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In this Update:
Shapiro/House Democrats Must Act Now to Keep Murderers Behind Bars
On Tuesday, I participated in a state Capitol news conference to underscore the urgent need for PA House Democrats to pass Senate Bill 1400 to address the activist Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling that eliminated the statutory sentencing structure for second degree murder. The court gave the General Assembly 120 days, ending July 24, to enact a new sentencing framework before the existing one becomes invalid. The PA Senate acted twice in a bipartisan manner to fix the system well before the court’s arbitrarily imposed deadline. Senselessly endangering public safety throughout the Keystone State, House Democrats instead advanced a worthless 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 fully supported by Attorney General Dave Sunday, PA State Lodge FOP, PA State Troopers Association and district attorneys across the commonwealth. Unfortunately, Senate Bill 1400 is currently languishing in the PA House Judiciary Committee, where it has remained since June 26, 2026. It is now long past time for both PA House Democrats and Gov. Shapiro to get serious and join us in fully protecting law-abiding citizens by keeping more than 1,100 convicted murderers behind bars. Kayleigh’s Law—Major Victory for Sexual Abuse Victims, Survivors
On Monday, I was honored to voice my support for permanent protection for victims and survivors of sexual abuse in Pennsylvania under Kayleigh’s Law, which was overwhelmingly advanced 46-4 by the PA Senate. Senate Bill 1484 is named after Kayleigh Kozak who has spoken out nationwide about her coach sexually abusing her when she was in sixth grade. “This is an important step forward for survivors in Pennsylvania,” said Kayleigh, who visited the PA Capitol on Monday to personally advocate for Senate Bill 1484. “Victims should not have to repeatedly return to court or face the possibility of unwanted contact. I’m incredibly grateful to the Pennsylvania State Senate for putting victims first. I look forward to another state standing beside victims and providing the permanent protections they deserve from the individual convicted of harming them.” Under current law, victims must go to court to renew no-contact protections each time they expire. Without renewal, an offender may once again attempt to contact the victim, even though the conviction, and the harm that made the protection necessary, has not changed. Unwanted contact can retraumatize victims and force them back into court to maintain a boundary the criminal justice system has already determined is necessary. This is especially true for survivors of rape and other sexually violent offenses, including offenses involving the abuse or exploitation of children. Under Kayleigh’s Law, the order would prohibit direct and indirect contact, including contact through another person or by electronic or digital means. Senate Bill 1484 is now awaiting consideration by the PA House. Trial Lawyer Venue Shopping Terminators Assemble
On Oct. 8, I joined with civil justice reform advocates outside Philadelphia City Hall for a press conference to raise concerns about lawsuit abuse, venue shopping, and the devastating impact on Pennsylvania’s businesses, healthcare providers and communities. Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has removed all restraints preventing trial attorneys from seeking out the most lucrative jurisdictions for filing medical liability actions. The corresponding fallout, or “SUE-NAMI” of “nuclear” medical malpractice awards being consistently handed out by Philadelphia courts; maternity wards closing; and the statewide mass exodus of physicians, cardiologists, OBYGNS and other life-saving medical specialists is painfully obvious and undeniable. Rising health care costs, limited access to care and Pennsylvania now leading the nation in hospital closures—all have lethal consequences. Clearly, the only individuals who truly benefit from unrestricted venue shopping and nuclear medical malpractice verdicts are the trial lawyers. Fortunately, the Rule of Law is still what secures our Constitutional Republic. Since the PA Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that any law against venue shopping would be unconstitutional, the only remaining option for the Legislature is to pass a constitutional amendment, such as my Senate Bill 125, that would grant us full authority to finally terminate trial lawyer venue shopping on behalf of the citizens we serve. Presidential Appointee Chris Hoffman ‘Now Serving’ Rural PA
Congratulations to Chris Hoffman who was recently appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Pennsylvania State Director. I especially want to thank Chris for continuing his outstanding advocacy for rural agricultural communities and taking the lead to get the word out on several important USDA Rural Development programs. Could this help your family or other families in your community? The USDA Section 504 Home Repair Program helps very low-income homeowners in rural areas repair, improve or modernize their homes:
Note for Centre County Communities: Very Low Income and Low-Income thresholds are higher due to income levels local to State College. This works for the benefit of residents of Snow Shoe, Milesburg, Millheim and other local townships. Senate Working to Increase Affordability for Pennsylvanians
At a time when families continue to feel the strain of inflation, we know state government must look for ways to implement policies and programs to increase affordability. Fighting for the state budget to respect taxpayers and take less of your hard-earned money, enacting the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit and the Employer Child Care Contribution Tax Credit Programs, and making homes more attainable are some of the ways we’ve focused on affordability during the 2025-26 legislative session. The new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit provides meaningful relief for working families across the commonwealth. Families that claim the federal Earned Income Tax Credit may also claim the state tax credit equal to 10% of the federal amount. This amounts to hundreds of dollars saved every year for many working families. We also created the Employer Child Care Contribution Tax Credit Program, which provides incentives for businesses to make contributions of up to $500 annually toward their employees’ child-care costs. And we took steps to make housing attainable to more Pennsylvanians by passing legislation streamlining municipal approval processes, reducing delays, cutting unnecessary red tape, and creating a Housing Development Regulatory Compliance Officer to serve as a single point of contact and improve coordination in the permitting process. We’re committed to continuing to implement greater government efficiencies and policies to control the growth of spending and help address affordability for families throughout Pennsylvania. New Law Cracks Down on Robocalls, Scam Texts and Caller ID Spoofing
Legislation we unanimously passed enacting stronger protections from deceptive telemarketing practices will take effect Monday, Oct. 19. Under Act 47 of 2026, Pennsylvania’s telemarketing law will now cover modern forms of solicitation, including text messages, voicemails, ringless voicemails and robocalls. It also establishes stronger rules for when and how telemarketers can contact Pennsylvanians, including:
The legislation also prohibits the use of AI-generated messages to deceive consumers. |
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