The Lead

‘A People’s Budget:’ Activists rally at the Capitol for a higher minimum wage, free college, and better school funding

By: John L. Micek - April 17, 2019 1:26 pm

A coalition of progressive advocacy groups rallies on the Pa. Capitol steps to call for better funding for public schools, a higher minimum wage, and other items in the 2019 state budget. (Capital-Star photo by John L. Micek)

A coalition of progressive activist groups rallied on the state Capitol steps on Wednesday afternoon to call for, among other things, a $15/hr minimum wage; free and affordable college; increased funding for K-12 public education, and assurances that Pennsylvania’s communities of color are counted accurately in the 2020 Census.

The advocates represented Wednesday included the pro-immigrant groups CASA and Make the Road Pa., as well as ONE PA.

One CASA activist who spoke Wednesday, Josefina Sanchez, made her case for a $15/hr minimum wage in an op-Ed for The Capital-Star published Wednesday. You can read it here.

Pennsylvania lawmakers have until midnight on June 30 to approve a new budget for the fiscal year that starts on July 1. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed more money for public schools and workforce development, and has proposed raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $12 an hour this year, and eventually to $15.

You can read The Capital-Star’s full coverage of Wolf’s budget proposal; the minimum wage debate; the discussion over higher education and free college, and the need for an accurate Census count, by clicking on the highlighted links.

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John L. Micek

A 3-decade veteran of the news business, John L. Micek is the Pennsylvania Capital-Star's Editor-in-Chief. An award-winning political reporter, Micek’s career has taken him from small town meetings and Chicago City Hall to Congress and the Pennsylvania Capitol. His weekly column on U.S. politics is syndicated to 800 newspapers nationwide by Cagle Syndicate. He also contributes commentary and analysis to broadcast outlets in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Micek’s first novel, “Ordinary Angels,” was released in 2019 by Sunbury Press.