HARRISBURG – State Rep. Ronald G. Waters, D-Phila./Delaware, has been appointed to serve as the Democratic chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime and Corrections within the House Appropriations Committee.
The traditional role of the House Appropriations Committee includes developing the annual General Fund budget, as well as examining the governor’s budget proposal and how it will affect people in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania.
“It is a huge honor to serve as a subcommittee chairman in Appropriations,” Waters said. “My role will require me to examine the budget and policies as they relate to the Department of Corrections and programs.
As the chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, Waters’ new appointment will add to his duties and legislative assignments, but he said he believes serving as subcommittee chairman will allow him to better help the people of Philadelphia, Delaware County and the rest of the Commonwealth, especially those re-released into law-abiding society.
Waters said he wants to focus on what proposals the Department of Corrections may have that will achieve rehabilitation, as well as what kind of funding prison inmates and juveniles can benefit from and which are cost effective.
“There have been recent accounts of the mistreatment of inmates, particularly young people of color, in Pennsylvania’s correctional institutions,” said Waters.
“I will be using my subcommittee chairmanship to ensure that we carefully budget and fund more programs to improve the current conditions of our correctional facilities, our after-prison programs to reduce recidivism and programs for at-risk youth. There will be no future if we do not support people who are the future, regardless of their past.
“Let’s prepare our young people for Yale and not jail.”
The House budget hearings for the 2012-13 state budget began last week and will continue through March. More information about the 2012-13 state budget process is available on www.hacd.net.
Leave a Comment