E-News: State Budget Hearings Underway in Harrisburg; Route 30 Roadwork Update

Rep. Danielle Friel Otten February 21, 2025 | 1:39 PM

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Dear Neighbor,

Budget Hearings kicked off this week in Harrisburg, with state agencies making their cases to House and Senate leadership and committee members for funding in the next state budget.

This week, the House heard from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), Department of Revenue, Department of Transportation, State Police, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and Community Colleges, State Related Universities, Department of Health and Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs, and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and Office of the State Fire Commissioner about their needs for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Budget hearings are livestreamed for the public to view. You can find a full schedule of 2025 budget hearings here, and find livestreams and testimony for past and future hearings here. Hearings will continue through the first week in March. I will be in Harrisburg for the agencies related to my House committees: Education, Environmental & Natural Resource Protection, Health, Human Services, and Liquor Control.

To let me know of your priorities for the upcoming state budget, please drop us a line at repotten@pahouse.net.

Route 30 Roadwork Update

My office has received numerous calls about the increased number of potholes on the Route 30 Bypass and PennDOT's plan to address them.

My team and I have been in contact with PennDOT, and we are assured that the concerns of our community have been heard and are being addressed. PennDOT currently has crews actively working on the Route 30 Bypass to make emergency patching repairs. Weather permitting, these crews will continue to work until the job is completed. Additionally, PennDOT has emphasized that further work will be completed in warmer weather when conditions are more suitable for the materials required to make permanent repairs.

This time of year is especially bad for road conditions, as winter storms and freeze/thaw conditions increase wear and tear on the roads. PennDOT encourages motorists to report potholes on state-owned roadways by submitting a request online through its Customer Care Center. These reports, and the quantity in which they are received, help PennDOT to prioritize the areas of most need and can expedite the process of getting a pothole fixed.

Please continue to report potholes or other deteriorating road and bridge conditions to PennDOT at customercare.penndot.pa.gov or by calling 1-800-FIX-ROAD.

Pipeline Updates

Here in our legislative district, we are still working with constituents who are fighting to be compensated after Mariner East construction destroyed their private well.

Earlier this month, a Court of Common Pleas judge in Washington County, PA?ruled that Sunoco Pipeline, LLC?did not have eminent domain authority?to take property for the Mariner East Pipeline in 2013 from plaintiffs Bradley and Amy Simon and possibly multiple other property owners.

No settlement has yet been reached in the case. The Simons and Sunoco/Energy Transfer will attend a status conference on March 14 to discuss mediation options.?

The very same week as the eminent domain ruling in Washington Township, which is in the southwestern part of the state, a?community in Bucks County is dealing with the impacts of a different Sunoco pipeline. At least six private wells in Washington Crossing were found to be contaminated with jet-fuel related chemicals resulting from a pipeline leak under their neighborhood. Residents there have reported gas smells in their water since 2023, but were assured that tests were within legal limits.?

Energy Transfer has said it is unclear how long the pipe was leaking or how much water and soil are affected. At least 78 additional wells are being tested.

While the ruling in the eminent domain case is a win for property owners, it’s a decision that comes 12 years too late, and it’s yet to be determined if or when those property owners will be made whole. And now the residents of Washington Crossing will have a fight on their hands as they deal with the costs and impacts of their ruined wells — and the risks to their health and wellbeing.

It is not right or fair that we continue to put everyday working Pennsylvanians up against multibillion-dollar corporations. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat, a Republican, or none of the above; none of us are billionaires, and we don’t have the deep pockets to fight these bad actors, who block every effort at regulation and who have every motivation to drag these cases out for as long as possible.

That’s why we?should?be able to rely on our government to protect us - both by enacting and enforcing regulations to prevent these incidents from occurring in the first place, and by acting quickly and in good faith to make things right when incidents do occur. It’s why I’ve introduced legislation in the last three sessions to implement the setbacks proposed by then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro following the 2020 Grand Jury report on pipelines. And it’s why I — along with several of my colleagues in Chester County — stood against a bipartisan majority in both chambers of the General Assembly last summer to vote against a Carbon Capture bill that undermines private property rights, giving pipeline companies the tools to once again take Pennsylvanians’ land for their own private profit.

It’s so important to keep making your voice heard at every level of government. I will keep pushing for legislation and policy that protect our public health, public safety, and private property rights. It’s going to take all of us together to stand up and demand it.

Read more about the eminent domain ruling here and the pipeline fuel leak here.

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,