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.
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.
