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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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.
HARRISBURG, PA – Today, the House Rules Committee and the House Appropriations Committee voted down HB 257 and SB 160, respectively. Passed in the Senate yesterday evening, these bills represented unserious and unagreed-to budget proposals that were roundly condemned by the House Majority Caucus and Governor Shapiro.
Senators Costa and Hughes spoke forcefully against this exercise in futility yesterday, and all Senate Democrats voted against both bills.
In keeping with their calls to finish and pass a successful 2025-26 budget, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes release the following statement:
“Today, the House of Representatives stayed true to its word and quickly voted down the Senate Republicans’ absurd budget and transit proposals. The Senate Democratic Caucus has said time and again that all 23 of us are ready to vote yes on a permanent, sustainable funding solution for Pennsylvania’s public transit systems and transportation infrastructure, and a budget that meaningfully delivers education, healthcare, and jobs for every Pennsylvanian. We continue to urge our Republican colleagues to negotiate with us in good faith and bring the 2025-26 budget process to a close. Now is the time to get this budget process done.”
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to every Pennsylvanian here.
HARRISBURG, PA – Today, the Senate of Pennsylvania convened for session. Instead of advancing bills to bring the 2025-26 budget process to a close and to fully fund public transit, roads, and bridges, Senate Republicans chose to advance HB 257, a bill that would provide two years of funding to Pennsylvania’s transit systems by ransacking capital funds designated to repair roads, track, and other infrastructure.
In response to this missed opportunity, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Democratic Appropriations Chair Vince Hughes offer the following statement:
“Today, Senate Republicans had the opportunity to move the ball forward and take real steps towards solving some of Pennsylvania’s biggest problems. Instead, we got ridiculous, unserious schemes that fail 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 are proposing that we raid capital funds for a two-year transit fix that will put us in this exact same position two years from now. Further, their plan includes mandated fare increases that put transit out of reach for many riders who rely on buses and trains to navigate their communities.
“This last-minute strategy is not agreed to by the House Democratic Caucus or the Governor, and fails to provide a long-term solution to delivering transit systems that work for every Pennsylvanian.
“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 mechanism. We stand ready. Now is the time.”
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to every Pennsylvanian here.
EPHRATA, PA − July 30, 2025 − Today, Senate Democratic Policy Committee Chair Nick Miller held a secondary roundtable discussion of the current challenges emergency service and first responders are facing in their communities.
“We have heard a clear and consistent message from police and fire departments throughout the Commonwealth: they need public support and sufficient resources to recruit and retain new members. Hearing directly from those on the front lines is crucial to shape policies that are practical, responsive, and effective,” said Senator Miller. “Thank you to all the testifiers who shared their insights today, which will guide us in developing policies that will support those who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe.”
“Supporting Lancaster’s first responders is a top priority for me,” said Senator Malone. “Hearing directly from our local police and fire departments about the challenges they face is the best way for lawmakers to understand how we can support them moving forward. I’m thankful to our Democratic Policy Chair, Senator Nick Miller, for hosting a discussion in Lancaster to spotlight our amazing local first responders and address the challenges they face with recruitment. These men and women do some of the most important work in our community. We need to make sure their departments have the resources and flexibility to recruit and retain the next generation of first responders to keep us safe.”
“I am proud to have participated in a crucial discussion about supporting our first responders,” said Senator Costa. “Having carried a badge myself, I am eager to make sure the Senate Democratic Caucus has the input of our officers as we deliver safe communities for every Pennsylvanian. I’m grateful for the contributions of Lancaster’s finest in our work, and I thank Senators Miller and Malone for hosting this roundtable.”
Chief Josh Kilgore from the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department stated programs like Camp Cadet are important to the youth and positively influencing them to join emergency service responders in the future.
“Programs like Camp Cadet are great, but why do kids want to go to these camps,” said Kilgore. “We need to create that want. I am a firm believer that it starts at home.”
Chief Chris McKim from the Ephrata Police Department emphasized the need for a change in policy, which includes the pension law.
“In many other states you can take your time and service to go to one agency to another,” said McKim. “This does two things: creates a desire in the officer to be marketable and maintain good skills and it also makes sure the municipality is offering the opportunity [to grow] in a department.”
Jerry Ozog, the Public Safety Specialist from the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, spoke to his experience from a statewide perspective and challenges they are seeing.
“The challenges we are seeing in terms of recruitment and retention varies by demographic,” said Ozog. “If you go across the Northern tier of Pennsylvania, the population is declining a bit, and what that leads to is less people available to volunteer in some of those areas to be firefighters and EMTs. However, the growth of Pennsylvania, you see the fire departments and EMS use more and more. You see their call volume increase.”
Chief Darryl Keiser from Garden Spot Fire Rescue testified that recruitment should begin at a young age, but oftentimes, that comes with a sacrifice to our local emergency service responders.
“We push 14-year-olds to get involved and we get them in as juniors,” said Keiser. “Our members give up 325 vacation hours that they burn vacation so they can be at the cadet camp.”
Fire Chief John Kottmyer from East Hempfield Fire Company highlighted the cost of equipment that is increasing, and young volunteers are struggling to stay because of rising costs to living.
“The number of volunteers we had dwindled,” said Kottmyer. “The cost of an apparatus is phenomenal. Four years ago, we purchased a pumper, and we got a quote today of $430,000 more and I’m not sure how volunteer fire departments can ever compete with that in the future.”
State Fire Commissioner, Thomas Cook from the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner, stated recruitment is a very diverse problem and there is an opportunity to see what is working in different departments to bring success to those who are struggling.
“There is no silver bullet,” said Cook. “Our focus has been on identifying departments that are having success and how do we work with other departments to implement that program.”
Testifiers for today’s hearing included:
- Thomas Cook, State Fire Commissioner, Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner
- Jerry Ozog, Public Safety Specialist, Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors
- Jamie Rohrer, Fire Chief, East Petersburg Fire Company Station 23
- John Kottmyer, Fire Chief, East Hempfield Fire Company
- Josh Kilgore, Chief, Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department
- Chris McKim, Chief, Ephrata Police Department
- Eric S. Higgins, Chief, West Earl Township Police Department
- Darryl Keiser, Chief, Garden Spot Fire Rescue
Senator Nick Miller was elected Policy Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus in December 2024. Today’s hearing was his eighth 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 protecting our commonwealth’s healthcare needs and other legislative priorities at www.pasenate.com.
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