Kim, officials call on General Assembly to invest in older Pennsylvanians

Rep. Patty Kim    June 3, 2022

STEELTON, June 3 – State Rep. Patty Kim joined Department of Aging Secretary Robert Torres and Department of Human Services Acting Secretary Meg Snead and community leaders today to echo Governor Tom Wolf’s call for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to immediately use a portion of the $1.7 billion in unspent American Rescue Plan Act dollars to help older adults and individuals with disabilities through property tax and rent rebates to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our seniors are the foundation of our communities,” said Rep. Kim. “Seniors navigate their everyday lives on a fixed income, trying to make the best of a post-pandemic world despite rising costs for necessities. This is the reason I'm advocating for the General Assembly to act to make sure federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan can be used for this one-time bonus rebate to help seniors, people with disabilities, widows and widowers.”

In February, Gov. Wolf proposed his $1.7 billion action plan, which includes a proposal to direct $204 million to provide property tax relief to Pennsylvanians by investing in the existing Property Tax Rent Rebate program. This investment would be a one-time bonus rebate to current program users, doubling existing rebates with an estimated 466,000 Pennsylvanians receiving an additional average rebate of $475. While Democratic leaders in the Senate and House have introduced legislation, Senate Bill 1187 and House Bill 2560, to support Gov. Wolf’s plan to invest in the existing program, the General Assembly has been slow to act.

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