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WHEREAS, on September 26th 2011, Democratic Leader Senator Jay Costa and other Pennsylvania Senate Democrats released a plan that, if enacted, would revitalize the economy of Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh region, make smart investments in infrastructure, free up capital for small businesses and manufacturing, and create thousands of jobs; and
WHEREAS, the $1.2 billion plan, called PA Works Now, is an attempt to refocus state government on creating jobs and bolstering our economy to prevent another recession; and
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh has over $1 billion in infrastructure needs alone and the needs across the state as a whole are immense and this plan puts us on a path to fulfilling them; and
WHEREAS, PA Works Now would create the Pennsylvania Investment Bank, a vehicle to invest over a billion dollars in our state's crumbling water and sewer infrastructure, roads and bridges, and other much-needed public works; and
WHEREAS, the plan is fully paid for, does not require across-the-board tax increases and is estimated to create around 80,000 much-needed jobs in sectors hardest hit by the economic downturn; and
WHEREAS, State Senate Democrats have drafted a plan to make a down-payment on Pennsylvania's future, create jobs, and reverse the troubling economic trends facing our state without making the kinds of deep cuts to essential services being proposed by others.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby support state Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and the other proponents of PA Works Now and urges the entire Pennsylvania General Assembly to quickly pass this legislation and help put the residents of Pittsburgh and the entire state back to work.