This week, the House Appropriations Committee wrapped up the last of this year’s Budget Hearings.

My staff and I diligently followed the hearings to get a sense of what we might expect in the months ahead in our legislative sessions and budget negotiations. While we heard a lot of questions about the funding requests for each state agency, the main focus of these hearings is always the public policy that drives budget line items. A significant portion of Pennsylvania’s state budget relies on federal funding, and with the uncertainty surrounding these dollars, I will continue to share updates on the ongoing budget process as well as my efforts to ensure that the needs of Chester County and the 155th Legislative District are prioritized.

Make Your Voice Heard

Over the past 46 days, we have seen sweeping chaos and heard egregious rhetoric from the new federal administration, creating a lot of worry and instability across the nation. My office has continued to hear from dozens of constituents who have already been affected by or would be affected by these disruptive and harmful policies.

In his address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, President Trump had an opportunity to finally address some of the issues that he spent the previous year campaigning on. But what we did not hear was a plan to bring household costs down (quite the opposite actually), a plan to support our veterans (he’s already done the opposite), or a plan to ensure American support for Ukraine (instead of Russian domination and expansion), to name just a few things. Instead, what we heard in the 100-minute address was more of the same – cherry-picked, fearmongering “facts,” concepts of plans, and a lot of flat out lies.

While the president loves to reference the “Golden Age of America,” it’s important to remember that the last “Gilded Age” was the result of political corruption and an economy that benefited from the industrial revolution, mass immigration, and little to no worker protections. The so-called “Gilded Age” was actually a period of increased poverty, growing inequality, and a massive concentration of wealth at the top, at the expense of workers. I won’t even discuss the use of tariffs and the depression they exacerbated (It was a Great one).

While the president continues to ramp it up, Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate have apparently abdicated two of their most important powers: the power of the purse and the power to block unqualified nominees for Cabinet positions. In the meantime, Democrats at the federal level are bringing a rule book to a street fight. I applaud the use of peaceful protests and displays of courage, like we saw from Rep. Al Green on Tuesday night. (I believe the late, great Rep. John Lewis would call this “good trouble”). If there was ever a time for a unified opposition party, that time is right now.

The work I do in Harrisburg would not be possible without our vocal and active community. Your input and involvement ensure that the interests of our community are well represented at the state and federal levels of government.

While my colleagues and I in the state House and Senate Democratic caucuses, along with Governor Shapiro, are doing everything in our power to create checks and guardrails that will protect Pennsylvanians against the harmful policies of the current administration, it's going to take all of us to stand up and fight back.

Your voice has power, and there is strength in numbers. Please continue to let your federal elected officials know how you personally have been or would be affected by federal firings and cuts to essential federal programs, and remind them that you expect them to represent the interests of everyday Pennsylvanians, not be a champion for billionaires or a rubber stamp for this administration. The power to fight back, preserve our democracy, and protect our constitution is ours. Make your voice heard today.

Investing in Future Teachers

On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) began accepting applications from aspiring teachers for the 2025-2026 Student Teacher Support Program – a program designed to support student teachers during their mandated, semester-long placements. The full-time nature of student teaching limits college students’ ability to earn income during their teaching semester due to the time requirements of this obligatory, unpaid internship. By compensating future teachers for this full-time work, we can alleviate some of the undue financial burdens that prevent many from pursuing a career in this high-demand field. 

Following the successful implementation of the program last year, the program received additional funding in this year’s budget to provide even more stipends to aspiring teachers and their cooperating teachers. And within 24 hours of the application being open, more than 3,000 aspiring teachers have submitted applications for a stipend so far. It has been incredible to see how popular and effective this program has been considering this year’s applicants are just the second-ever class of students to be eligible for a student teaching stipend.

Take a look at the progress we have made in two short years:

• In 2023, I introduced legislation to create a Student Teacher Stipend Program, which would help to address our statewide teacher shortage by providing up to $15,000 for aspiring teachers during their student teaching semesters as well as a $2,500 stipend for cooperating teachers who agree to mentor student teachers.
• In the 2023-2024 state budget, we allocated $10 million to create the Student Teacher Support Program. Within the first three hours of the application period’s opening, the demand shattered expectations, with more than 3,500 applications submitted. Unfortunately, the initial $10 million allocation was only enough to provide stipends to roughly 10% of applicants.
• In the 2024-2025 Budget, we made even more progress, with an additional $10 million allocated towards the Student Teacher Support Program, for a total of $20 million. This budget season, we’re asking for an additional $20 million to get closer to fully funding this program.

I am especially proud of and excited for these investments because in just three budget cycles, we have the opportunity to create, implement, and fully fund a program that will not only help us recruit and retain teachers, but grow and diversify the teacher pipeline in Pennsylvania.

We have made incredible progress in the past two years, but the work goes on. With budget negotiations currently ongoing, I will continue to advocate for continual funding for this program until every student teacher receives fair compensation for their full-time efforts and they are ready to join the workforce fully prepared to teach upon graduation.

Read Across America Week

One of my favorite parts of being a state representative is getting the opportunity to meet some of my youngest constituents while visiting the many great public schools across our district. On Thursday, I joined Miss Clark’s First Grade Classroom at Reeceville Elementary School in the Coatesville Area School District, as a Mystery Reader for their Read Across America festivities.

Throughout the week, Mystery Readers have been visiting the classroom and reading stories each day from a different author. I had the pleasure of reading The World Needs More Purple Schools by Benjamin Hart and Kristen Bell. The story talks about how “purple schools” are places where people of all different backgrounds come together “to mix their stories, their ideas, and their smarts to make something special” (just like how mixing red and blue makes something special – the color purple). The story highlights the importance of using our “purple skills” to find common ground with others while celebrating the things that make each of us unique. It was very moving to hear some of the things these students shared about what makes them unique and how we can all benefit from having more “purple schools.” As someone who spends a lot of time with other legislators, I think we could all learn a lesson from this story about how embracing people from all walks of life is what makes Pennsylvania unique.

Thanks to the historic investments we have made at the state-level to increase funding to our public schools, Reeceville and other CASD schools have been able to restore library services for students. Restoring these services gives the students an opportunity to learn library skills and restores their access to reading materials and a comprehensive network of journals, books, and primary sources for academic research. And based on the feedback I received from the students, these historic investments in public education are greatly appreciated!

Click the image above to watch a recap of my visit to Reeceville 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.

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