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GPNP NewslettersGPNP Newsletters are distributed during the first week of each month to GPNP members. GPNP Newsletters highlights current membership status, upcoming events and activities, funding opportunities, and other news the GPNP or members wish to share. If your organization has sector-wide news to share with GPNP members, please contact Vivien Luk at Luk@forbesfunds.org. Below, you will find our current newsletter and an archive of past newsletters. Current GPNP Newsletter
GPNP January 2012 Newsletter **Included in this Newsletter is the January 2012 Public Policy Brief
In this Issue: Vital Stats | Current Activities + Updates | Upcoming Events, Training + Meetings | Funding Opportunities | Other News | Public Policy Brief
VITAL STATS 332 Members | 3 New members in 2012
Current Activities + Updates GPNP Membership Renewal GPNP is now accepting renewals for 2012 membership! We have moved to an online system this year and added a credit card payment option. Emails have been distributed with members’ usernames and passwords and link to the renewal form. If you are the primary contact for your organization, be sure to log in and renew today! The renewal deadline is April 1st. CLICK HERE to access the renewal form on the new GPNP Membership Website! Some parts of the website are still under construction. Upon completion, members will be advised of the many new features such as a searchable member directory, events calendar community forums and marketplace and annual archives of GPNP newsletters and public policy briefs. For questions or comments, please contact Caitlin Terling at terling@forbesfunds.org. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transit Cuts Survey Recently, the GPNP shared information regarding proposed transit cuts. The GPNP Advisory Team and Public Policy Committee have agreed that this is a critical issue to advocate on. In order to do so, we would like to gather more information on how transit cuts will affect your staff and constituents, and whether or not you agree that this is an issue the GPNP ought to take on. Please answer the seven short questions below by this Friday, 2/3. You can submit the answers by replying to this email. More information regarding transit cuts can be found under the policy brief section of this newsletter. 1. How many employees work at your agency? a. What percentage of your employees depends on public transportation to get to work? b. What percentage do you think may be negatively impacted by the transportation cuts? 2. How many people do you serve? a. How many of your constituents depend on public transportation to access services? b. What percentage do you think may be negatively impacted by the transportation cuts? 3. Do you recommend that the GPNP should pursue this issue on behalf of the membership?
Upcoming events, trainings + meetings University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work 2011-12 Speaker Series “Consensus Organizing: Building Communities of Mutual Self-Interest” The University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work is hosting a Speaker Series titled, “Consensus Organizing: Building Communities of Mutual Self-Interest” by Michael Eichler, Director, Consensus Organizing Center at the San Diego State University School of Social Work. The event will take place on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 from12:00 pm – 1:30 pm at the School of Social Work Conference Center, 2017 Cathedral of Learning, 20th Floor. Mike Eichler has over twenty years of experience in community organizing and is the creator of the method of consensus organizing. He has worked with unemployed steelworkers, casino owners, welfare recipients, bankers, corporate executives and the homeless bringing them together around common self-interest. He began his organizing career in Pittsburgh where he helped a neighborhood battle the illegal practices of racial steering and blockbusting by joining forces with a for profit real estate firm. When hired by Pittsburgh executives to help address economic problems caused by the closing of the steel mills, he brought the unemployed and the business leaders together to begin revitalization of the region. He was asked by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to expand his work throughout the country and organized new grass roots efforts in such diverse cities as West Palm Beach Florida, New Orleans Louisiana, Las Vegas Nevada, and Houston Texas. He started his own national non-profit, the Consensus Organizing Institute which trained organizers in the consensus organizing method. Lunch will be provided; registration is not required. Questions? 412-624-6304 / www.socialwork.pitt.edu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management – 2012 Courses The Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University has released their course catalog for Spring 2012! CLICK HERE to review the catalog and instructions on how to register for courses. Funding Opportunities Three Rivers Community Foundation Announces 2012 Grant RFP’s TRCF promotes change by funding and encouraging activism among community based organizations in underserved areas of SWPA. Their annual grants can be used for operational or project support and range from $500-$4,000. Applications are now being accepted for 2012 and are due by Friday, February 24th. For more information on what TRCF funds, CLICK HERE. To access the grant application and more information on the process CLICK HERE.
Public Policy Brief January 2012 State News Mid-year Budget Cuts In order to help resolve a mid-budget revenue shortfall of $345 million, Governor Corbett has directed the Secretary of the Budget to place a $160 million dollar freeze on state spending. The Department of Public Welfare is facing a freeze of $55 million with a majority of the cuts effecting services for women, children and individuals with disabilities. The estimated revenue shortfall of $500 million is expected to be surpassed by the end of the budget period which will contribute to a deficit of at least $750 million for the 2012-2013 state budget. For more information on the state spending freezes and specific line items affected visit The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center's report. It’s important to also note that Governor Corbett is scheduled to make his budget address on Tuesday, February 7, in which additional cuts are likely to be addressed. Transit Cuts Port Authority of Allegheny County is facing a $64 million deficit in its operating budget for the coming fiscal year, starting July 1. The deficit and proposed cuts would result in more than 40 routes being eliminated, fare increase and decreased service to ACCESS, and hundreds of PA employees laid off. The GPNP Public Policy Committee and Advisory Team have unanimously approved the GPNP to request information from its membership on the impact of proposed transit cuts. A survey was recently delivered to your inbox asking 7 simple questions on the impact of transit cuts to your employees and constituents. If you have not completed the survey, please do so by Friday. This data will help the GPNP determine its course of action and to share with government officials, Port Authority, and the general public the impact of the proposed cuts. For more information from Port Authority, go to: http://www.portauthority.org/paac/CompanyInfoProjects/BudgetFinances/ServiceReductions.aspx. Last year, Governor Corbett brought together the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission whose purpose is to develop a comprehensive, strategic proposal for addressing the transportation funding needs of Pennsylvania. The report was completed in August of 2011 and it can be found at: http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/web.nsf/Secondary?OpenFrameSet&Frame=main&Src=%2FInternet%2Fweb.nsf%2FtransFundingAdvCommission%3FOpenForm%26AutoFramed. Voter-ID Bill The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed HB934 which is an amendment to the Pennsylvania Election Code, requiring voters to produce government- issued photo identification when they exercise their right to vote. The Protect Our Vote coalition, a group of 30 organizations including Pennsylvania VOICE, opposes HB934 as it may discourage individuals from voting. According to the Protect Our Vote coalition, these individuals vary but may include the elderly, students, the poor and disabled individuals, all of whom are legally permitted to vote but for legitimate reasons do not possess a form of government-issued photo identification. In addition to the potential discouragement that may be placed on voters, it is estimated that $11 million in funding will be required to implement this amendment. With the estimated $750 million deficit for the 2012-2013 State Budget, the Protect Our Vote Coalition believes this is an unnecessary expense considering there have been no known cases of voter fraud in the state of Pennsylvania. The bill is currently sitting in the Senate Appropriations committee and it is expected to be presented on the Senate floor. More information on the bill can be found here. Let us know how this bill will affect your constituents by replying to this email. The GPNP will report back on further developments. Food Stamp Asset Test The Department of Public Welfare has stated in a letter to a regional official for the US Department of Agriculture that beginning May 1st it will commence the implementation of an asset test to determine the eligibility of individuals receiving food stamps. The DPW outlined guidelines that individuals under the age of 60 with assets totaling more that $2,000 and individuals over the age of 60 with assets totaling more than $3,250 will no longer be eligible for food stamps. This is an action of the DPW’s initiative to cut waste and abuse, which in turn cuts costs. Adversely, implementing this test on Food Stamp recipients will provide difficulty for elderly individuals to maintain a sustainable lifestyle and for individuals currently living in poverty to improve their economic condition. More information can be found in an article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Just Harvest, member of the GPNP, is a lead advocate on this issue. For more information on how you can get involved, visit Just Harvest’s Web site at http://www.justharvest.org/.
Federal News Small Employer Health Credit The Small Employer Health Credit that qualified smaller for-profit and nonprofit organizations may claim to help reduce the cost of employee health insurance has come under criticism for its complexity and low payout rates. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is looking to speak with nonprofits willing to share their experiences with claiming the Health Credit that was passed as part of the 2010 health care reform act. The GAO will be holding two focus groups that are open to all nonprofits that have applied for the credit to gather information about its overall effectiveness. Read more about the GAO review. Here are three ways you can help:
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