Senate. While Shapiro received bottle for the inaction in this case in recent months, he claimed to the media that the fault definitely lies with the other court.
“It is a shame that Republican leadership in the Senate did not take action,” Shapiro said. “Instead, they stand up to protect institutions that cover up abuse and refuse to give survivors a day in court.”
Republican Party leaders have long believed that a constitutional amendment giving survivors a two-year window for legal proceedings would withstand legal scrutiny and not get bogged down in years of legal battles.
The amendment nearly crossed the finish line to get on the 2021 primary ballot, but was disqualified due to a clerical error by the Department of State under then-Governor Tomek Wilk.
He served as attorney general during the grand jury investigation that uncovered the case sexual crimes of six Roman Catholic dioceses, Shapiro said he listened more closely than others to the financial needs of rape crisis groups.
“A lot of times people say they need more,” Shapiro said. However, unlike public libraries which will continue to receive flat financing from the state this year, crisis groups and rape advocates are finally receiving the financial benefits of being higher on Shapiro’s priority list.
“The more I listened to them,” Shapiro said. “The more I realized we needed more in this budget.”
While recent development is currently stuck in Harrisburg due to logistics budgeting, it is expected that funds will soon become available for distribution.
Julia Kramer is an intern reporter at The Center Square
