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Capitol Report
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#Listrak\DateStampLong#
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The latest news from the State Capitol
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Please do not reply directly to this email, as it returns to an unmanned account.
You are welcome to contact me through this link.
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2025-26 State Budget Update
The House was back in session this week, though no substantive action was taken on the late state budget. Once again, overall spending is a key sticking point, as House Republicans believe we should be spending within our means, and the plan put forth by the governor and majority House Democrats spends far beyond that.
We will continue advocating for policies that build a better Commonwealth for future generations by growing the economy, boosting the energy industry, eliminating fraud and waste in the state’s benefits programs, and ensuring our students – the future leaders of our Commonwealth – get the kind of education they need to succeed.
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Bill to Extend Vehicle Inspection Grace Period Advances
This week, the House Transportation Committee unanimously approved my House Bill 649, which would align the non-commercial vehicle repair grace period with that of commercial vehicles and buses. By extending the non-commercial vehicle repair grace period to 15 days, we can create flexibility for Pennsylvania motorists.
Workforce shortages and lingering supply chain issues have made it challenging for vehicle owners to complete timely inspections. Current law only provides for five days when inspections can take longer to schedule. After five days, it is unlawful for the vehicle to be operated on any state road without submitting proof of inspection to police or the Commonwealth. My bill would give every day Pennsylvanians the same amount of time as commercial vehicle operators to complete inspections.
My measure received unanimous approval last session but didn’t ultimately make it to the governor’s desk. I appreciate the continued bipartisan support of the committee, and I’m looking forward to its consideration by the full House. This is a simple update that would provide needed flexibility to drivers in the Commonwealth.
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New Law Targets ‘Deepfake’ Scams
While we work on policies to help the Commonwealth benefit from the positive opportunities created by artificial intelligence (AI), we must also protect our citizens from the dangers it can present.
I recently voted in support of Act 35 of 2025, a law that will classify deepfakes and other forms of digital impersonation as digital forgeries. Under the new law, if someone creates a digital representation of a real person without their consent and distributes it as genuine, with the intent to defraud or injure, they would be subject to penalties. The law targets harmful impersonations while safeguarding legitimate artistic, journalistic and expressive works.
AI has made it increasingly easy to create convincing images, audio and video of others that are nearly indistinguishable from reality. These digital forgeries have been used to commit financial scams, injure personal reputations and disrupt the political process. The scams target teenagers, senior citizens, small businesses and other victims. We must do all we can to protect our citizens from these bad actors.
The law takes effect in early September.
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Human Trafficking Prevention Bill Passes House
Recognizing human trafficking as one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation, I recently joined my fellow lawmakers in approving a bill that would direct higher education institutions to provide exploitation prevention and education programs to their students.
House Bill 538 would allow these institutions to partner with nonprofit organizations to provide first-year students with an opportunity to attend a series of in-depth prevention and education programs regarding sex trafficking and exploitation. Program materials would be provided at no cost to students.
Under the bill, students would learn about federal and state laws relating to human trafficking, facts and statistics about the crime, methods used to coerce victims, risk factors that make an individual more vulnerable to human trafficking, and how to identify victims and what to do to help them.
The bill is awaiting Senate consideration.
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Grant Opportunities for Pedestrian, Cyclist Safety Projects
PennDOT has announced $80 million in grant funding is available to help expand access to a range of transportation options and improve safe access to schools in communities across the Commonwealth.
The grants come from the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) program, which provides funds to construct pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to public transportation, create safe routes to school, create trail projects that serve a transportation purpose and more.
Funding is available to municipalities; regional transportation authorities; transit agencies; public land agencies; and school districts, local education agencies or schools.
Applications will be accepted starting July 14. Draft applications must be submitted to the appropriate PennDOT district office by Sept. 5, and final applications are due by Oct. 31. Learn more here.
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