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.

• Passed Senate Bill 35 (Langerholc) to eliminate the 2023 automatic gas tax increase.
• Passed Senate Resolution 9 (Langerholc) urging 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.

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.

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.

• Passed Senate Bill 121 (Langerholc) to restrict the diversion of transportation funding out of the Motor License Fund and increase resources for road and bridge improvements.

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.

• Passed Senate Bill 114 (Brooks) to address the serious shortage of volunteer firefighters across Pennsylvania by creating a pilot program giving interested high school students training in firefighting.
• Passed Senate Bill 1 (Laughlin) to let voters decide whether the Pennsylvania Constitution should be amended to create a two-year window to allow sexual abuse victims to sue their abusers.

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.

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.

• Passed Senate Bill 84(Phillips-Hill) to eliminate a section from the state’s Education Code that prohibits a teacher from wearing any dress, mark, emblem or insignia indicative of his or her faith or denomination.

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.

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.

• Passed Senate Bill 1 (Laughlin) to let 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.
• Senate Bill 95 (Langerholc) to remove a duplicative, unnecessary requirement that prevents farmers from meeting the rising demand for farm products delivered to homes.

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.

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