A sign placed by sept in the Fishtown district in Philadelphia, notifications that services may be circumscribed if state financing is not approved for mass financing. (John Cole/Capital-Star)
Autumn Falkinghood is an employee of hospitality who lives in north -eastern Philadelphia and is a member United here Local 274. As a single mother, there are three work to support two children, her family is one of thousands in the region that consisted of south -eastern Pennsylvania Authortation Authority (Septa).
With a transit agency, which serves about 800,000 people every day Just a few days after implementing the cuts of servicesIf the funds are not delivered from the state, she and the group of legislators on Sunday had a clear message.
“It looks like war has been declared in our community,” said Fingerhood. “Politicians who serve Harrisburg must wake up.”
“You have to collect it. You must do your job and you have to finance Septa,” she added. “We, working people, do our work every day. It’s time to do our work and put families working on billionaires.”
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Palcehood was one of several speakers at a press conference on Sunday at the headquarters of SEPTA in Philadelphia, when the governor of Josh Shapiro and Democrats operate the full court press to obtain the approval of the transport expenditure account with the state budget.
“We are already a point of short-term measures of stopping. We have several months of corrections,” said Shapiro. “Time to repeat long -term revenues for SEPTA and other mass transport agencies throughout Pennsylvania, and time for action is now.”
Shapiro’s budget proposal included an expenditure package that would finance mass transport agencies throughout the state and enhance expenses for roads and bridges.
The State Chamber has repeatedly adopted regulations, but did not advance in the Senate.
The last Bill Democrats he presented Bill House 1788Author: Rep. Sean Dougherty (D-Hiladelphia). The Act would provide $ 600 million with mass transit, roads and bridges, while increasing responsibility for transit agencies and public-private projects. Part of the responsibility of the proposal was originally presented by GOP Senator Joe Picozzi from Philadelphia.
The Home Transport Committee voted for the development of this project on Wednesday 16-10 with the support of each Democrat and two Republicans of Bucks.
Shapiro said he met with Selta Scott Sauer, Secretary of State Transport Mike Carroll and other leaders about the urgency of the problem.
“I want to be clear. We don’t want to make these destructive changes,” said Sauer. “However, without the financing solution, we will have to develop a 20% reduction of the service, which starts on August 24, and in general 45% reduced this financial year.”
Shapiro praised Sauer leadership and said that GM Septa conducted it through some changes introduced by the transit agency to create “much more efficient activity”.
Sauer said that SEPTA adopted a savings plan, which in the last eight months caused over $ 30 million savings, reduced the structural budget deficit from 240 million to $ 213 million and includes the measures of liability and supervision considered by the General Assembly. He also noticed that the rider is ready for the financial year, which has just ended and that they have observed a limitation of crime in the system.
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“I am convinced that Septa is growing, and we all accepted the mission focused on the client, which puts safety, reliability and service at the forefront, and if we manage to get the support needed to avoid these destructive cuts, we will quickly move to implement new initiatives that will increase service throughout the system,” said Sauer.
Lieutenant Austin Davis was also in Pittsburgh on Sunday to enhance awareness of mass transport financing. Adam Brandolph, spokesman for Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), said Capital-Star earlier this week that they do not have a “hard and fast date” at the present time of financing the state, cuts of services and tariff plants, will not take place until February 2026.
The members of the Chamber returned to Harrisburg for a voting session on Sunday, and the Senate will return to the session on Tuesday, but AA budget account adopted by the house He was still not taken by the Senate controlled by GOP.
The President of the Senate Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) said that she would support a short-term budget solution that will allow Commonwealth to ensure the financing of school districts and local governments, City & State Pa Reported on August 5.
However, Shapiro said he was not open to a tiny -term budget proposition.
“I can say that time for short-term expenditure plans is over and they will not play through me,” Shapiro said on Sunday. “We must pass the annual budget, and the annual budget must be financed by mass transit.”
“Legislators have very few obligations listed. One of them is to adopt an annual budget,” he added. “Time to do it now.”
One proposal supported by Senator Sharif Street (D-Hiladelphia) would legalize hemp for adults that would ensure the financing of the mass transport agency.
“So Bill has support from the Senate Republicans, home republicans, home democrats and Senate Democrats. It is both two -wire and bilateral,” told Street journalists. “This would ensure appropriate funds to finance mass transport and transport on the basis of a repetitive future. So this is not one time. This is a fixed amendment, and I certainly think that everything remains on the table until there is a solution.”
However, Republican leaders in the Senate did not appear Be just as open to adopting cannabis regulations for adults.
The next last change SEPTA was a special state prosecutor starting to prosecute incidents taking place in the transit system. It was the result of a bill, which was adopted by the General Assembly with double -sided support and signed by Shapiro, despite the objection of the District Prosecutor in Philadelphia Larry Krasner, who argued that it was unconstitutional.
Prosecutor General Dave Sunday said NBC 10 in Philadelphia At the end of July, he believes that the deadline for the prosecutor, which is to expire at the end of 2026, should be extended.
“I think that if it is expanded, maybe with a few corrections, I think we will be in a place where we can really provide philadelphia citizens,” he said.
Shapiro did not support or reject the possibility of extending him at the current date.
“Well, it exists by the end of next year,” Shapiro said in response to the question from the capital star. “And if this is a problem that is important for people involved in conversations, I’m sure we’ll talk about it.”
