McKees Rocks − September 16, 2025 − Today, Senate Democratic Policy Committee Chair Nick Miller held a hearing to examine housing affordability and seeking solutions to a growing issue across Pennsylvania.
“Housing affordability continues to be a major issue across Pennsylvania,” said Senator Miller. “I understand that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to the housing crisis impacting our region and beyond. However, as a Commonwealth, we have the opportunity to lead the conversation and showcase our dedication to accessible and independent housing for our community members, allowing individuals to stay in their homes and enjoy the freedom to live comfortably.”
“Every family who calls Pennsylvania home deserves a safe, affordable place to live and make memories,” said Senate Democratic Leader Costa. “Senate Democrats have been laser-focused on delivering on this core value, working across the aisle to provide working families with the tools, funding, and protections they need to secure a safe home they can afford. I am always delighted to convene leaders in the housing space to discuss strategies for creating more affordable housing, and I look forward to working alongside them as we work to achieve homes for every Pennsylvanian.”
“Too many Pennsylvanians are forced to choose between paying rent and meeting other basic needs,” said Senator Pisciottano. “This lack of affordable housing is holding back families, workers, and employers across our Commonwealth, and we must advance real solutions to ensure our communities, and our economy can thrive.”
“I’m grateful to today’s testifiers for highlighting the need for more paths to affordable homeownership,” said Senator Williams. “Corporate greed has made this path harder for so many Pennsylvanians, as out-of-state landlords buy up properties in what were once affordable neighborhoods. Everyone deserves a safe and affordable home to live in and I look forward to working with my colleagues on policy that will make homeownership more attainable.”
“Increasing the availability of affordable housing is key to Western Pennsylvania’s growth and competitiveness moving forward,” said Senator Fontana. “We have several tools at our disposal to address housing affordability in our region and today’s hearing illustrated the importance of all levels of government working with our community-based partners to effectively utilize them.”
Jason Tigano, Founder and CEO of LEVEL: Equity Building (LEVEL), explained the long-term solutions he has identified with his organization.
“As you know, quality affordable homeownership is one of our nation’s greatest challenges. Strong communities begin with stable residents who are invested in their neighborhoods,” said Tigano. “LEVEL is the long-term solution to creating a pathway for hardworking Pennsylvanians to attain the American Dream of owning their own home.”
Tigano stated in his testimony, “LEVEL prepares communities, homeowners, and homes together. We make affordable homeownership attainable to ensure generational stability and prosperity for neighborhoods and those who live in them.”
Rich Stephenson, Executive Director of the Allegheny County Housing Authority, provided insights into the affordable housing landscape and ongoing initiatives within Allegheny County. In addition, Ed Nusser, Director of Housing Strategy for the Office of the Allegheny County Executive, discussed the “500 in 500” initiative, which was launched in June 2024. This initiative aims to assist individuals experiencing homelessness by creating 500 affordable housing units within a span of 500 days in Allegheny County.
Further testimony emphasized the several tools Pennsylvania has to its disposal to address housing affordability and the recommendations from testifiers to help with growing issue in Pennsylvania.
Testimony
- Rich Stephenson, Executive Director – Allegheny County Housing Authority
- Ed Nusser, Director of Housing Strategy – Office of Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato
- James Eash, Real Estate Director – Action Housing
- Dr. Howard B. Slaughter, Jr., President & CEO – Greater Pittsburgh Habitat for Humanity
- Jason Tigano, CEO – LEVEL: Equity Building
Senator Nick Miller was elected Policy Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus in December 2024. Today’s hearing was his tenth as Chair.
Footage of the hearing, as well as the written testimony of the panel, is available at PASenatorMiller.com/Policy. Photographs and downloadable video are available upon request.
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats commitment to providing access to affordable and health housing at www.pasenate.com.
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Testimony
Download Agenda
Allegheny County’s Outlook and Efforts
- Rich Stephenson, Executive Director – Allegheny County Housing Authority
- Ed Nusser, Director of Housing Strategy – Office of Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato
Community Based Solutions and Actions
James Eash, Real Estate Director – Action Housing
PITTSBURGH, PA – September 11, 2025 − Today, PRT requested permission from Governor Shapiro and PENNDOT to use infrastructure dollars for operating expenses. This follows the Governor’s approval of SEPTA’s request for temporary operational support using state funds that are typically reserved for capital expenses that fund the purchase and maintenance of transit vehicles and infrastructure that provides for safety and efficiency on Monday.
This move will avert a planned 35% service reduction and 9% fare hikes which would have taken place in early 2026.
Democratic Leader Jay Costa offers the following statement:
“Once again, the inaction of the Senate Republicans has forced the second largest transit system in Pennsylvania to reallocate funding from their capital fund to their operating fund. I am glad that Governor Shapiro, PennDOT, and PRT are taking the steps to ensure transit riders maintain reliable, affordable service. Still, I am extremely frustrated that Senate Republicans refuse to do their part to deliver a sustainable source of funding for our essential public transit systems. Transit powers our regional economy by getting people to work, kids to school, seniors to doctors’ appointment, and tourists to our attractions. We need the state to do its part to provide funding to keep these services available. While PRT riders can breathe a sigh of relief, Senate Democrats remain on the frontlines of the fight for a long-term revenue stream for our buses, trains, roads, and bridges.”
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to every Pennsylvanian here.
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PITTSBURGH, PA – September 10, 2025 − Today, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa announces $3,556,350 in funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) benefitting the 43rd district, encompassing parts of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. These dollars come from the Federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Funds.
“It’s a solemn honor to announce funding to support and make whole victims of crime in Western Pennsylvania and demonstrate that there is help and hope for those picking up the pieces after an act of violence,” said Senator Costa. “All of us deserve to live in safe, vibrant neighborhoods with ample programming, support, and resources to serve those in need. And with PCCD’s continued investment in local, effective safety solutions, I am confident these dollars will prove fruitful in the 43rd district.”
Awardees are as follows:
- The Center for Victims was awarded $1,318,088.
- Pittsburgh Action Against Rape was awarded $1,033,593 for services to sexual assault and trafficked victims.
- Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh was awarded $1,204,669 for maintaining comprehensive services for victims of domestic violence.
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to safe communities for every Pennsylvanian here.
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HARRISBURG, PA – September 8, 2025 – Today, Governor Shapiro and PennDOT approved SEPTA’s request for temporary operational support using state funds that are typically reserved for capital expenses that fund the purchase and maintenance of transit vehicles and infrastructure that provides for safety and efficiency.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, on behalf of the Senate Democrats, provides the following statement:
“Senate Democrats commend Governor Shapiro and Secretary Carroll for taking the leadership and making the hard decision to provide SEPTA badly needed funding to avoid continuing the dramatic service reductions that we’ve seen over the last few weeks.
“We, along with the Governor and the House Democrats, have been trying to negotiate a solution to the transit crisis over the last three years, and in particular, the last 6 months. The Senate Republicans are indifferent, even hostile, to the needs of our cities.
“The Senate Republicans have proven over the last two years that they are not willing to agree to a permanent and sustainable solution to support our transit systems statewide. The House of Representatives has passed five plans on a bipartisan basis that would have reasonably met the needs of our transit systems across the entire state, covering Republican and Democratic districts alike.
“So today, the Governor and PennDOT took the last, worst step that was available and accepted SEPTA’s request to access capital funds intended to provide for safe and efficient transportation service and to divert them for operational needs to restore the transit service that Philadelphia runs on. This is not ideal, but is necessary, and we applaud the Shapiro Administration for taking this bold action.
“We will be back at this again in the near future. This action is a temporary solution. We hope that we will not be back again next year fending off avoidable service reductions and more pain for the citizens. We remain dedicated to finding a permanent and sustainable source of state operating support for SEPTA, PRT and all transit agencies throughout our 67 counties that allows people to get to work, school and leisure and keeps our Commonwealth’s economy going.”
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to every Pennsylvanian here.
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Oped by Senator Jay Costa
Recently, Senator Devlin Robinson penned a short submission in defense of the Senate Republicans’ recent action – or should I say, inaction – on the Pennsylvania Budget and the looming transit crisis facing every resident in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Unfortunately, he left out a few key facts that I think you ought to know about what he voted for, and what he voted against.
On August 12, the Senate Republicans had the opportunity to move the ball forward and take real steps towards solving some of Pennsylvania’s biggest problems. The House of Representatives sent the Senate a budget that delivered much-needed funding for Pennsylvania’s public schools to solve the adequacy gap ruled unconstitutional by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. This budget bill also included critical dollars for our rural hospitals, our roads, our social services, and our economy.
Additionally, five separate times, the House of Representatives sent us bills that would have provided permanent, sustainable funding for public transit. Most recently, the House approved a permanent, sustainable funding package for public transit and transportation infrastructure that included the accountability and transparency measures championed by the Senate Republicans.
Did the Senate Republicans take up either of these urgent, commonsense bills to deliver and drive out critical funds for every Pennsylvanian? They did not.
Instead of good-faith negotiating, we got ridiculous, unserious schemes that failed to meet the scale, scope, and urgency of the transit crisis facing our commonwealth.
While real people are scrambling to make plans to get to work, school, appointments, and more as drastic cuts to transit services loom, Senate Republicans passed a transit bill that would raid capital funds for a two-year transit fix – an insufficient Band-Aid will put us in this exact same position two years from now. These are funds already earmarked to fix buses, improve railways, and repair aging infrastructure that’s critical to making transit run.
Further, their transit plan included mandated biennial fare increases in perpetuity that would put transit out of reach for many riders who rely on buses and trains to navigate their communities. Think about that for a moment: Senator Robinson personally voted to increase the cost of rides every other year forever. That’s not the kind of behavior I would expect from someone who claims to know firsthand, “the need for a safe and reliable public transit system.”
They also rammed through a budget bill that would have flat-funded every line item from the 2024-25 budget. As costs go up and Medicaid waivers are set to expire, flat-funding from last year would have been devastating to our schools, hospitals, and safety.
This last-minute strategy was not agreed to by the House Democratic Caucus or the Governor, and failed to provide a long-term solution to delivering transit systems that work for every Pennsylvanian.
And what happened to these bills he so proudly voted yes for? The very next day, August 13, the House of Representatives stayed true to its word and quickly voted down the Senate Republicans’ absurd budget and transit proposals.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: all 23 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus stand ready to be in Harrisburg at a moment’s notice to vote YES on a permanent, sustainable funding plan for Pennsylvania’s public transit and transportation infrastructure. We are united in our commitment to supporting a budget that invests in Pennsylvania’s jobs, homes, schools, hospitals, safety, and communities.
But all Devlin Robinson and the Senate Republicans were prepared to vote YES on was a low-ball insult to every Pennsylvanian counting on their leaders to deliver for them.
Now is the time to bring this budget process to a close and fully fund our transit systems, our roads, and our bridges through a permanent, sustainable revenue sources. Everyone is on the same page about the path forward – except the Senate Republicans.
I urge my colleagues across the aisle to be honest with the people of Pennsylvania about the consequences of their decision to drag out this budget process: Schools are having to take out lines of credit so that they can pay their educators and supply tools and food to our students. Hospitals, libraries, and mental healthcare institutions are making excruciating decisions to reduce hours and services because the Republicans are refusing to release their funding. And our transit systems fear they will find themselves in a “doom spiral” without serious action from the legislature as soon as possible.
It’s time to move on from the games and politics. Let’s pass a commonsense, serious budget that delivers for every Pennsylvanian now.
PITTSBURGH, PA – The PA Broadband Development Authority met on Friday, August 22, at 10 a.m. to award grants from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
These grants will generate over $1.3 Billion in infrastructure spending that will create jobs, fuel economic growth, and provide broadband to the 130,000 Pennsylvania homes and businesses that currently lack service. More information on the program can be found here.
“In our modern hyperconnected world, access to the internet is a critical lifeline, allowing people to access knowledge, news, support, and so much more,” said Senator Costa. “I am so proud to be announcing funding that will connect workers with jobs, families with relatives, and learners to the wide world of information. I look forward to these dollars going to good use in our communities.”
In the 43rd Senatorial District, the following grant was awarded:
Broadband Providers: Comcast
Location: Portions of SD 43
Amount of Grant: $440,132
Type of technology: Hybrid Fiber
Additional information about this round of BEAD Awards is as follows:
- Number of unique awardees: 21
- Total amount of BEAD Grant dollars recommended for award: $793,494,747
- Total amount of Private Sector match to BEAD Grant dollars: $650 million in private sector match. Far exceeds 25% minimum match requirement. Why? Companies wanted to be competitive. Private Companies are providing a cumulative 80% match to the BEAD grant dollars.
- Total Number of BSL’s served: 130,000.
- Technology Type:
- Fiber Projects (Best, most reliable and scalable) = 14
- Fixed Wireless = 3
- Partial Fiber Projects = 2
- Satellite = 2
All projects remain subject to NTIA approval and acceptance by the applicants. Adjustments may be required during NTIA’s review of the Final Proposal, and applicants may also choose not to move forward with certain projects or project areas. In such cases, selections may shift to the next-ranked applicant/project. As a result, provisional selections—and the overall BEAD spend—are subject to change.
Learn about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to every Pennsylvanian here.
