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In this Update:
Honoring Our Veterans
It was a privilege to spend the morning with veterans, Gold Star Mothers and military families from the district, during our Annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast this week. It was my pleasure to honor them and their selfless service to our nation. Thanks to everyone who attended and all who helped to support the event through the donation of time and talent: Congressman Scott Perry, Brigadier General, US Army (Retired) served as our keynote speaker, the Cumberland Perry Area CTC culinary arts program, led by Chef Instructor Robert M. Miller prepared a delicious meal for us, the Keystone State Challenge Academy cadets provided the color guard and helped to serve guests, the Carlisle Expo Center provided the venue, Carlisle Area School District’s Lamberton Middle School String Ensemble provided beautiful music for both our branch medley and the National Anthem, sung by Cumberland County Treasurer Kaytee Isley. The Carlisle Veterans of Foreign Wars – VFW Post 477 provided our POW/MIA table. Pastor Ryan Brown from New Life Community Church offered our invocation, and many service providers shared free resources with our guests. Thanks to Cumberland County Veterans Affairs, PA Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, Boots to Health, PA Wounded Warriors, PA Treasury and Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania for sharing the morning with us and for the work they do every day to serve our veterans. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3
Tuesday, Nov. 3 is Election Day, your chance to weigh in on state and federal elections. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For those voting by mail, county election offices must receive completed ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Find your polling place and other voter information here. PA House Needs to Act to Protect Pennsylvania Communities
In March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the state’s mandatory life-without-parole sentence for second-degree murder is unconstitutional. The court gave the General Assembly until July 24 to enact a new rule. The Senate passed legislation to protect our communities and fix the problem – twice. Instead of acting on our bipartisan Senate Bill 1400, the House of Representatives advanced a proposal tied to expanding medical parole, creating additional opportunities – without proper guardrails – for convicted felons to be released before completing their sentences. Senate Bill 1400 is supported by Attorney General Dave Sunday, PA State Lodge FOP, PA State Troopers Association and district attorneys across the commonwealth. It has languished in the House Judiciary Committee since June. Second‑degree murder is an extremely serious crime, and the House needs to act so these criminals remain behind bars. New Law Means PA Schools Will Be Cellphone-Free
Pennsylvania teachers will no longer have to compete with smartphones for their students’ attention – and kids will be able to get through the school day without the constant pressure of social media and notifications – with bipartisan passage of a new law requiring schools to adopt policies prohibiting student cellphone use during the school day. Act 117 of 2026 establishes a clear statewide standard, while giving school districts discretion to decide what works best in their communities. School districts can designate the details and can carve out exceptions for instructional use, special occasions or events such as field days, as well as for students with individualized education plans and more. The law will take effect with the 2027-28 school year. Pennsylvania joins 40 states in restricting these devices – 19 of which have school-day bans. Read more about the effect of cellphones in schools. Ensuring Sexual Assault Survivors Get Justice
Obtaining justice for sexual assault survivors requires timely processing of rape kit evidence, and I joined colleagues in making it a priority to improve and standardize rape kit testing. Previously, state law allowed local law enforcement agencies to determine whether a sexual assault evidence kit should undergo DNA testing or other forensic analysis, creating the potential for inconsistent practices across the commonwealth. We passed a new law eliminating such discretion. Read more about Act 106 of 2026. In addition, a law we passed in 2024 established a rape kit evidence tracking system, allowing survivors to track the status of their rape kits throughout the testing process. After operating as a pilot program in three counties, it will launch statewide in December. To better care for victims, we included a $12 million increase for rape crisis centers in the current state budget. Prosecuting perpetrators of these heinous crimes should be pursued vigorously, and we’ve made significant changes to ensure just that. Making Education More Affordable
An affordable and thorough education allows young Pennsylvanians to find success and lay down roots while filling in-demand jobs here in the commonwealth – without the burden of heavy debt. In addition to funding K-12 and higher education during the current legislative session, I supported initiatives that:
Affordability in education benefits students, parents, employers and communities. I’ll continue working to lower the cost of education and increase student access to promising careers. Action Taken to Protect Children in the Age of AI
The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence requires rapid deployment of sound policies to protect children from its darker side. I supported measures passed by the Senate cracking down on AI child sexual abuse material (CSAM), shielding them from harmful chatbots and banning “nudification” apps. Fortunately, the House of Representatives also passed one of them: Act 87 of 2026 requires teachers, childcare workers, healthcare providers and other individuals responsible for caring for children to report all instances of CSAM they become aware of, including those produced by a minor. This House bill mirrored the language of Senate Bill 1050. Read more about Act 87 of 2026, including the new requirement of reporting hazing. Unfortunately, House Democratic leaders did not act on other bipartisan bills passed by the Senate, including the Safeguarding Adolescents from Exploitative Chatbots and Harmful AI Technology (SAFECHAT) Act, which would require age-appropriate safeguards to prevent AI content generation that encourages self-harm, suicide or violence against others, and directs users to appropriate self-harm crisis resources whenever high-risk language is detected. Learn more about SAFECHAT. Also awaiting House action is a bill we passed to ban “nudification” apps, which allow individuals to take an image of someone and generate a fake nude or sexually explicit photo of that person. Read more about Senate Bill 1368. The Senate also established a Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age to review state laws, assess emerging technologies and identify gaps in protections for children in the digital environment. It will issue a report and recommendation for action to the General Assembly. Learn more about the task force. In-Season Pheasant Stocking is Underway
I was glad to join the Pennsylvania Game Commission to kick off in-season pheasant stocking this week! We released birds just south of Newport in Perry County. More than 17,000 pheasants will be released statewide by Jan. 7th. For more details, including regional allocations and stocking locations, check out the Commission’s dedicated page. Bringing Dollars Back to Communities for Local Road Projects
When we learned PennDOT was sitting on millions of dollars that should be spent on local infrastructure, my Senate colleagues and I used state budget negotiations to free this money up for road projects across the commonwealth. PennDOT agreed to release an additional $775 million from the Motor License Fund for local road projects only, not interstates, which are funded elsewhere. We fought to secure these funds because local road improvements mean safer travel with less congestion and improved transportation infrastructure that supports the economy and job creation. List of Rapid Deployment Transportation Projects Around the District: East Pennsboro and Hampden Twp.
It was my honor to join the Historical Society of East Pennsboro (HSEP) for a special recognition of James L. Leonard upon his retirement from the organization. Although Jim began as–and remains–a volunteer, he served 19 years as the HSEP’s Executive Director. It was wonderful to hear about the impact Jim and his leadership have had on the organization and the community over the years. I was pleased to present him with a Senate citation celebrating his countless contributions to HSEP and I wish him the very best in his retirement!
We are blessed to have convenient access to comprehensive cancer care right here at home. I appreciated the opportunity to tour Penn State Cancer Center at Hampden this week, to see the facilities and learn about the care available first-hand. By connecting research and clinical expertise, Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health are bringing hope and innovation to patients across our region.
Cheering on our local teams is always enjoyable but there’s something special about football on these crisp fall nights! This past week was no exception. I had a great time cheering for the East Pennsboro Panthers on Senior Night and was honored to help out with the coin toss. Of course, I couldn’t pass up a stickle at the concession stand. |
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