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In this Update:
Representing You in Harrisburg
2025 was a whirlwind year filled with legislative wins in Harrisburg that will have a lasting impact on the residents of western PA. Beginning one year ago in January 2025, I was sworn in to the Pennsylvania Senate for my second term serving the good people of Allegheny County in the 37th Senatorial District. It’s my absolute honor to have earned the trust of my constituents and be given the opportunity to continue representing the community I call home and the people I call neighbors. I was appointed to serve on many influential legislative committees, including as Chair of the powerful Senate Labor & Industry Committee where I will continue supporting workers and businesses, fostering policies that create jobs, ensuring fair labor practices, and strengthening the economic vitality of our commonwealth. I worked with my colleagues in the Senate Republican Caucus and across the aisle to advance issues that are important to the people I represent in Allegheny County, including creating economic opportunity for all, expanding health care coverage and access, serving veterans, creating safe communities, improving public transportation, and much more. Standing Up for Working Pennsylvanians
As Chair of the Senate Labor & Industry Committee, my priorities continue to be protecting workers’ rights, supporting Pennsylvania businesses – including our vibrant small business community, – advocating for fair labor reforms, and advancing pro-growth economic policies. We made great strides toward those goals in 2025, most notably by passing a new law enacting a bipartisan agreement that protects Pennsylvania’s seasonal workers from looming unemployment compensation (UC) benefit cuts, while also securing long-sought reforms to support victims of domestic violence and strengthen the integrity of the UC system. I was also proud to vote for the creation of a new $25 million line-item for the Child Care Worker Retention and Recruitment initiative to provide support for our childcare workforce. Working across the aisle, I introduced legislation with my Democratic colleagues to provide for paid family leave, protect pension benefits for the spouses of deceased Pittsburgh firefighters, ensure workers get paid for the labor they provide, and much more. Learn more about my work to stand up for working Pennsylvanians in 2025 here. Providing a Healthy, Safe, & Effective Education for Pennsylvania Students
I strongly believe that education is the foundation of the future of our Commonwealth, and that we must fight to ensure Pennsylvania students receive the best education possible to set them up for success after graduation. In 2025, the Senate Education Committee unanimously approved my bill to implement a bell-to-bell policy on student smartphone use during school hours so our kids can focus on learning both the hard and soft skills needed to succeed in life. Additionally, my bill to improve our state’s low literacy rates was signed into law along with the state budget this year. My Democratic colleagues and I also introduced legislation to ensure our public schools have clean air and drinking water for our students. Finally, this year marked the official launch of the Ready to Succeed Scholarship program, which began accepting applications for the 2025-26 academic year in April. Originally created in 2015, this program was recently expanded thanks to legislation I sponsored last session to provide more high-achieving Pennsylvania students pursuing postsecondary education the opportunity to receive financial aid. Learn more about my work to provide a healthy, safe, and effective education for Pennsylvania students in 2025 here. Protecting Taxpayers & Creating Economic Opportunity for All
If Pennsylvania is to become an attractive place to live, work, and raise a family, then we must keep taxes low while simultaneously advancing pro-growth economic policies that incentivize new residents to move here while retaining those who have already put their roots down in the Commonwealth. In 2025, I voted for legislation to do just that. I voted to protect consumers from higher energy costs, prevent potential power plant closures, and avoid job losses and rolling electric blackouts in the years ahead by ensuring Pennsylvania will not participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). I also voted to advance a bipartisan state budget that funded state government at a responsible level without increasing taxes on working Pennsylvanians. This year’s final budget agreement cut nearly $1.4 billion in unnecessary spending from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s original proposal, ensuring the state is not spending beyond its means. To bring new economic opportunities to the Pittsburgh region, I worked with domestic colleagues and foreign counterparts on the Ireland Trade Commission (established in 2024 through legislation I sponsored) to secure the deal with Aer Lingus to offer a new direct flight from Pittsburgh to Dublin beginning in May 2026. Learn more about my work to protect taxpayers and create economic opportunity for all in 2025 here. Expanding Health Care Coverage & Access
Access to high quality health care continues to be one of the most important issues to constituents living in the 37th Senatorial District. I’ve heard your concerns loud and clear, and in 2025, I worked on initiatives to eliminate costs for diagnostic breast imaging, require insurance coverage for prostate cancer screenings for high-risk individuals, protect thousands of Pennsylvania seniors from losing access to life-sustaining prescription medications, and more. Learn more about my work to expand health care coverage and access in 2025 here. Creating Safe Communities
One of my top priorities as senator is ensuring Allegheny County communities are safe for all by cracking down on crime and supporting law enforcement and first responders. I worked across the aisle with Sen. Jay Costa (D-43) to secure a necessary $6 million continuation of funding for the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force in western Pennsylvania, enhancing the region’s emergency response capabilities. I also voted to impose tougher penalties on drug dealers who sell fentanyl resulting in a fatal overdose and require prosecutors to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a criminal defendant is identified as unlawfully present in the United States. I even introduced legislation strengthen bail requirements for individuals who pose a public safety risk and support law enforcement in combating the opioid epidemic. Learn more about my work to create safe communities in 2025 here. Serving Veterans
As a veteran, ensuring our nation’s heroes receive the care they deserve is a cause near and dear to my heart. This year, in addition to celebrating milestone birthdays for the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy, I worked on legislation to improve pension benefits for certain disabled veterans, modernize how veterans’ nonprofits raise money by allowing them to accept electronic payments, urge Congress to address the critical mental health needs of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, support opportunities for Pennsylvania’s disabled veterans to participate in hunting and outdoor sports, and much more. I was also proud to host a hearing in Pittsburgh to examine legislative solutions for connecting veterans with physical and mental health care and meaningful employment. To continue my work supporting local veterans, I accepted a reappointment to the Advisory Council for the Southwestern Veterans’ Center; and to help shape the future of our nation’s military, I accepted an opportunity to serve on Sen. Dave McCormick’s U.S. Service Academy Nominations Advisory Board. Learn more about my work to serve veterans in 2025 here. Improving Public Transportation
One of the major political battles in Harrisburg this year centered around public transit funding for SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit. I’m proud to have advocated and voted for a funding plan that makes sure our buses, trains, and inclines keep running strong for the people who depend on them every day. I also voted for a bipartisan state budget that fully funds statewide public transit at $2.6 billion, including $300 million for PRT. At the beginning of the year, I was honored to accept an appointment to serve as the Vice Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee which provides oversight of all operations related to the Commonwealth’s multimodal transportation system, including legislation and policy on roads and bridges, public transportation, railroads, airports, and ports. Learn more about my work to improve public transportation in 2025 here. Securing State Funding for Local Projects
In 2025, I was thrilled to help bring nearly $11.5 million in funding to our community and region! This includes more than $3 million in grants for community improvements from the Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund (GEDTF), more than $3 million in funding awarded through the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Local Share Account and Act 123 programs, more than $1 million in Multimodal Transportation Fund Grants, and more. This money will be used to fix roads, upgrade sewers, assist EMS agencies, and improve municipalities across the district. I am excited to keep working to bring funding back to our region! If you have a specific state funding request that you’d like me to support, please use this form to share the details of the request with my office. Assisting Constituents of the 37th Senatorial District
Throughout the year, my office has helped constituents across the district. My dedicated staff in Bethel Park and North Hills have:
My office also hosted several constituent-focused events across the district this year. My fourth annual Senior Expo was a great success with over 200 constituents attending the event with over 45 different vendors. We also hosted multiple property tax rent rebate clinics, an unclaimed property event alongside PA State Treasurer Stacy Garity, a document shredding event, a license plate return event, and an identity theft event with the Better Business Bureau. Additionally, I got to connect with students from across the district at my “Senator For a Day Event” where participants had the opportunity to learn what it’s like to be a state senator. This year, I was also proud to open a new District Office in Franklin Park! This new location has enabled us to better serve constituents in the North Hills and expand services. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact either of my District Offices: BETHEL PARK OFFICE NORTH HILLS OFFICE Traveling Around the 37th Senatorial District
One of my favorite things to do as your State Senator is visit with residents across the district. I get to do this through touring businesses, schools, and other organizations within the district, celebrating new businesses at their ribbon cuttings, honoring constituent accomplishments through citation presentations, speaking to different groups at their events, and participating in community days and parades! In 2026, I look forward to continuing to connect with constituents from all corners of the 37th Senatorial District! Looking Ahead to 2026
While I’m pleased with the successes from 2025, there’s still much more work to be done to make Pennsylvania a better place to live, work, and raise a family. In 2026, I will continue fighting to make Pennsylvania schools a healthy and safe environment for our students to receive a world class education. I’ll also continue my efforts to support working families through labor policies that ensure they have the resources and support they need to live comfortable lives. In 2026, I would like to see a long-term, stable plan to fund public transit, and I will continue to be a vocal advocate for recurring revenue that supports a reliable, affordable public transit system. I’ll also continue working to ensure our nation’s veterans have access to the care they deserve. Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank the residents of the 37th Senatorial District for your support and continued engagement with my office – your feedback helps me and my staff do our jobs better and represent you more effectively I wish you all a prosperous and healthy 2026!
I’m proud to represent you in Harrisburg. Please contact me if my team can assist you with any state-level issues or services, including PennDOT, PA Department of Revenue, PA Department of Aging, PA State Treasury, etc. I’m always happy to hear from constituents, but if you need assistance or have concerns regarding a federal issue, you may want to contact your U.S. Senators and/or your member in the U.S. House of Representatives. Thank you. For anyone who hasn’t already signed up to receive my e-newsletters, you can get on the mailing list here. |
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