Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro delivered his 2025-26 Budget Address to the General Assembly and to the people of Pennsylvania. The following is the address as prepared:
Thank you.
Lieutenant Governor Davis, Speaker McClinton, President Pro Tem Ward...
Leader Bradford, Leader Pittman, Leader Topper, and Leader Costa...
Thank you for convening this special session – and for giving me the honor of addressing this General Assembly for the third time as the 48th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
I want to thank the Senators and Representatives gathered here and welcome our fellow Pennsylvanians who join us in this beautiful Chamber.
I’m mindful that as we gather in this full chamber, one seat is empty this morning, that of the late Rep. Matt Gergley. We continue to lift up his family in prayer. May Matt’s memory be a blessing.
Before I begin, I want to recognize my outstanding cabinet and senior team, led by Dana Fritz, who I have the privilege of working alongside everyday to move our Commonwealth forward.
Let's welcome our Attorney General Dave Sunday, our Auditor General Tim DeFoor, our Treasurer Stacy Garrity.
And I especially want to welcome the love of my life and Pennsylvania’s First Lady, Lori. Thank you for all you do to lift up our fellow Pennsylvanians who aren’t powerful enough to have a seat in this room – but whose problems are our priorities.
When this Joint Session was convened two years ago, I addressed you for the first time as Governor and for the first time in a dozen years, a Governor addressed a divided legislature.
I told you then that we needed to work together – and if we did, we could do big things.
Over the last 700 days since that Address, I’ve traveled all across the Commonwealth.
I’ve gotten to see its splendor and meet with folks from all walks of life.
I’ve stood with our fellow Pennsylvanians in times of triumph – and tragedy.
Right now, in Northeast Philly, people are walking around in their Eagles green, excited about the Super Bowl...
While at the same time, trying to process the horror of what happened on Cottman Ave on Friday night.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of that terrible plane crash – and we’re praying for a full and speedy recovery for those injured and battling right now.
But through that tragedy, we’ve seen what makes Pennsylvanians so special:
Our resilience.
And our willingness to band together to make it through tough times.
Neighbor helping neighbor. Every level of government working together.
We can learn something from that example – and over the last two years, I think we have.
Because despite our disagreements, we worked together to get stuff done.
We solved problems that languished for decades.
We focused on common sense – and delivered real results to make a real difference in Pennsylvanians’ lives.
I’m proud of that work – and you should be too.
While there are still many challenges before us and many more problems to solve, we how have a real foundation to build upon.
Today, I can report that Pennsylvania is on the rise.
170,000 more Pennsylvanians are working today than when I began my term two years ago.
We’ve enrolled nearly 12,000 new apprentices – giving more young people the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.
We’ve attracted over 3 billion in private sector dollars and become the top state in the Northeast for regional economic competitiveness.
Pennsylvania is on the rise.
Our seniors – like Bob Coleman from Perry County who joins us here today...
…are staying in their homes because we gave Bob and 520,000 other seniors $320 million in tax cuts.
Our families have $136 million back in their pockets because we made childcare more affordable.
Pennsylvania is on the rise.
We invested $11 billion in public education for the first time ever and targeted those dollars to the schools that need them most.
We’re starting to meet the needs of our students, including serving nearly 92 million free breakfasts to school kids last year.
Pennsylvania is on the rise.
We processed over 28 million permits in record time, eliminated backlogs, and cut wait lists for life-changing services.
We’re moving at the speed of business.
We’ve made wise investments that are beginning to pay off and we still have billions in surplus at a time when neighboring states are facing deficits.
Bridge repairs are up and violent crime is down.
Pennsylvania is on the rise.
We’ve done this work together.
Each of the last two years both Democrats and Republicans have voted for commonsense budgets that solve real problems.
We’ve moved the ball down the field and put points on the board – and we should celebrate that.
But we should be hungry for more.
So today, let’s talk about what comes next and how we build upon the foundation we’ve laid.
This nation saw significant political change in the last election.
Just two weeks ago, President Trump was sworn into office with the U.S. Senate and U.S. House under Republican control.
But despite all that change in DC, the voters here in Pennsylvania returned a Republican-controlled state Senate and a Democratic-controlled state House – with the exact same margins – to continue working with me to get stuff done.
The good people of Pennsylvania looked at all we’ve accomplished together and spoke loud and clear through their votes: Go do more of that.
Go work together.
Go solve problems.
Go pass commonsense policies.
Go build on that progress.
And go get more... stuff done.
Pennsylvania is on the rise – and we’re not gonna stop.
We have the resources we need to make smart investments now and maintain a responsible balance in reserve.
My Administration has worked to cut costs and use our money more wisely.
Last year, I directed the Budget Secretary to begin a comprehensive review of every program we offer in our Commonwealth.
Known as the REMAP Initiative, we started with three agencies and identified inefficiencies and costs that can be eliminated.
This budget incorporates those savings by sunsetting programs that are duplicative and don’t work.
In addition to savings from the REMAP Initiative, I directed the Secretary of the Department of General Services to conduct the first ever comprehensive review of every space the Commonwealth owns or leases.
The way we work has changed – we need more technology, more hoteling space, and more areas for collaboration.
By using the buildings we own as effectively as possible and reducing our reliance on external parking and office leases – we're going to save the Commonwealth tens of millions of dollars over the next several years.
And when we save that money, it gives us a chance to invest it in the things that matter most – like great schools for our kids.
Over the last two years, we haven’t shied away from hard conversations or solving complex problems.
Case in point, how we reformed the way we fund public education.
We knew that was a problem and we agreed the old system was unconstitutional.
So last year, we made a commitment to not only invest a record amount of money in public education but create a brand-new formula that drives that money out to the schools that need it most.
You voted for that, I signed it into law, and we agreed to keep doing it until we meet our obligation set forth in Article 3, Section 14, which guarantees every Pennsylvanian access to a “thorough and efficient system of public education.”
Two weeks ago, I visited Harrison-Morton Middle School in the Allentown School District.
Thanks to the work we did together to both invest in our schools and drive those dollars but under the new adequacy formula, Allentown School District is receiving $90 million more than before.
I saw the pride on those students’ faces when the band played their new instruments and showed me their new uniforms.
I heard the comfort in their voices when they told me they now had more mental health resources in their school.
And I listened to 8th grader Josh Colon-Hernandez talk about what a difference it makes to have a new H-VAC system that keeps school cool on those warm days.
Those kinds of school infrastructure repairs are happening in more than 250 schools all across our Commonwealth.
Josh also told me about how much he loves his teachers.
And, because of our work, we've certified more new teachers than any other time in the past seven years.
We identified the teacher shortage issue as a looming crisis and we did something together to address it.
We created a new initiative to fund student teacher stipends to make sure those who are just getting started in this profession are paid for their hard work.
I’m proud to welcome Melanie Williams here today.
Melanie completed her student teaching at Centennial School District in Bucks County last fall.
She’s the sole provider for her family – and she was only able to student teach because of those stipends.
We’re putting more teachers in our classrooms and expanding the resources available to our students.
778 schools have been able to expand mental health services and hire counselors because we prioritized student mental health.
And, over 75,000 young people are charting their own course through vo-tech and CTE classes – that’s 3,500 more than before.
But there’s still work to do before we can say we’ve met our constitutional obligation.
My budget continues the path we set out on last year, by investing an additional $526 million through that adequacy formula.
That’s the exact same number we agreed to last year.
This budget also continues our support for school repairs, mental health, free breakfast, student teacher stipends, special education and more.
What we’re doing for education is working – let’s continue to build on this foundation we’ve laid.
Education isn’t the only problem we’re solving together...
We knew it was a problem that shady middlemen could jack up the cost of prescription drugs while driving our community pharmacies out of business.
So we came together to pass landmark reforms that bring transparency to how pharmacy benefit managers operate, keep more money in Pennsylvanians’ pockets, and protect the small and independent pharmacies we rely on in our communities.
But that’s not all…
We knew that in neighboring states energy companies were developing groundbreaking new technologies, leaving Pennsylvania behind.
So you passed – and I signed – legislation that allows companies to invest in carbon capture and energy innovation.
On top of that, we stopped forcing our State Police to compete with PennDOT by decoupling that funding for the first time in over 50 years...
Now with distinct and dedicated funding, we’re training 800 new state troopers, and fixed 12,000 miles of roadway and repaired more poor-condition bridges than any other state in the entire country!
These are just some examples of the many problems we solved together.
We should be proud not just of the laws we’ve passed, but the quality of the legislation and of the fact that we’re solving problems that have seemed so out of reach in this building for so long.
Let’s solve more problems together, starting with regulating so-called skill games.
Because if we want Pennsylvania to compete and win, we need to take some of the money going into those slots and put it in our state coffers so we can maintain our reserves and keep building on our progress.
There are 70,000 unregulated skill game terminals in use across Pennsylvania.
District Attorneys across the Commonwealth are calling on us to regulate these machines and finally provide law enforcement with clear guidance.
On top of that, these machines have no quality control for the customers using them...
...and, they’re punishing our seniors.
Every time somebody puts a buck into one of those unregulated machines, it undermines the Lottery and the critical services it funds for our seniors like prescriptions and meals.
The Pennsylvania Lottery lost an estimated $200 million over the last 5 years, primarily due to these unregulated skill games.
Our seniors deserve better.
So my budget charges the Gaming Control Board – which already regulates other video gaming terminals – with regulating skill games.
In Pennsylvania, we’ll treat skill games just like any other video gaming terminal.
And we’ll use the revenue from that to do two things:
First, we’ll fill the funding gap for older adults that skill games caused in the first place.
And second, we’ll provide an influx to the general fund to strengthen our Commonwealth and speed our rise.
We’ve been putting this off for too long. It’s time to regulate and tax skill games and protect the interests of our Commonwealth.
Like skill games, there’s another issue that’s long overdue to regulate and tax – and that is adult-use cannabis.
24 states have already legalized adult-use cannabis.
That includes almost every single one of our neighbors.
I want to be real with you – as a father of four…
…and as the former chief law enforcement officer of this Commonwealth, this one was hard for me.
But I took the time to study it and understand the impacts.
To understand the choice between continuing the black market of drug dealing versus a highly-regulated industry with protections in place for our children.
Letting this business operate in the shadows doesn’t make sense.
And by doing nothing, we’re making Pennsylvania less competitive.
Besides, let’s not kid ourselves. Pennsylvanians who want to buy cannabis are just driving across the border to one of our neighbors.
Five of our neighboring states have legalized adult-use cannabis.
I've talked to the CEOs of the companies right across the border in New Jersey, Maryland, and New York who tell me that 60 percent of their customers in those shops are Pennsylvanians.
We’re losing out on revenue that’s going to other states instead of helping us here.
We’re losing out on an industry that, over the first five years, will bring in $1.3 billion in new revenue to our Commonwealth.
I ask you to come together and send to my desk a bill that legalizes adult-use cannabis and expunges the records of people who have been convicted for nonviolent possession of small amounts of marijuana.
A bill that sets reasonable regulations, protects public safety, and gives communities that suffered from the criminalization of cannabis an opportunity to succeed.
I know some are going to say it's complicated, but it’s been talked about for years.
And just in the last two years, Ohio legalized, Maryland legalized, and we keep falling further behind.
I’ve been heartened by the fact that more and more Republicans and Democrats are coming on board, embracing liberty and economic opportunity.
Let’s get it done.
I know many of you care about making Pennsylvania more competitive.
And thanks to the work we’ve done together over the past two years, we are competing again.
We're building new industrial sites that will host factories and labs and power plants.
We’re improving our Main Streets and supporting the small businesses that line them.
We developed a plan to revitalize downtown Pittsburgh and leveraged $60 million in state capital to generate $600 million in private sector investment for the Golden Triangle.
And we’re reforming our government to finally move at the speed of business.
We took a hard look at our permitting, licensing, and certification processes and we slashed wait times, cleared backlogs, and fixed systems that hadn’t been looked at in years.
Now it takes just 3 days to get a business license instead of 8 weeks.
You can get a new barber license the same day, instead of waiting 12.
Time is money.
And we’ve got a Permit Fast Track process for major economic development projects like Bellwether in South Philly and Project Hazelnut in Hazleton.
We now have a money back guarantee making sure permits get processed on time.
And since that guarantee went into effect 15 months ago, we’ve only had to process 4 refunds out of millions of permits.
Last year, you passed, and I signed into law, the SPEED Act to move projects more quickly through the environmental review process.
For years, people in this building have talked about permitting reform.
We’ve actually gotten it done.
And the results speak for themselves.
We jumped 25 spots – more than any other state in the nation – going from one of the more burdensome states in terms of occupational licensing to one of the best, according to a trusted national index.
And Site Selector Magazine named us the top state in the Northeast for economic competitiveness.
We are moving at the speed of business and inking major deals again.
Last year, you all came together to deliver $1.1 billion in new funding for economic development.
And as a result, we’ve secured more than $3 billion in new private sector investment during my time as Governor.
That’s a great ROI for the taxpayers.
Companies like Gecko Robotics in Pittsburgh and Martin’s Potato Rolls in Chambersburg are growing with our help.
We’re also attracting companies from all over the world to relocate here in Pennsylvania.
From Il Pastaio, a world-renowned pasta maker that opened up their first American manufacturing facility in Union County...
…to biotech companies like Adare Pharma Solutions who recently moved their headquarters from Jersey to Northeast Philly...
Businesses are choosing Pennsylvania again.
And it’s not just businesses choosing Pennsylvania, it’s big events too.
I’m proud of the fact that we landed the NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
This iconic event will bring hundreds of thousands of people to Western Pennsylvania and generate nearly $200 million in local economic impact.
That’s on top of the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, the PGA Championship, and more big events all across the Commonwealth.
My budget ensures those epic events have the resources they need.
Because all eyes will be on Pennsylvania as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday in 2026 and welcome millions to where it all began.
Every year, Pennsylvania welcomes nearly 200 million visitors as they enjoy their own Great American Getaway.
They come here for our sports and our history, our small towns, our restaurants, and our craft breweries.
They also come here to experience our Commonwealth’s natural beauty in a kayak, on horseback, by bike and, yes, even in an RV with their 4 kids!
Last year, we worked together to invest in tourism – and it’s already paying off with more interest, more visitors, and more hotel rooms booked.
So this year, let’s build on that foundation by connecting more trails and creating more state parks.
This budget expands Lehigh Gorge State Park to include the popular Glen Onoko Falls trail – and creates Pennsylvania’s first underground state park at the incredible Laurel Caverns.
By the way, Laurel Caverns will be our 125th state park.
Pennsylvania is home to some of the most beautiful and remarkable places in the country and I want more people to experience them.
This is a budget that looks to the future – whether it's supporting America250 or expanding access to our parks and trails – all of which are free.
And as we look to the future, we need to invest in the key sectors that are going to fuel our growth.
That’s why our Economic Development Strategy identified five pillars of opportunity:
Energy. Agriculture. Manufacturing. Robotics and technology. And, life sciences.
This budget supports all five sectors – but I want to focus on life sciences for just a moment.
Because this is an area where we are poised for explosive innovation and growth.
If you look at the landscape on life sciences, two regions have dominated for years: The Bay Area and Boston.
It pains me to even utter the word Boston given my hatred of the Celtics but facts are facts.
After them, there’s a huge drop off – and a huge life sciences void that should be filled by us.
Think about it: we’re already home to world-class universities and research institutions...
Penn, Pitt, and Penn State all spend over $1 billion annually on groundbreaking research and development – and taken together our colleges and universities rank 4th in the nation in life sciences R&D spending.
Over 100,000 Pennsylvanians work in this industry – at places like Krystal Biotech in Western Pennsylvania, Spark Therapeutics in Philly, and GSK in Lancaster County.
The foundation is there – we just need to connect the dots and create an ecosystem where innovators and entrepreneurs can thrive.
That’s why my budget delivers $65 million more in innovation and specifically designates $30 million for life sciences to help our industry leaders share data, commercialize their discoveries, and unleash Pennsylvania’s full potential.
This is desperately needed.
In the last five years, Pennsylvania companies received 10,783 new life sciences patents – that’s the 4th highest number in the country.
But we only received 3 percent of the venture capital flooding into life sciences.
That means we’re effectively doing the research but losing out on commercial opportunities to other states.
Let's change that.
Because when life sciences grow and thrive, we not only improve lives but other major industries too.
Let’s take B. Braun, a leading life sciences company in the Lehigh Valley.
They produce IV fluids, pharmacy products, and complex medical devices – and last year, they sourced $200 million in raw materials and equipment from over 100 Pennsylvania-based suppliers.
That includes raw materials from Exton, resins from Pittsburgh and moldings from Meadville.
Life sciences feeds into every other sector of our economy and supports real growth.
Did you know that the number one purchaser of eggs from Pennsylvania poultry farmers is a life sciences company?
Sanofi Pasteur purchases 200 million eggs from those farmers every year to power their work.
So much of our economic development is intertwined. Perhaps nothing as much as agriculture.
That’s why, for the first time ever, agriculture is at the center of our economic development strategy.
Ag isn’t just part of our rich heritage in Pennsylvania – it’s key to our future.
There are 50,000 farms across Pennsylvania that contribute $132 billion to our economy and support almost 600,000 jobs.
To ignore that isn’t just disrespectful – it doesn’t make sense economically!
62 percent of those farms are less than 100 acres –Pennsylvania has more small and mid-sized farms than almost any other state in the country.
So when we talk about agriculture, we’re not just talking about big farms – we’re talking about our small businesses too!
There are few things more noble in life than working every day to feed our neighbors.
We have to support and invest in our farmers.
This body came together last year to create the first Ag Innovation Fund in the nation.
You seeded it with $10 million to start – and the response has been overwhelming.
In the first year, the Department of Agriculture received 159 applications for nearly $70 million worth of innovation projects.
The demand is there, so I’m coming back to you with a plan to more than double funding for Ag Innovation.
As we help our farmers embrace the latest technology, we also need to be there for them when disaster strikes.
For months, we’ve known that Hi-Path Avian Influenza was likely to return to our Commonwealth.
We’ve taken aggressive and proactive steps to communicate with our farmers – from our major commercial sites to our Amish community – and to encourage them to put biosecurity measures in place.
While other states have been slow to react, we’ve been proactive – and it’s helped us avoid the worst so far.
But last week, we confirmed the first case of Hi-Path in a commercial flock this year in the Lehigh Valley and over the weekend a commercial flock was infected in Middletown in Dauphin County.
The Department of Agriculture is all-hands-on-deck right now, working to reduce the spread and protect our farmers.
But for those who are impacted, I want you to know that we are here for you.
Thanks to our proactive planning, we have the only Hi-Path recovery fund in the nation with more than $60 million set aside to support poultry farmers whose flocks have been impacted.
We are ready to deploy those existing resources as quickly as possible to assist farmers in need.
We will be there for our farmers – because our economic success runs right through our farmlands.
Economic success requires us to ensure a farmer, a life sciences company, or a small business can get their goods to market – and that the people who do the work can get to and from the job site.
Last fall, I was standing next to a repaired bridge in Manheim Borough, in Lancaster County, listening to folks in that community express appreciation for PennDOT repairing their bridge over Rife Run and now they were able to get to work quicker and then get back home to their kids for dinner sooner.
In my first two years as Governor, we’ve delivered over $380 million in new funding for our roads and bridges and used it to repair more poor condition bridges than any other state in the entire country!
On top of that, we repaired 12,000 miles of roads – that’s more than any other time in the last decade.
We’re building out a transportation network that puts our tradespeople to work, strengthens our businesses, and improves quality of life.
But I’m mindful that for some, going to work and coming home in time for dinner doesn’t take you over a rural bridge like Rife Run.
Instead it requires you to ride a bus, or hop on a trolley, a train, or the subway.
And just like we repair and maintain the bridges in those rural and suburban communities, we also owe it to Pennsylvanians in Pittsburgh and Lancaster and yes, Philadelphia, who rely on mass transit.
My budget delivers to keep our mass transit running all across the Commonwealth.
And while we’re at it, let’s deliver more funding for our roads and bridges, especially in our rural communities so we can continue that progress.
It shouldn’t be either/or, it should be both/and.
Whether you’re a mom in Mantua, McKeesport, or Manheim, you deserve a transportation network that gets you to work and home again in time for dinner safely.
By investing in our roads, bridges, and public transit we not only help Pennsylvanians get where they need to go, we’re also attract business and grow our economy.
But if we really want to spur economic growth and help businesses grow here, one of the most important things we can do is make our tax system more competitive.
In my first two years, we’ve cut taxes significantly for businesses – lowering the Corporate Net Income Tax rate...
...and increasing the net operating loss for small businesses, which allows them to write off more of their losses, so they have greater opportunity to get off the ground and be successful.
Some were amazed that we were able to reach agreement to cut taxes so aggressively.
And while I appreciate the accolades, I’m hungry for more.
During my campaign, I heard from the Chamber and countless businesses across Pennsylvania who wanted to see faster cuts to Corporate Net Income Tax.
And that’s exactly what this budget does.
Let’s be more aggressive and speed up these tax cuts by two whole years so that we can compete more effectively and unleash our Commonwealth’s full potential.
And while we speed up those cuts, let’s make our tax system simpler, more modern, and more streamlined to spur even more economic growth.
Let me give you an example:
Unlike most other businesses in Pennsylvania, banks and financial institutions pay one of three separate taxes instead of the Corporate Net Income Tax.
One of those bank taxes is so old, it was passed when Abraham Lincoln was President!
Let’s eliminate those three outdated bank taxes and make our system simpler and more consistent.
This is commonsense stuff.
And you know what else we can do to make our tax system more fair and more consistent?
Close something called the Delaware Loophole.
Follow me on this: of all the businesses in Pennsylvania, nearly 90 percent pay their full amount due in taxes – whether it’s the CNIT or the personal income tax.
But 11 percent of businesses – typically the ones who can afford bigtime accountants and high-priced lawyers – take advantage of a loophole in our system to avoid paying their fair share to our fellow Pennsylvanians.
It’s not fair that they get a free pass while everybody else pays.
Think about it, they generate a lot of revenue in the Commonwealth, use our roads and bridges and schools and parks and then avoid paying taxes here due to an outdated loophole that 28 other states have closed.
That includes states like Texas and Utah; New York and West Virginia. States led by Democrats and states led by Republicans.
So let’s close the loophole, cut taxes more aggressively, move on from Civil War-era fiscal policy.
In my first two years in office, we’ve already cut taxes for businesses by more than $1.5 billion.
Taken together with the progress we’ve made so far, my plan would cut taxes by $10-and-a-half billion by 2029!
It will encourage more companies to move here and expand here.
It will allow them to reinvest in our workers and expand their operations.
Folks in this building have been talking about cutting taxes for years.
But here I am, a Democratic Governor with an aggressive plan to cut taxes, ready to work with you to get it done and make Pennsylvania more competitive.
Cutting taxes is important to strengthen our economy.
But no matter what sector you’re in, we’re a people-powered economy.
And we’ve got to invest in the people doing the work.
One of the biggest problems we face in Pennsylvania is workforce shortages.
That's why I've been focused on expanding our workforce, from my very first day in office when I signed an executive order to make 92 percent of state government jobs open to Pennsylvanians without a college degree.
Since then, nearly 60 percent of all new hires don’t have a college degree.
Together, we’ve invested in education to address workforce shortages and help businesses find the workers they need to grow our economy.
This budget builds on that foundation and places a special emphasis on workforce development.
And I want to be clear – workforce is different than employment.
There are 170,000 more people working today than when I took office and our unemployment rate is near historic lows.
What I’m talking about is the future of our workforce.
We need to ensure we have enough trained workers in the industries that will fuel our growth.
We face growing workforce shortages across several critical sectors, including childcare, direct care, and health care.
This isn’t unique to Pennsylvania. Other states are grappling with this problem too.
But we know how to solve problems here. So let’s get to work on it.
It starts by respecting all paths to success.
Some Pennsylvanians join the workforce right out of high school.
Some complete an apprenticeship.
Some join the military.
Some go to college.
There are many paths to success and we’ve got to respect – and support – all of them.
That’s what we’ve done over the past two years, increasing funding for vo-tech, career and technical education, and apprenticeships by nearly $65 million.
Today, our Commonwealth invests 50 percent more in workforce development than the day I took office.
As a result, we’ve created over 110 new pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships in just two years.
And we’ve trained over 29,500 Pennsylvanians in fields like welding, manufacturing, transportation, and ag.
As I said, there are many paths to success – and last year, we came together to make the first significant progress on higher education in 30 years.
We directed significant resources towards our public universities and community colleges while at the same time expanding access to scholarships that make a college education more affordable.
And we’ve finally started to fix the problem that I identified in my first budget address of universities competing against each other for limited dollars and ultimately driving up costs for students.
We created a coordinating council to ensure we’re all rowing in the same direction.
And for the first time ever, we’re going to incentivize outcomes – paying our universities for their performance in meeting goals like graduating students with in-demand degrees and skills...
...Graduating first generation college students...
...Incentivizing universities when their graduates stay and work in Pennsylvania.
Now we need to build on that foundation.
My budget keeps up the scholarships and grants we funded last year – and it fully funds that performance-based formula for Pitt, Penn State, and Temple.
Let’s continue the work we started to create opportunity for Pennsylvanians.
There can be no wrong door for accessing opportunity and opportunity should be available to those with and without a degree.
Today there are 650,000 Pennsylvania adults who don’t even have a high school degree.
That’s hundreds of thousands of our neighbors with untapped potential.
Folks who want to advance their careers – but need help developing the reading, writing, and math skills most jobs require.
That’s where adult literacy initiatives come in.
They provide the training and education folks need to get a job, keep a job, and get a better job.
We have 54 centers across Pennsylvania that do this work, and more than 7,500 people are stuck on their waitlists because they don’t have enough funding.
But once folks get into a class, it can be life changing.
That’s the story of Alexandra McDowell – who joins us here today from Lancaster County.
Alexandra took an adult literacy class and got her G-E-D, which allowed her to get a job as a home health aide – a field with critical workforce shortages – helping herself and our fellow Pennsylvanians.
These classes are the bridge to more people getting a G-E-D.
That’s why this investment of $6 million in adult literacy is so critical – it's a bridge to opportunity.
To grow our workforce, we need to believe in the potential of all people in Pennsylvania and not shut anyone out.
So, let’s open up the doors of opportunity for those 650,000 Pennsylvanians who want to learn so they can walk through.
There are so many Pennsylvanians who want to be part of our workforce – but too often get forgotten and left behind.
One of the greatest privileges Lori and I have had is meeting those with disabilities who are out working, powering our economy, and putting smiles on people’s faces –
Whether it’s when we grab a coffee at Nour in Camp Hill, a sandwich at Bitty and Beau’s in Bethlehem, or a cookie at 260 Bridge Cafe in Phoenixville.
These folks might have physical or intellectual disabilities, but they are making incredibly valuable contributions in our communities every single day.
We recognize that.
People often underestimate what people with disabilities are capable of.
But we’re different here in Pennsylvania.
Because we know that people with disabilities bring unique strengths to the work they do.
We have an entire office in the Department of Labor & Industry that helps folks with disabilities get in the workforce.
It’s called OVR – the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
This office doesn’t just give workers the skills they need – it actually fosters connections between the 50,000 Pennsylvanians who receive help from OVR and the businesses looking for trained workers.
This is something the First Lady herself has worked closely on with our teams at L&I, DCED, and the Office of Transformation and Opportunity.
One of the iconic Pennsylvania companies that has a history of hiring individuals with disabilities is Sheetz.
They’ve been working with OVR for a few years, hiring Pennsylvanians with disabilities to work in their distribution center.
Recently the First Lady went to Wawa to encourage them to also partner with our OVR team, and they agreed.
I know Sheetz and Wawa have always had a bit of a friendly rivalry.
In fact, I know many people in this room have picked a side.
But they’re unified behind lifting up and employing those with special needs and disabilities.
I’m proud of both companies – and we’re going to keep reaching out to businesses all across Pennsylvania to encourage them to hire people who have so much to contribute to our workforce.
I want to thank the First Lady for her leadership in this space and ask all of you to come together and fund the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation so that work can continue.
OVR is just one part of our effort to expand our workforce and address the shortages we face in key areas – like childcare.
Too many young parents are forced to exit the workforce because they can’t find affordable childcare.
We’ve taken action over the last two years to make childcare more affordable, expanding one tax credit for families and creating another for businesses who contribute to their employees’ childcare costs.
But we can’t just tackle affordability – we also have to increase the availability of childcare.
Right now, we have 3,000 unfilled jobs in childcare.
If we filled those jobs, 25,000 more children in Pennsylvania could have access to childcare and parents could have the peace of mind that their kids are well taken care of so they can go to work.
We’ve all studied this issue – from community organizations, to chambers of commerce, to members of my Administration – and everyone reaches the same conclusion:
The reason why these jobs aren’t filled is because folks aren’t being offered a competitive wage.
Today, we’re joined by Michelle Dallago, the director of a childcare center in Schuylkill County.
After serving our nation in the U.S. Army, Michelle has dedicated her life to others – ensuring our kids get off to a great start.
But it’s hard for her to hire enough childcare workers, because we don’t pay them enough.
So this budget delivers $55 million to give childcare workers in Pennsylvania at least $1,000 in recruitment or retention bonuses.
Look, we know this type of approach works to fill critically important positions – we’ve tried it with other jobs, including recruitment bonuses for municipal police officers.
We came together to pass that, and as a result we’ve been able to recruit nearly 700 new officers across Pennsylvania.
Let’s build on that foundation and tackle this workforce shortage too.
Childcare isn’t the only industry facing a shortage because wages are too low.
That’s also the case for our direct care workers.
I’ve gotten to know so many of these good souls who go into people’s homes and provide care for those with disabilities and seniors.
People like Cheryl Harp, who joins us in the chamber today.
Cheryl moved home to Harrisburg 10 years ago to care for Veronica, her aging mother.
Thanks to Cheryl, Veronica is able to stay in her home – cared for by someone who loves her deeply.
Listen, we’ve come together, Democrats and Republicans, to support those who care for the most vulnerable in our society.
After years of shortchanging the ID/A community, we made an historic commitment to meet their needs in this past budget.
And it’s working.
For the first time ever, more than 40,000 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities or autism are getting the services they need.
And after years of inaction, we’ve reduced the emergency waiting list by 20 percent since last July.
Let’s continue to show we care for our neighbors this year by supporting participant-directed care and home care workers like Cheryl with increased wages, paid time off, and access to affordable health insurance.
A sustainable home care workforce is also critical for our seniors, many of whom rely on their services.
That was one of the takeaways from Pennsylvania’s first ever Master Plan for older adults – Aging Our Way, PA.
And it’s why, as part of that plan, the Department of Aging created a caregiver toolkit to give those caring for our seniors more help to do these difficult jobs.
There are 2.6 million Pennsylvanians over the age of 65, and the best way to meet their needs is to work closely with our community partners – including our Triple As.
One of the most critical areas our master plan identified was providing better support for our Triple As, which serve as community centers, connect older adults to critical resources, and serve on the front lines of protecting older adults from abuse and neglect.
I’ve visited many of these Triple As, and I’ve seen how they’ve been underfunded for too long.
This year, we should make a significant new investment in our Triple As and support our seniors.
We have a special responsibility to look out for those seniors who served out nation.
Pennsylvania is home to over 800,000 veterans.
I recently visited the Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home to thank them for their service to our nation and celebrate the holidays together. They’re wonderful people who deserve the best.
As we continue to build a new veterans’ home in Holidaysburg, I’ve directed my team to make housing for veterans a priority going forward and fund our veterans’ needs.
Whether a Pennsylvanian lives in one of our 6 veterans’ homes, visits a Triple AAA, or goes to the doctor, they deserve great care.
But here in Pennsylvania, we are facing shortages of health care professionals – especially in our rural communities.
Consider this: in urban counties in Pennsylvania, there is one primary care physician for every 222 residents.
In rural counties, there is one primary care physician for every 522 residents.
That means that rural Pennsylvanians – who already have to travel further distances to get to their doctor – also have less access.
To ensure every Pennsylvanian, no matter their zip code, has access to high-quality health care professionals, we’ve got to take action to build a more competitive health care workforce.
Across this budget, we take steps to fund more doctors and nurses where we need them most...
And we expand an existing and successful loan forgiveness initiative to incentivize more health care providers and behavioral health specialists to take jobs all across Pennsylvania.
There are also commonsense steps we can take to ease these shortages that don’t come with a price tag.
Like giving full practice authority to highly-educated, highly-qualified nurse practitioners who work under a licensed physician for at least three years.
This is smart – and it’s already passed.
The State Senate passed it last year on a bipartisan basis.
Pass it again, send it to the House, and let’s get it to my desk.
We need to address these workforce shortages for the future, and we need to make sure our workers today are being treated fairly.
Let’s be real, folks.
The floor of our wage structure in Pennsylvania is too damn low.
It’s been stuck at $7.25/hour for the last 16 years.
In that time, every single one of our neighboring states has raised the minimum wage for their workers.
Maryland and Delaware are at 15 bucks.
New York and New Jersey are over 15 bucks.
Ohio is at 10.70.
West Virginia is at 8.75.
In the last session, the House of Representatives passed legislation to increase our minimum wage to $15/hour.
And the Senate sat on its hands.
That’s hurting workers.
We’ve spent so much time passing laws to put more money back in people’s pockets by cutting taxes.
How about we put more money in people’s pockets by raising their wages?
Let’s raise the minimum wage to $15/hour.
This budget places a special emphasis on filling critical workforce gaps...
It makes strategic, commonsense investments to give every Pennsylvanian a shot at success...
And it solves real problems – including problems in health care.
One of the most heartbreaking problems our grandmoms and grandpops face are neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Parkinson’s.
There are members of this body who have lost parents to these terrible diseases.
And I know they want us to do more here to honor the memories of their loved ones.
Pennsylvania is home to some of the top research institutions in the world.
Let’s put them to work by funding groundbreaking research into neurodegenerative diseases – and make Pennsylvania a leader in this fight.
By doing so, we would build on the progress we made last year when we created the first Alzheimer’s Disease Division at the Department of Aging.
Let’s keep working on this together.
To ensure Pennsylvanians have the best possible care throughout their lives, we’ve got to address the significant structural challenges hospitals across the Commonwealth are facing right now.
Rural hospitals in particular have been stretched to the breaking point.
That’s why I convened a rural health care working group back in 2023.
I’ve spent time working directly with hospital CEOs, health care providers, folks in this chamber, and many others to find a lasting, sustainable solution to this problem.
Based on those conversations, my budget leverages $10 million from the Commonwealth to draw down an additional $26 million in federal matching funds to provide immediate relief to Pennsylvania hospitals.
And recognizing the unique challenges facing our rural hospitals, it invests another $10 million in state funds to help meet their needs.
But I know there’s more we can do to support our hospitals and solve some of the big problems they face.
Sometimes, solving problems costs money.
Sometimes, it requires reform.
For example, when we came together last year to reform the way Pharmacy Benefit Managers operate.
It didn’t cost any money in the budget, but it saved taxpayers money on their prescriptions.
We shouldn’t stop there.
Let's reform the way private equity has infected our health care system.
Let me explain.
Private equity is motivated to make a profit and make it quickly.
That doesn’t mean they’re doing something wrong or criminal.
They buy up hospitals and health care facilities, line their own pockets by stripping money and resources from those facilities, and compromising care.
Then, in many cases, they skip town, leaving taxpayers holding the bag and communities without the care and services they need.
I’m done letting private equity treat Pennsylvania hospitals like a piggybank they can empty out and smash on the floor.
As a Commonwealth, it’s time for us to stand up for our local hospitals and nursing facilities and put in place real safeguards against private equity.
Let’s require pre-transaction notifications for all sales, mergers, acquisitions, and bankruptcy claims by empowering the Office of the Attorney General to review these intentions carefully, comprehensively, and with the community’s best interest at the forefront.
Let’s also put an end to harmful leaseback arrangements – where a private equity-backed hospital or nursing home sells their land and then rents it back, often at excessively high prices that push them deeper into debt.
Many of you in this chamber have seen the damage private equity can do to local health care facilities.
In fact, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate have sponsored bills to make these needed reforms.
Pass the bills, put them on my desk, and stop letting private equity take advantage of our health care system.
Here’s something in the health care space that we don’t often talk about...
An issue that lurks in the shadows, but affects 1 in 8 moms across our country...
Postpartum depression.
Improving maternal health is important to me – and I know it’s important to so many of you in this chamber, on both sides of the aisle – including the Black Maternal Health Caucus.
Two years ago, we came together to make the first-ever state investment to address maternal mortality – and we doubled down last year.
But when it comes to postpartum depression, moms in need aren’t getting the help they deserve.
So I’m directing the Department of Health to work with health care providers across Pennsylvania to implement universal postpartum screenings for moms...
Train doctors, nurses, and health care professionals on how to more quickly identify postpartum depression...
Speed up referrals to mental health professionals when a mom is diagnosed...
And create a resource hub where families can go to find more information – as well as local support networks – for postpartum depression.
Let’s take an issue that lurks in the shadows and put it right in the middle of the conversation.
Let’s end the stigma around postpartum depression just like we’ve worked to end the stigma around mental health.
Over the past two years, we’ve made a commitment to treat mental health just as seriously as physical health here in Pennsylvania.
We’ve taken aggressive action to deliver mental health parity.
In fact, our review process for parity, led by the Insurance Department, now serves as a national model.
But we can’t stop there.
There are still reforms that need to be made.
We’ve come together to deliver $200 million that schools can use to increase mental health supports for our students.
It’s working, but we’ve found a glaring loophole.
While an insurance company would normally cover mental health services for students, they often don’t if those services are delivered inside the walls of a school.
That makes no sense.
If the same student saw the same mental health professional and received the same services in an office across the street, the insurance company would reimburse for it.
Let’s close this loophole that insurance companies are taking advantage of and pass a law to stop insurance companies from denying payment for mental health services simply because they are provided in a school.
And while we’re fixing mental health coverage for kids, here’s another thing we should work on:
Let’s have transparency in pricing in health care.
Look, if you make any other purchase – from groceries to buying the refrigerator you store them in – you can look up the price ahead of time and see what the store is going to charge.
You can shop around and make the right choice for your family based on quality and price.
You should be able to pick your doctor based on quality and price, too.
As individuals, we can go to our insurance provider and ask: How much will I have to pay to get my child the inhaler he was prescribed?
But we can’t compare that to what other insurance providers would charge.
Pennsylvanians deserve price transparency in their health care system.
So this budget invests $4 million in P-H-C4 to develop an All-Payer Claims Database.
The database will collect medical, pharmacy, and dental claims from private and public insurers and make them publicly available.
That small investment of $4 million will allow Pennsylvanians to save hundreds of millions of dollars on their medical bills.
This is a commonsense step to cut health care costs.
Let's also enshrine the protections of the Affordable Care Act under federal law into our state law in Pennsylvania.
Today, 1.2 million Pennsylvanians get their health care through the Affordable Care Act.
And while I know there are some who would like to do away with it in Washington DC....
The fact is it’s working for Pennsylvanians.
Pennsylvanians have come to rely on guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions...
The guarantee that young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance until they turn 26...
And the guarantee that lifetime limits won’t price people out of the health care they need and deserve.
If we fail to do so and the ACA goes away, health care costs will dramatically increase for Pennsylvanians.
Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.
From childcare to health care to energy, we’ve been focused on cutting costs across the board.
Our Commonwealth is the second largest energy exporter in the country – and one of the most important energy producers in the world.
Because of that, we are powerful enough to develop commonsense policy that will lower costs, protect and create jobs, and take meaningful action to address climate change.
Last week, I announced my vision to secure our Commonwealth’s energy future – the Lightning Plan.
Inspired by Ben Franklin, and backed by environmental groups, the building trades, chambers of commerce, consumer organizations, and even industry leaders, the Lightning Plan takes bold steps to increase energy production, explore pathways to renewable sources, and grow our economy.
It takes concrete, direct steps to cut energy costs, create jobs, hold down electric bills for families, and increase generation in our Commonwealth.
The time for action is now – so when folks turn on the light switch in their homes they won’t have to worry whether the power will turn on or if the bill will be too high.
Here’s another thing people shouldn’t have to worry about: access to safe, affordable housing.
In April, my Administration will certify over $1 billion in property tax relief through the homestead and farmstead exclusion.
It’s the first time ever there will be over $1 billion available for property tax relief.
The day I took office, the average homeowner received savings of $225.
As a result of this certification, those average savings will climb to $386 per household.
We’re cutting costs for Pennsylvanians, but we need to do more.
In Indiana County, over the last five years, rent has increased 26%.
In Philadelphia County it’s increased by 30%.
Two very different counties with the exact same problem that’s mostly been driven by a severe lack of new development across Pennsylvania.
To meet the need for housing this year alone, we need more than 100,000 new homes and apartments.
Last September, I signed an Executive Order to create Pennsylvania’s first ever Housing Action Plan and we’ve been busy at work.
While the final housing plan will be coming in the next few months, we've identified six key steps we can take immediately to begin to solve this problem.
First, let’s invest $10 million to help first-time home buyers cover closing costs – so not only can they put a roof over their head, but they’ll have a real chance to build generational wealth.
Second, let’s staff up the State Planning Board, so it can help local communities fix their permitting, zoning, and code enforcement issues and build more homes more quickly.
we’ve improved permitting at the state level, let’s help our local partners do the same.
Third, let’s create an Interagency Council on Homelessness to improve support and coordination for the unhoused.
Fourth, let’s continue the progress we made last year by increasing our largest and most flexible affordable housing tool – PHARE – by an additional $10 million to reach $110 million by the end of 2028.
In the last 2 years, PHARE has been used for construction on 2,000 new homes and apartments and repairs to another 3,200 – protecting folks' homes and keeping them affordable.
Fifth, let’s seal eviction records if you weren’t actually evicted.
Because in Pennsylvania, as soon as an eviction is filed, it becomes a permanent mark on someone’s background, even if that case eventually gets ruled in the tenant’s favor.
That makes no sense. Let’s deploy our commonsense mentality and fix this together by sealing those cases from public records.
And, sixth, let’s invest $50 million to create a new statewide housing repair fund to help homeowners struggling to make needed repairs to their aging homes.
Consider this: almost 60 percent of the homes in Pennsylvania were built before 1970.
Many of them are in dire need of repairs but a lot of homeowners like Thomasine Frank from Lawrence County just can’t afford it.
Thomasine, who’s with us today, has been on the waitlist for home repair funding for two years now.
She’s dealing with a leaky roof and a back door that doesn’t close right.
We can help her. We can solve this problem.
I know you see these needs in your communities.
Many of you have attended my Administration’s roundtables.
You have heard from your constituents.
It’s time we deliver for them.
By taking these commonsense steps, we can cut housing costs and help more Pennsylvanians pursue the American Dream.
We’re cutting costs for Pennsylvanians.
We’re making sure they can receive the health care they need.
We're expanding our workforce, investing in our schools and growing our economy.
Working together, we are solving real problems.
So let’s solve another by prioritizing the needs of our brave firefighters.
Let me give you an example:
The Wilkes-Barre Fire Department responds to 10,000 calls every year – but they’re using a fire engine that’s more than 30 years old.
That’s not because they want to – it’s because they haven’t been able to secure the funding to buy a new one.
We’re joined today by Wilkes-Barre Fire Department Assistant Chief Travis Temarantz and Captain Rich Matchey.
These guys and their teams literally run into burning buildings to keep us safe.
We need to do right by them.
My budget takes three concrete steps to support our fire fighters.
First, it creates a new, competitive funding stream of $30 million in grants for our fire companies.
We already appropriate $30 million through a different initiative, and that money gets spread out across all our fire companies.
Firefighters know they’ll get a steady stream of funding every year – and that’s a good foundation.
But the current system makes it hard for companies like Wilkes-Barre to make a single big purchase or equipment upgrade.
This budget solves that problem by establishing competitive grants that allow fire companies to purchase equipment, recruit and retain firefighters, and meet their unique needs.
Second, we have to be mindful that firefighters are being stretched thin right now, responding to more and more calls each year as the number of firefighters across the Commonwealth shrinks.
Fire companies have told me they want to collaborate more and share services more.
But there’s no incentive for them to do it, because it costs them money. My budget incentivizes cooperation and creates a pilot program to help municipal fire companies work together.
Just like our law enforcement officers and first responders, our firefighters do a dangerous job and they deserve our support.
Third, let’s cover cancer screenings for firefighters every year.
Last year, we reformed our Workers’ Compensation Act to ensure firefighters, first responders, and law enforcement with a post-traumatic stress injury get the coverage they deserve.
Let’s build on that foundation.
Firefighters expose themselves to toxic chemicals while on the job – all to keep us safe.
We need to have their backs.
When that plane crashed in Northeast Philly last week, we saw our brave firefighters put out a raging jet fuel fire.
And because of how quickly they acted, lives were saved.
They did that work in partnership with law enforcement.
Law enforcement at all levels worked together to help a frightened community.
We have to keep investing in our police – especially our State Police, the finest law enforcement organization in the country.
They take seriously their responsibility to be there for Pennsylvanians, from Northeast Philly to the Northern Tier...
But in turn, it’s our responsibility to provide them with the resources they need to be successful.
That’s why we took an historic step, to give PSP dedicated funding and we have to continue that commitment in this budget.
We’ve also funded new cadet classes to offset the increasing number of Troopers nearing retirement.
Today, nearly 400 more highly-trained Troopers are out in our communities thanks to that bipartisan commitment – and more are on their way.
To build on that foundation, this budget adds 4 more cadet classes for the Pennsylvania State Police.
This budget also supports our Corrections Officers, reducing the strain on them and giving them the resources they need to do their critically important jobs successfully.
My Administration has prioritized filling critical vacancies among our Corrections Officers.
Over the last two years, we’ve cut the corrections officer vacancy rate in half, hiring nearly 3,000 new C-Os.
Our investments in law enforcement are working.
Violent crime is down across much of Pennsylvania.
And we understand that investing in law enforcement is one part of that success.
The other part is working with community groups, youth groups, and church groups to lift up their work.
We created the BOOST initiative to help expand afterschool programs so kids have somewhere safe and productive to go before their parents get off work.
Four dozen afterschool programs are expanding because of our collective work, giving thousands of kids more opportunities to succeed and less opportunities to engage in violence.
That’s a good start, and this budget builds on that foundation so we can expand our impact and make our communities safer.
I want to give special thanks to Lieutenant Governor Davis, the Chairman of PCCD, for connecting the dots between our state funding and the organizations on the ground who are doing meaningful work to reduce violence in our communities.
So here’s what I want us to do together:
Ensure we have good schools for our kids in every zip code.
Grow our economy and cut costs for people in rural, urban, and suburban communities.
Slash taxes to spur economic growth.
Make health care and energy accessible and affordable for all Pennsylvanians.
Ensure our kids can walk down the street safely.
Stop giving our neighboring states a competitive advantage.
These are commonsense Pennsylvania priorities that I know we all share.
I recognize some may have a different approach to these objectives, but we’ve got to work at it together.
Look, I get how politics works.
I know there are some folks in this room who will feel the need to just be reflexively against whatever I’m for.
Remember, despite the wave nationally, voters sent the same group back here to keep making progress.
And so I ask you to resist the temptation to put politics above people – and instead let’s continue to work together to solve more problems.
Two days ago, I was standing with nearly 50,000 people in a cold field in Punxsutawney at 6 o’clock in the morning as the sun rose over the horizon.
Folks from every corner of the Commonwealth...
In fact, from all corners of this great country and several foreign countries...
Gathered together to see our official state meteorologist, Phil, come out and give us a glimpse into our collective future.
At that moment, as we held our breath while the President of the Inner Circle, Tom “Shingle Shaker” Dunkel, waited to see if Phil would see his shadow.
Tom and his wife join us here today.
We were all just there together, in shared humanity and good spirits, excited to be part of this tradition.
I know some folks think we’re all crazy for standing in the freezing cold waiting for Phil.
But I gotta tell you, I love Groundhog Day.
I go every year.
And the greatest part is seeing tens of thousands of joyful people come together from all walks of life.
Pennsylvania is built on traditions that bring us together.
Traditions that both celebrate our shared past – and also welcome newcomers to join and share in the fun.
That’s the spirit of Pennsylvania.
And it started when William Penn first founded our home as a place where all would be welcome.
Each successive generation has passed down those traditions, and through it all we’ve made sure that Pennsylvania would be a place where everyone belongs.
No matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you pray to.
A place where you could be comfortable being yourself.
A place where we continually forge ahead – never losing the traditions that bind us together, but always creating new pathways of opportunity for all.
The first Groundhog Day was held in 1887.
And since then, Pennsylvania has stayed true to those values.
Our Commonwealth fueled the industrial revolution – lifting people out of poverty, powering the middle class, and creating the American labor movement.
Pennsylvania workers in energy and steel gave rise to the arsenal of democracy and the most powerful manufacturing base in the world.
Our scientists created medical miracles and life-saving remedies – including the vaccine that drove back the scourge of polio.
We built the first modern interstate, linking Beaver County to Bensalem.
From art to music to sports – great Pennsylvanians like Teenie Harris, Andy Warhol, Franco Harris, and Taylor Swift have inspired the world.
And along the way, when the world needed some changing, Pennsylvanians like James Forten, Cecil B. Moore, and Rachel Carson triumphed through the tumult.
But through it all, our legacy has been defined by everyday folks rising up, demanding more, seeking change, and keeping us on that path towards progress.
I’m inspired by those people.
We owe it to them to tackle the challenges we face today with that same spirit: with principled common sense and a respect for all.
By staying true to our values, I know we can work together to get more stuff done.
And of course... by honoring our traditions... including the tradition of getting our weather from a groundhog.
I’m proud as hell to be your Governor – to take up that baton of progress passed down through the generations and run forward into a future filled with more opportunity for all.
Ladies and gentleman, Pennsylvania is on the rise.
Let’s keep reaching for that horizon, together.
May God bless you and our fellow Pennsylvanians.
And may God watch over the men and women of the Pennsylvania National Guard – and all those who wear the uniform.
Thank you.
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