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Authors Posts by Jack Phillips

Jack Phillips

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Mr. Phillips is responsible to assist the association with health policy, which primarily includes member communication and advocacy with the Governor’s office, General Assembly, and state regulatory agencies. Mr. Phillips was most recently at the Pennsylvania Department of State as Director of Legislative Affairs.

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RCPA, in conjunction with the National Council of Behavioral Health, and the Washington, DC-based Behavioral Health & Economics Network (BHECON), will be hosting a forum on Investing in Pennsylvania’s Behavioral Health Workforce. The event will take place on Friday, December 2, between 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 23 South 2nd Street, Harrisburg, PA. There is no charge to attend and lunch will be provided.

The goal of the forum is to bring together diverse stakeholders to examine and advance policy reforms to strengthen the Commonwealth’s behavioral health delivery systems. Some of the issues/topics to be discussed include:

  1. Identifying programs in Pennsylvania that are doing exceptionally well when it comes to delivery of behavioral health services;
  2. Discussing the top challenge providers face with regard to workforce;
  3. Identifying public policies the state needs to change to make recruitment and retention of employees easier;
  4. Identifying federal policies that are holding providers back from recruiting and retaining employees; and
  5. Discussing whether the Excellence in Mental Health Act can help providers expand capacity to serve more people in the community, and how Pennsylvania could build on its current Excellence Act activities in the future.

The agenda for the day includes a welcome from the Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack, a lunch discussion concerning the Department of Labor’s Overtime Rule, and morning and afternoon panel discussions.

There is no registration fee and lunch will be provided. You may register here for the event. Questions and suggestions regarding the forum may be shared with Jack Phillips, director of government affairs.

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The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is poised to send SB1073, the General Appropriations spending bill, to the Senate today. The new budget bill authorizes important spending for all state programs – although SB1073 authorizes $31.55 billion in spending, the House will send the bill to the Senate without the requisite revenue to produce a balanced budget.

Highlights of the new budget plan includes:

  • $200 million of additional funding for basic education;
  • $30 million more for early childhood education;
  • $20 million more for special education;
  • $10 million more for early intervention services;
  • Flat funding for Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, and Lincoln University;
  • $15 million for the opioid crisis;
  • $5 million for “emergency addiction treatment through DDAP”;
  • $10 million for “behavioral health services” through DHS;
  • $80.4 million more is appropriated to reduce the waiting list; and
  • $31.2 million in additional funds devoted to services to persons with a disability.

According to Appropriations Chair Bill Adolph (R – Delaware), the proposed spending would be paid for by a mix of revenue sources: increased and new taxes on smoking related products ($480 million), additional revenue from the gaming expansion bill that still awaits a final vote in the House ($267 million), tax amnesty revenue ($129 million), the funds already projected from the recently enacted liquor bill, and $50 million from a license fee for a Philadelphia casino.

For members’ convenience, please see the summary of the House Republican budget proposal created by RCPA. Contact Jack Phillips with any questions.

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Your feedback is greatly needed. The US Department of Labor (DOL) has issued its final overtime rule which increases the threshold related to the overtime exemption. This has caused great concern among RCPA members as there is no additional funding being proposed to cover the cost of this change. RCPA will be submitting testimony and testifying in front of the Senate Labor and Industry and Senate Appropriations Committees on Tuesday, June 21 regarding this issue. In preparation for this important Senate hearing, we are asking members to complete this SURVEY no later than Wednesday, June 15, so that we have data to present in addition to our concerns.

If you have already taken the survey, you do not need to provide feedback again. We appreciate your attention and input regarding this very important issue. Thank you.

Please contact RCPA Director of Government Affairs Jack Phillips with any questions.

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Yesterday, the General Assembly passed budget bills to restore aid to the various programs that were vetoed by the governor back in December. The new budget bills authorize important funding for education, agriculture, and rural hospitals.

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