In an ideal world, every child would be guaranteed a quality education, their parents would be able to afford quality childcare, homebuyers and renters would be able to afford to stay in their homes, everyone would be able to afford groceries and put food on their tables, and everyone would be able to see their doctor when they’re sick. Every local business would have the opportunity to compete on an even playing field against big corporations. Every person would feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods without the threat of violence and every Pennsylvanian would be able to get to where they need to go. A balanced budget that accomplishes these aims is what I always seek, not only because it benefits the Pennsylvanians involved, but because, when those things are happening, our economy flourishes.
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As I mentioned previously, while we are currently holding budget hearings, we are budgeting blind, not knowing how federal cuts to essential programming will impact us. The proposed $880 billion cut to federal healthcare funding in the budget resolution which passed the US House this week is one example of such a cut. While I understand congress deems it necessary to sustain a trillion-dollar tax credit for those making over $600,000 a year, more than 3 million Pennsylvanians rely on Medicaid and CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, for healthcare. As of January 2025, in the 61st district alone, 5,689 of our neighbors are enrolled in Medicaid. According to 2023 Census data, 20,375 of the district’s 63,014 residents have a public health insurance option (this is 32.3% of the population of the district, while the statewide rate is 38.1%) (n.b. Medicaid isn’t reported separately from Medicare or the Children’s Health Insurance Program in this figure). As of January 2025, 2,670 of our neighbors are getting food assistance through SNAP. Additionally, according to 2023 Census data, 946 of 25,961 households received SNAP benefits in 2023. This is 3.6% percent of our district, while the statewide rate is 14%.
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Many of you have been reaching out to me regarding how this will impact Pennsylvania and our budget, and the answer is that such cuts will decimate our ability to provide healthcare across the commonwealth. I encourage you to contact your federal representatives to make your opinions known should this be of concern to you. It takes minutes to call them and tell them your concerns. Our budget, at both the federal and state levels, illustrates our priorities and is, at its heart, as much an indication of our morals as our economic decision-making. Please make your voice known so that your representatives can adequately represent your positions.
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The rest of this email discusses the remaining aspects of Governor Shapiro’s budget proposals as he shared them earlier this month. How and whether we can fund programming that invests in people and economic development is a complex issue in the context of looming federal cuts to life saving programs like children’s health insurance and food aid for our citizens. There is also the question of how we deal with societal costs, like public safety, as people become desperate for food, healthcare, and housing.
Some of the proposals Governor Shapiro made related to new streams of income, including legalizing marijuana, licensing “skill” games, and increased tax revenue from raising the wage. Shapiro noted that adult-use cannabis is legal in 24 states, including almost all our surrounding states. He seeks not only to protect users from tainted street drugs but also generate additional revenue that we are currently losing to other states. Shapiro projects that over the first five years, cannabis legalization will bring in $1.3 billion in new revenue, and that many of those dollars represent money we are already losing to other states. Shapiro shared that there are an estimated 70,000 “skill game” terminals operating in Pennsylvania without regulation or taxation and that our seniors lost an estimated $200 million over the last 5 years, primarily due to these unregulated skill games. He wants to generate income by regulating those games. Shapiro also proposed increasing the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour for non-tipped workers and to $9.00 per hour for tipped workers. This raise would not only benefit workers and their buying power, but also increase revenue from the Sales & Use Tax (SUT) and the Personal Income Tax (PIT). For far too long our minimum wage workers earned far too little to live on. Our wage has been $7.25 per hour for the last 16 years and all of our surrounding states pay a higher minimum wage.
More than a million Pennsylvanians ride transit every day to get to and from work and school each day. Shapiro wants to keep Pennsylvania moving by investing nearly $300 million into the buses, trains, rideshares and other services getting people to work in all 67 counties. For every million dollars invested in mass transit, 500 direct jobs are created, and thousands of downstream jobs are created at suppliers, vendors, and support industries as well as ensuring that Pennsylvanian’s can get to and from work.
Shapiro also wants to invest in something I’ve been fighting to maintain, childcare access. Parents cannot work if they have no childcare. Last session, we enacted my Child Care Tax Credit to encourage employers to help employees cover the costs of childcare, recognizing the importance of this industry. The Governor’s proposal invests more than $50 million to help childcare centers hire and pay teachers so they can keep their doors open and so that families can keep working. There are currently 3,000 unfilled childcare jobs. If those jobs were filled, 25,000 more children in Pennsylvania could have access to childcare, enabling their parents to work and contribute to our economy. While filling those jobs alone won’t take every child off a childcare waitlist, Shapiro’s proposal will help thousands of families.
Governor Shapiro also wants to invest in public safety by increasing community grants to help stop violence through investments of $76.5 million in Violence Intervention and Prevention Grants, $21.5 million to expand the BOOST program, and $55 million for community-led gun violence prevention grants. He also wants to give more support to crime victims with an investment of $2.2 million for advocates for children. He wants to train and hire 432 new PA State Troopers. He wants to better support our first responders by expanding grant programs for first responders by allocating $36.5 million for the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program, $30 million to provide supplemental grants to fire companies, and to allow PEMA to use funds for both mitigation projects in addition to emergency response.
Pennsylvania faces a housing crisis. We need more than 100,000 new housing units. Last September, Shapiro created Pennsylvania’s first Housing Action Plan which identified areas we can improve upon. Shapiro wants to help first-time home buyers by helping local communities fix their permitting, zoning, and code enforcement. He wants to allocate $50 million to create the Housing Stock Restoration appropriation for counties to improve or maintain existing housing, $10 million for First-Time Homebuyer Grants to assist Pennsylvanians with closing costs when purchasing their first home, $2.5 million grant funding for cities and counties to address immediate housing needs, and a $10 million increase to the PHARE Realty Transfer Tax cap to a total of $110 million by fiscal year 2028/29. Over the past two years, PHARE has helped create 2,000 new homes and repair 3,200. He also wants to create an Interagency Council on Homelessness to improve support and coordination for the unhoused.
As we continue to go through the budget hearing process and later vote on these issues, I will continue to keep you updated. I appreciate all of you that have already reached out to share your concerns and what is most important to you.
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Constituent Services Corner
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2024 Tax Forms and the Property Tax Rent Rebate Program
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My office now has 2024 state tax forms. Call or stop by my office today to request copies. For assistance with filing the Property Tax/Rent Rebate, please call 610-277-3230!
Applications are now open for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program. This program benefits older adults and Pennsylvanians with disabilities by providing a portion of money back on property taxes or rent paid in the prior year.
It’s quick and easy to apply online at https://pa.gov/PTRR, but my district office can also provide paper applications to anyone interested.
See if you qualify per the income parameters below. Remember, 50% of your Social Security benefit is excluded when determining your income.
Any questions can be directed to my office by calling (610) 277-3230 or emailing RepHanbidge@pahouse.net.
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Do you need a REAL ID? Beginning May 7, 2025, you will need a state-issued REAL ID?-compliant license or identification card, or another acceptable form of ID (such as a U.S. Passport), to fly within the United States.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is offering dedicated time to help Pennsylvanians get their REAL ID. Please note locations with a gold star ??can print and issue the REAL ID onsite. Please contact my office at 610-277-3230 or via email at RepHanbidge@pahouse.net if you have any questions. Learn more about REAL ID at https://www.dmv.pa.gov/REALID/.
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My office is proudly accepting book donations from Jan. 21 until March 2 (Dr. Seuss' Birthday) for the Ambler Boys and Girls Club. Please drop off your new and/or gently used books for children in grade 1-5 at my district office during normal business hours, Monday -Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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American Red Cross Spring Blood Drive – March 3
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My office is hosting a blood drive with the American Red Cross on Monday, March 3, from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Montgomery County Community College. To host a blood drive on this day is particularly meaningful for me since I lost my mother to blood cancer on March 3rd of last year. The incredible generosity of blood and plasma donors kept her alive to valiantly fight her cancer for an additional 18 months and I could not be more grateful to everyone who donates blood. By donating, you can save the lives of three people, so please consider donating today! Sign up here!
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Towamencin Mobile Office, March 6
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Need assistance with state services? My office will be at Towamencin Township building on Thursday, March 6th, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., ready and able to serve you!
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Have you been receiving questionable phone calls, text messages and emails and are not sure if they are a scam? If so, please join my office along with the Lower Gwynedd Police Department, PA Office of Banking and Securities, Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, PA Office of Attorney General, AARP Pennsylvania to help you protect yourself from frauds and scams!
Seating is limited, so please RSVP today by calling 610-277-3230.
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Shredding and Electronic Recycling Event – March 22
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Join Reps Ben Sanchez, Melissa Cerrato and my office on Saturday, March 22 for a Shredding AND Electronic Recycling event at Temple Ambler from 10:00 a.m. - Noon!
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania students in 1st - 6th grade are invited to enter the 2025 Lyme Art Contest to promote awareness of ticks, the types of diseases they carry and how to protect yourself. Entries must be received by March 14, 2025! Learn more about the contest here.
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February is Financial Aid Awareness Month! PHEAA has you covered with their free online webinars that tackle every question you may have when it comes to the financial aid process. Click here to register for these incredibly helpful webinars today!
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March 24, 2025 at Elmwood Park Zoo, Montgomery County – REGISTER HERE
PRC works to ensure the general public has the opportunity to safely, correctly and conveniently dispose of their electronic waste including TVs, computers and more.
We are committed to the safe, ethical and responsible recycling of electronic waste through recognition by the Basel Action Network (BAN) as an
e-Stewards® Enterprise. The designation recognizes cities, companies and nonprofits that take concrete measures to eliminate the export of hazardous electronic waste (e-waste) to developing countries by using Certified e-Stewards Recyclers to manage their electronic waste.
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A unique musical community event will be presented in two local churches. The Messiah 2.0 will be presented at Parkside Church of Christ in Phoenixville on Saturday, April 12 at 7 PM and at Saint Titus Catholic Church in Norristown on Sunday, April 12 at 3 PM.
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Pennsylvania State Capitol
28-B East Wing
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 783-4102
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District Office
1098 W. Skippack Pike
Blue Bell, PA 19422
(610) 277-3230
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