A First Look at the PA Budget Proposal

Rep. Danielle Friel Otten February 7, 2025 | 4:22 PM

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Dear Neighbor,

On Tuesday, Governor Shapiro delivered the third budget address of his term, laying out a proposal that makes continued investments in our children and schools, cuts costs for working families, and creates more economic opportunities for all Pennsylvanians.

There is a lot to like in this budget, and there are also areas where I am going to keep pushing for Pennsylvania to do better. We’ll take a deeper dive into some specific areas over the coming weeks, but for now I wanted to share some of the highlights.

The good:

Continued investments in our public schools as we push toward reaching the funding adequacy targets identified by the Basic Education Funding Commission and put into law in 2024.
Investments in infrastructure and public transportation
Investments in human services and workforce development
A commitment to developing reliable and renewable energy to meet increased demand in Pennsylvania, including the reintroduction of the PRESS (Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard) legislation I introduced last session
A proposal to close the “Delaware loophole” and finally require multi-billion-dollar corporations to pay their fair share of taxes on the income they generate in our state.
Gov. Shapiro’s commitment to stop allowing private equity to “treat Pennsylvania hospitals like a piggybank.” I support the governor’s proposal to require notifications for all hospital sales, mergers, acquisitions, and bankruptcy claims and empower the Office of the Attorney General to review these plans and ensure the interests of the community are prioritized. With the closure of Brandywine Hospital, we saw firsthand what can happen when hospitals close down with little warning, leaving our communities without access to vital care.

The not so good:

The Pennsylvania Policy Center addresses some of my bigger-picture concerns in a budget statement they released on Tuesday. Namely, that we continue to operate within a framework that benefits the rich at the expense of Pennsylvania’s working families and seniors.

We need to talk about the fact that Pennsylvania’s tax structure makes rich people richer while regular folks are struggling to keep up with the increased costs of housing, property taxes, groceries, energy, healthcare, childcare, and college. For decades, Pennsylvania has embraced—and refused to address—a state income tax system that places a much heavier burden on the bottom 99% of earners than it does on the top 1%.

I will gladly pay taxes for my neighbors to have social safety nets when they fall on hard times, for our children to have good public schools regardless of their zip code, and for Pennsylvanians to have access to safe roads and bridges, public libraries, healthcare, higher education, career and technical training, and public transportation. But I have a real problem paying taxes to further enrich billionaires, multi-millionaires, and multinational corporations. Correcting this problem is going to require structural change, and there’s no time like the present to begin this conversation in earnest.

We also need to acknowledge the biggest elephant in the room: We are living in very uncertain times, with the federal government threatening cuts to state-administered programs like Medicaid, SNAP benefits, and Pre-K, K-12, and higher education. If those cuts materialize, Pennsylvania will be scrambling to fill the gaps and try to protect our most vulnerable residents.

There is still so much that’s unknown about the federal funding, and yet we need to keep putting one foot in front of the other at the state level to keep our own budget process on track. In the coming weeks and months, the House and Senate Appropriations committees will hold budget hearings to hear from the heads of every state agency and get a better understanding of their budget requests.

We will continue to share updates as the budget process unfolds and as more becomes known from the federal level.

As always, I will continue to fight for the priorities of our district and for the wellbeing, safety, and economic interests of Pennsylvanians as a whole.

Protecting Our Farmers and Our Food Supply

This week also saw the passage of the first new law of 2025, which is all about helping our farmers battle the bird flu epidemic. This law will help ensure that you and your family have safe, affordable food—particularly eggs and chicken—while protecting the livelihoods of thousands of small poultry farmers across the commonwealth.

The newly enacted law, sponsored by my colleague Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz of Berks County, makes it easier for farm workers to get trained by the PA Dept. of Agriculture to become Certified Poultry Technicians.

More trained technicians means earlier identification of bird flu,?which means quicker action and fewer flocks lost to the disease. This legislation moved quickly through the House and Senate, as the urgency of the bird flu epidemic warrants. The bill passed both chambers with strong bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Shapiro on Thursday.

East Brandywine Fire Company Awarded State Grant

Last Friday, I was proud to visit the East Brandywine Fire Company to present them with a check for $94,000 in state grant funding to the East Brandywine Fire Co. for the purchase of new rescue equipment.

The communities served by EBFC have experienced significant growth over the past several years and continue to grow at a rapid pace. This new equipment will help the fire company continue to provide high-quality emergency services to keep up with the increased need. I commend EFBC for their hard work and dedication to keeping our neighbors safe, and I am so glad to have been able to help fulfill this funding request.

Read more here.

Click here to watch tour of our visit to EBFC

Visit with Springton Manor 4th Grade Classes

After our visit to EBFC, I had the pleasure of visiting the fourth grades at Springton Manor Elementary School to help them learn more about the legislative process and how to be active members of our community.

I always look forward to our school visits because the teachers do an excellent job of preparing their classes, and the students are eager to learn more about how we can work together to make our community a better place for all.

Click here to watch a recap of my visit to Springton Manor Elementary School

If you have questions or would like to provide feedback on any legislative or state-related issue, please contact our district office at RepOtten@PaHouse.net.

2025 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Application Period NOW OPEN

The 2025 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Application Period is now open and accepting application for rebates on property taxes or rent paid in 2024.

Thanks to changes we made in 2023, more people are eligible, with income limits adjusted to keep pace with Social Security cost-of-living adjustments. The Property Tax/Rent Rebate program has made it easier for seniors in Chester County to stay in their homes and afford groceries, medicine, and so much more.

The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians ages 65 and older, widows and widowers ages 50 and older, and people with disabilities age 18 and older.

Please call or stop by my office to find out if you’re eligible and get assistance applying for your rebate. We’d be glad to answer any questions and set up an appointment to help you complete your application online!

For those who prefer to file by mail, paper applications will be available in my office soon, and we will update here when they come in.

LIHEAP Applications are Available!

The application process for the annual Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is open!

LIHEAP provides help with home heating bills so that Pennsylvanians can stay warm and safe during the winter months. Assistance is available for both renters and homeowners.

For eligibility requirements and information on how to apply visit:?dhs.pa.gov/LIHEAP.

SEPTA Senior Key Cards and Card Renewals

If you have a SEPTA Senior Key Card that has expired or will expire within the next month, we can renew it in our district office. To renew your card before it expires, please stop by my district office, or call us to make an appointment.

My office can also process applications and take photos for new SEPTA Senior Key ID Cards, which allow seniors 65 and older to travel for free on all SEPTA Regional Rail and transit routes within Pennsylvania. Just stop by my district office and bring a form of ID with your date of birth on it, such as a PA driver’s license or non-driver ID, U.S. passport, or birth certificate. We’ll enter your information into SEPTA’s online system, take a quick photo, and then SEPTA will mail your new card to you directly.

2-1-1 Southeastern Pennsylvania: Health and Human Services

211 SEPA is part of the national 211 Call Centers initiative that seeks to provide health and human services for everyday needs and those in crisis situations.

2-1-1 works with county governments and provider agencies to ensure important local program information is easily accessible.

Visit 211sepa.org for more information.

Mental Health Resources: Call 9-8-8

Chester County residents experiencing mental-health-related crisis or distress can dial 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.?This system is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people in crisis to a trained mental health professional.

Chester County offers additional resources for those in crisis, including Chester County’s warm line, 1-866-846-2722, operated by Certified Peer Specialists, who are individuals in recovery with a lived experience of mental health challenges.

Chester County’s Teen Talk Line ensures seamless referral to Mobile Crisis for youth in need of immediate or higher-level support. The call line is 855-852-TEEN (8336), and the text line is 484-362-9515.

Visit the?Department of Human Services website for more information about the 988 system and other state and local mental health resources.

If you or someone you love is in crisis, please don’t give up hope, and please know that you do not need to walk this path alone. We are here and we will do whatever we can to help.

My staff and I are here to help make state government work better for you! For assistance with the above programs or any other state-related services, please email repotten@pahouse.net, call 484-200-8259, or visit my district office in Exton.

Please don’t hesitate to call, email, or contact us through my website and let us know how we can help!

Sincerely,