| On the Legislative Front |
 Bill Would Modernize Earned Income Tax CollectionIt's possible that the current system of collecting our earned income taxes is leaving behind as much as $237 million in uncollected taxes. That's the equivalent of 3,000 police officers and 3,000 teachers. Senate Bill 1063, introduced by Sen. Jane Earll, amends the Local Tax Enabling Act by consolidating earned income tax (EIT) collection from more than 560 collectors for almost 2,900 jurisdictions to 66 collection districts congruent with counties. This bill to modernize the structure of tax collection and improve collaboration helps reduce the fiscal distress that plagues many of our local governments.
If you agree, please take time now to voice your support. Please ask your Senator to support SB 1063. Click here to read our letter to the Senate. For our brief, click here. And for more information on the state Department of Community and Economic Development's EIT Collection Reform Initiative, click here. To find your legislator, visit the State General Assembly website.
10,000 Friends Testifies on Regional Services
It's not just the system of tax collection that binds local government's hands. Our county and municipal service mandates and taxing powers create financial challenges for local governments. To make that point, 10,000 Friends counsel Tom Scott testified to the Senate Local Government Committee and Senate Urban Affairs & Housing Committee in April, saying that the state should provide more incentives to encourage intergovernmental mergers and shared services. "To use a construction metaphor, it's as if each local government has a wheelbarrow, but what's really needed is a dump truck," he said.... MORE |
| Blueprint for American Prosperity |
As our state and federal leaders visualize a prosperous future, four key assets matter -- innovation, human capital, infrastructure and quality places. These assets help increase the productivity of firms and workers, boost the incomes of families and workers, and can help Pennsylvania and the United States grow in more fiscally and environmentally responsible ways, say Bruce Katz and Amy Liu, of the Brookings Institution.
 Their analysis has determined that these four assets are highly concentrated in the state's economic engines, its metropolitan areas. There are 16 metro areas in the Commonwealth, ranging from Philadelphia, the most populous, to Williamsport, the smallest. The top six metropolitan areas alone generate the bulk of the state's innovation (80 percent of all patenting), contain the majority of the state's educated workforce (77 percent of all adults with a bachelors degree), and serve as the state's transport hubs. Thanks to these assets, the six metro areas generate 80 percent of the state's economic output even though they house 68 percent of its population.
In case you don't think you live in a metro area, America's 363 metropolitan areas encompass large cities, old and new suburbs, and exurban and rural areas that, by virtue of their interwoven labor and housing markets, share common economic destinies. The initiative that builds on our assets in those areas, called the Blueprint for American Prosperity, promotes more productive, inclusive and sustainable growth....MORE |
| Mark Your Calendar |
|
Pennsylvania is blessed with abundant water resources. However, our communities face multiple demands relating to management of stormwater, safe and efficient handling of  sewage, public water supplies, and land uses. In response, many Pennsylvania municipalities are implementing collaborative solutions and experiencing increased efficiencies.
Learn more about the challenges, opportunities and innovations at Saving $ - Managing Water: Regional and Collaborative Approaches to Water, Sewer, and Stormwater Management.The one-day conference is May 22 at the Hilton Harrisburg (PA), and is sponsored by The Environmental Law Institute and 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, with support from The William Penn Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. |
| Good Reads |
|
Mapping Transportation Costs for Home Buyers
A Washington Post article showcases a new indexing tool that tells you the true costs of housing and transportation. The Center for Neighborhood Technology, a Chicago-based urban development think tank, takes into account household expenditures for  transportation, along with home prices, to estimate whether a home is truly affordable for households with moderate incomes. ... MORE
York-Hanover Metro Area Fastest Growing in Northeast
The York-Hanover Metropolitan Statistical Area continues to be the fastest-growing metro area in the Northeast region, according to 2007 Population Estimates for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas. Although none of the metro areas in the Northeast region were among the 100 fastest-growing, York-Hanover was the 107th fastest-growing metro area in the nation, increasing 1.6 percent from 414,505 in 2006 to 421,049 people on July 1, 2007. Five metro areas in Pennsylvania rank among the nation's 100 largest. Want to know more? Read this Pennsylvania State Data Center brief. |
| Stay Connected |
We update our site regularly with articles, opportunities and links, so please bookmark the home page of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania and stop by often. To find your legislator and get copies of introduced legislation, visit the State General Assembly website. As always, thank you for staying connected to 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania. Please contact us if you have questions or would like more information.
10,000 Friends has produced a pocket-sized guide to our state leaders. If you need the 2007-08 Legislative Directory, please contact us at 10,000 Friends.
Our e-newsletters are designed to keep you in the loop on all of our activities. Click Join Our Mailing List! in the top left column to choose the e-newsletters you'd like to receive. |
| 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania |
 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania works as an alliance of organizations and individuals committed to promoting land use policies and actions that will enable Pennsylvania to strengthen its diverse urban, suburban and rural communities. Through a diverse coalition focused on a positive agenda, we seek proactive solutions and options for local, regional and state leaders. Visit our website. | |
