In late June, a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state senators proposed a bill which would “establish a public charitable trust” to assist children who have a parent (or parents) in the prison system.
The “First Chance Trust Fund” would provide scholarships to these children which, according to Penn Live, does not utilize taxpayer monies.
Instead, lawmakers say, First Chance would be funded by “private, tax-deductible donations” and a “1 percent surcharge on vendors that have a contract with the Department of Corrections exceeding $5 million.”
“This legislation will give organizations the ability to provide children who face challenges with more educational opportunities to help them stay in school, give them a sense of stability and belonging, and protect them from going down the wrong path,” said [Vincent] Hughes, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “It’s a wise investment that will help children, families, and the community.” …
Initially, the trust fund is anticipated to generate $500,000 to $1 million on an annual basis. The fund would be targeted to regions that have statistically higher high school dropout rates and risks of incarceration.
The fund, which would be the first of its kind in the country, will enable youth who are predisposed to the criminal justice system to access programs they need to complete school and become healthy and productive members of society.
But would taxpayers really be unaffected by this program?
On WPHT radio’s Dom Giordano program, Pennsylvania State Representative Steve Barrar said on Friday that the one percent surcharge indeed will affect taxpayers:
“At the end of the day, the contractors, all they’re going to do if you’re going to hit them with a one percent surcharge, is increase their price to absorb that one percent surcharge knowing it’s coming. So at the end of the day, the taxpayers pay.”
Barrar and host Giordano also were miffed at the Senate inserting the legislation into a budget bill so that it couldn’t be debated separately, and perhaps more importantly — where’s the “surcharge” scholarship funds available for the children of slain law enforcement officials?
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