Energy Independence and Affordability

Affordable, reliable energy is a must for a vibrant, growing commonwealth. As we have seen during recent years, the price of energy directly impacts all aspects of our lives and our economy.

We will ensure our electric grid remains reliable, that all sources of energy are used to power that grid and Pennsylvanians are shielded from unreasonable environmental standards and regulations that will ultimately raise consumer costs and create an uncertain energy future.

• Senate Bill 35 (Langerholc) eliminates the 2023 automatic gas tax increase. More
• Senate Bill 143 (Yaw) ensures state residents have options when it comes to fuel availability by preventing municipal entities from banning a specific type of fuel source for appliances and heating homes or businesses. More
• Senate Resolution 9 (Langerholc) urges the Biden administration to restart and expedite the completion of the Keystone XL pipeline to bolster energy independence and create up to 60,000 jobs annually. More

Workforce Development & Job Opportunities

We will build on the work we’ve done improving our state’s tax structure – including the ongoing reduction of the Corporate Net Income Tax – redesigning our state system of higher education to better align degree programs with marketplace needs, modernizing our workforce development laws and creating new tax credits to generate jobs in key economic sectors, including manufacturing and agriculture.

• Act 34 of 2023 (Fiscal Code) transfers $65 million to the Service and Infrastructure Improvement Fund to maintain staffing and services offered to Unemployment Compensation claimants and creates two new Keystone Opportunity Zones to bring new businesses to underdeveloped and underutilized parcels. More
• Act 65 of 2023 (Coleman) expands the ability of the commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs to clear a professional’s disciplinary record. More
• Senate Bill 69 (Langerholc) creates a Recovery to Work pilot program to connect individuals in recovery with high-priority occupations through local workforce development boards. More
• Senate Bill 497 (Robinson) establishes the Max Manufacturing Initiative Act, which provides grants and loans to state universities so they can partner with engineering entities to enhance research capabilities, promote business alliances, produce high-value products and create family-sustaining jobs. More 
• Senate Resolution 169 (Coleman) directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study state workforce development programs and make suggestions to improve delivery of services to better help workers and employers. More

Infrastructure Advancements

Infrastructure improvement will remain key to attracting new jobs to and keeping existing ones in Pennsylvania. We’re committed to bringing broadband internet to all Pennsylvanians and ensuring funding continues to be available for clean water infrastructure, road and bridge maintenance and construction, and affordable housing.

• Senate Bill 121 (Langerholc) restricts the diversion of transportation funding out of the Motor License Fund and increase resources for road and bridge improvements. More
• Senate Bill 597 (Laughlin) modernizes management of public transportation by providing funding predictability and ensuring funding is spent as dictated by local decision-making.  More
• Senate Bill 656 (Rothman) replaces the state Alternative Fuels Tax on electric vehicle owners with a flat annual fee to ensure sound funding for Pennsylvania roads and bridges. More 
• Senate Bill 799 (Rothman) makes state funding available for local bridge projects. More

Healthy & Safe Communities

We will continue our work to tackle health care staffing shortages, improve patient care options, reduce administrative burdens for health care providers, fight the opioid epidemic, support our law enforcement officers and emergency responders, and provide for greater school safety through school-based mental health services, counselors and training.

• Act 34 of 2023 (Fiscal Code)
  • Updates 911 funding to meet the expanding cost of services to counties.
  • Funds an additional 100 Pennsylvania State Police troopers to help make our communities safer.
  • Ensures nursing homes with high percentages of Medical Assistance residents receive incentive payments from the first day of residency. More

• Act 1 of 2023 (K. Ward) eliminates out-of-pocket costs for genetic testing of hereditary cancer syndromes and supplemental breast screenings for women at high risk of developing breast cancer. More
• Act 10 of 2023 (Farry) gives municipal police the statutory authority to conduct fingerprint-based criminal history checks on police applicants.
• Act 15 of 2023 addresses the crucial public health needs for emergency medical services, hospitals and nursing homes and ensures Pennsylvanians continue to receive access to needed health care services. More
• Act 19 of 2023 (Langerholc) extends and revamps the school bus stop arm automated enforcement program. More
• Act 32 of 2023 (Brooks) grants children less than a year old access to medically prescribed pasteurized human donor milk by requiring Medical Assistance coverage in inpatient and outpatient settings. More
• Act 39 of 2023 (Dush) ensures that sexually exploited children who are human trafficking victims always have full access to appropriate services and support. More
• Act 40 of 2023 (Langerholc) cracks down on the unchecked crime crisis plaguing Philadelphia’s mass transit system. More
• Act 41 of 2023 (Farry) cracks down on “porch pirating” by setting specific penalties for theft of mail, which includes a package, bag or letter. More
• Act 42 of 2023 (Argall) targets looting and organized retail theft by setting penalties of up to 20 years in prison for thieves who steal $50,000 worth of goods and intend to resell them. More
• Act 43 of 2023 (Mastriano) requires hospitals to test for fentanyl and xylazine when treating a person who is receiving a standard urine drug screening in an emergency room. More
• Act 44 of 2023 (Bartolotta) establishes a mandatory probation review conference for probationers, providing criteria for when they occur and a presumption that probation will be terminated unless the individual does not qualify. More
• Act 59 of 2023 (Vogel) improves access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs). More
• Act 60 of 2023 (Regan) expands the list of law enforcement entities covered under the Heart and Lung Act, which provides for salary and medical expenses to be paid when an officer or firefighter is injured on the job. More
• Act 61 of 2023 (Baker) prevents the exploitation of older Pennsylvanians by strengthening guardianship laws. More
• Act 62 of 2023 (J. Ward) prevents senior citizens in Pennsylvania’s prescription drug programs from losing their benefits due to a Social Security cost-of-living increase. More
• Act 65 of 2023 (Coleman) enables professionals who make minor mistakes to have a second chance by clearing their disciplinary record. More
• Act 66 of 2023 (Brooks) increases access to licensed addiction treatment programs for Pennsylvanians. More
• Senate Bill 1 (Laughlin) lets voters decide whether the Pennsylvania Constitution should be amended to create a two-year window to allow sexual abuse victims to sue their abusers. More
• Senate Bill 69 (Langerholc) creates a Recovery to Work pilot program to connect individuals in recovery with high-priority occupations through local workforce development boards. More
• Senate Bill 114 (Brooks) addresses the serious shortage of volunteer firefighters across Pennsylvania by creating a pilot program giving interested high school students training in firefighting. More
• Senate Bill 137 (Mastriano) helps protect Pennsylvania senior citizens from financial exploitation by requiring the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General to notify the Department of Aging about any investigations or enforcement actions involving someone age 65 or older and related to the Pennsylvania Telemarketer Registration Act. More
• Senate Bill 165 prohibits drug “injection sites” in our communities.
• Senate Bill 235 (Mastriano) enacts harsher penalties for drug dealers who sell products that lead to the poisoning death of a victim, including drugs laced with fentanyl. More
• Senate Bill 267 (Brooks) expands Pennsylvania’s Safe Haven Law to allow parents to surrender their unharmed baby at participating urgent care centers. More
• Senate Bill 162 (Hutchinson) allows more health professionals to participate in the Medical Officer Health Incentive Program, helping to ease the shortage of medical specialists in the Pennsylvania National Guard. More
• Senate Bill 379 (Phillips-Hill) shields citizen data from unauthorized access by prohibiting state-owned devices and networks from downloading and using TikTok. More
• Senate Bill 423 (J. Ward) enables the state to hire more part-time fire instructors by allowing retired state employees to serve while continuing to collect their state pensions. More
• Senate Bill 433 (Baker) requires Senate confirmation of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to increase accountability and ensure the agency is prepared to deal with emergencies efficiently and effectively. More
• Senate Bill 453 (Phillips-Hill) updates Pennsylvania’s DUI law to hold offenders accountable. More
• Senate Bill 460 (Bartolotta) provides child identification kits to parents to help identify and return missing children. More
• Senate Bill 668 (J. Ward) enables certified nurse aids to train to become certified medication aides and deliver common, minimally invasive prescribed medications to residents of nursing facilities. More
• Senate Bill 824 (Pennycuick) provides citizens affected by a data breach a free credit report and a year of credit monitoring while they recover. More
• Senate Bill 897 (Baker) improves school bus safety by increasing penalties for those refusing to follow the law. More
• Senate Bill 959 (Robinson) aligns state drug scheduling with federal practices to keep up with new drugs feeding Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis. More
• Senate Bill 977 (Farry) safeguards transit operators against assault by making it a serious crime to interfere with an operator of any public transit vehicle. More
• Senate Bill 979 (Culver) requires information about dangerous transmittable diseases to be posted at locations where domestic animals and feed are sold to the public. More
• Senate Bill 1120 (Robinson) strengthens the bail determination process for dangerous individuals: repeat violent offenders, drug dealers trafficking fentanyl and those who assault law enforcement officers or evade arrest on foot. More
• Senate Bill 1127 (Laughlin) requires prosecutors across the state to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement whenever illegal migrants are charged with violating state law. More
• Senate Resolution 46 (Pennycuick) establishes the Task Force on Women Veterans’ Health Care in Pennsylvania to provide care for the unique health needs of women veterans. More 
• House Bill 27 consolidates school safety programs and operations under the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and creates a new panel to review school safety issues and identify emerging trends. More 

Mental & Behavioral Health Support

Mental health influences our quality of life, so in addition to supporting school-based services and expanded access for all to drug and alcohol programs, we will continue this session to press for mental health funding that stimulates innovation within our health care delivery system to produce efficient and effective results.

Act 33 of 2023 (School Code) dedicates $100 million for school mental health, helping to address a major need as mental health needs for young people continue to rise. More

Act 34 of 2023 (Fiscal Code) provides an additional $20 million for county mental health programs. More

Education Empowerment & Access

The governor made a campaign promise to provide greater school choice to parents, and we intend to hold him to that promise. We remain committed to providing schools with more flexibility to get the staffing resources needed to address teacher shortages. And we will continue to lead efforts to increase parental involvement in the education of their children.

• Act 33 of 2023 (School Code)
  • $100 million for K-12 mental health programs for schools.
  • An additional $150 million for education tax credits to provide scholarships to students through the existing Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs.
  • $295 million for Ready-to-Learn Block Grants.
  • More than $261 million for community colleges, $12 million in funding for career and technical schools and $70 million for public libraries.
  • More than $76 million in Special Education funding for Intermediate Units.
  • $10 million to create a new Educator Pipeline Support Grant Program to provide grants to student teachers.
  • Ensures greater collaboration in keeping children safe in the classroom by consolidating school safety programs and operations under Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
  • Creates a Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program to support critical school infrastructure and facility improvements.
  • Provides students with the foundation to become proficient at money management by requiring completion of a half-credit personal finance course during high school.  More

• Act 11A of 2023 supports funding and additional transparency measures for Pennsylvania’s state-related universities. More
• Act 19 of 2023 (Langerholc) extends and revamps the school bus stop arm automated enforcement program. More
• Act 24 of 2023 makes it easier for students of relocating military families to enroll in school. More
• Act 26 of 2023 (Phillips-Hill) eliminates a section from the state Education Code that prohibits a teacher from wearing any dress, mark, emblem or insignia indicative of his or her faith or denomination. More
• Senate Bill 7 (Aument) empowers parents to protect their own child from accessing sexually explicit content at school, without impacting the books available to other students. More
• Senate Bill 209 (Pennycuick) provides educational support for children of National Guard and Reserves members. More
• Senate Bill 340 (Mastriano) requires schools to post on a publicly accessible website an internet link or title for every textbook and course syllabus used for each class. More
• Senate Bill 897 (Baker) enhances the safe transportation of school children by establishing new traffic rules and strengthening penalties for overtaking a school bus. More
• Senate Bill 907 (Regan) requires each school entity in Pennsylvania to have at least one armed security person. More
• Senate Resolution 178 (Martin) initiates a comprehensive study of Pennsylvania’s approach to school safety to build on recent successes to keep kids safer in the classroom. More
• House Bill 611 funds the PA Award for Student Success (PASS) school choice initiative to give children access to the best learning environment possible. (PASS provision vetoed by governor.)

Reducing the Tax Burden

Following our success with last session’s historic reduction in taxes on employers, we will continue our fight to fix our tax structure so Pennsylvanians can find good jobs, provide for their families and keep more of their hard-earned money.

Act 1A of 2023 reduced the governor’s 2023-24 budget spending request, held the line on taxes and set aside more money in the Rainy Day Fund to protect taxpayers against future economic downturns. More

Act 34 of 2023 (Fiscal Code)

• Expands the Pennsylvania Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit Program.
• Helps reduce the tax burden for counties and municipalities that have a large percentage of state-owned property dedicated to outdoor recreation by increasing the per acre payment in lieu of taxes made by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Game Commission, and the Fish and Boat Commission.
• Provides for a state personal income tax exemption for contributions to Dependent Care Assistance and Flexible Saving Accounts, which are used to cover employment-related expenses. More

Cutting Government Red Tape

Excessive government regulations consistently raise costs to consumers and chase away employers who locate in states without such onerous rules. We will build on last session’s largest regulatory relief effort in modern history, with the elimination, alteration and update of key regulations through more than 15 pieces of legislation.

• Act 27 of 2023 (J. Ward) repeals an outdated law regulating the frozen dessert industry in Pennsylvania. More

• Senate Bill 1 (Laughlin) lets voters decide whether the Pennsylvania Constitution should be amended to allow the General Assembly to reject a regulation by majority approval, as opposed to a two-thirds vote, in both legislative chambers. More
• Senate Bill 24 (DiSanto) authorizes the Pennsylvania Treasury Department to return unclaimed property without the need for rightful owners to search for it. More
• Senate Bill 95 (Langerholc) removes a duplicative, unnecessary requirement that prevents farmers from meeting the rising demand for farm products delivered to homes. More
• Senate Bill 188 (DiSanto) requires regulations with an economic impact on taxpayers and employers exceeding $1 million to go before the General Assembly for approval before taking effect. More
• Senate Bill 190 (Brooks) requires an automatic review after three years of all regulations with an economic impact on taxpayers and employers exceeding $1 million. More
• Senate Bill 243 (Argall) ensures that Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medical Assistance benefits are not spent on the deceased. More
• Senate Bill 244 (Argall) requires the Department of Human Services to compare income and employment records held by the Department of Labor and Industry with recipients of SNAP and medical assistance benefits to prevent fraud. More
• Senate Bill 245 (Argall) requires the Department of Human Services to issue a yearly report on its efforts to ensure lottery winners are not receiving cash benefits. More
• Senate Bill 350 (Phillips-Hill) requires state agencies to create an accessible website for permit applicants to check their application status, state the legal authority to reject the permit application and deems a permit, license or certification approved if the agency reviewing the application misses its statutory deadline. More
• Senate Bill 691 (Yaw) renames the Department of Environmental Protection the Department of Environmental Services. More 

Election Integrity

To address election concerns raised by Pennsylvanians from across the political spectrum, we will continue to lead the fight to make critical reforms to our voting process to restore the faith of all Pennsylvanians in their elections.

• Senate Bill 1 (Laughlin) lets voters decide whether the Pennsylvania Constitution should be amended to create a voter ID requirement. More

Special: Support for Veterans

We believe Pennsylvania owes a debt of gratitude to all the brave men and women who have defended our freedom, as well as the citizens who continue to protect our nation and its interests across the globe.

• Act 13 of 2023 ensures Pennsylvanians entering military service can retain professional licenses and certifications.
• Senate Bill 126 (Mastriano) exempts disabled veterans’ benefit payments from income calculations for any commonwealth program or benefit. More
• Senate Bill 162  (Hutchinson) allows more health professionals to participate in the Medical Officer Health Incentive Program. More
• Senate Bill 209 (Pennycuick) provides educational support for children of National Guard and Reserves members. More
• Senate Bill 248 (Mastriano) establishes the Veteran-Owned Business Loan Guarantee Program. More
• Senate Bill 411 (Pennycuick) streamlines and modernizes the way fishing licenses are issued for disabled veterans and military personnel. More
• Senate Bill 438 (Bartolotta) authorizes the creation of a special logo to promote veteran-owned businesses. More
• Senate Bill 447 (Mastriano) codifies into law the PA VETConnect Program to better connect veterans to available resources. More
• Senate Bill 531 (Baker) creates a grant evaluation committee for the Veterans’ Trust Fund to better identify underserved regions and increase awareness.
• Senate Bill 933 (Mastriano) enhances care by increasing oversight at Pennsylvania’s six state veterans homes. More
• Senate Resolution 46 (Pennycuick) establishes the Task Force on Women Veterans’ Health Care. More