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Friel supports bill to ensure equitable, quality education for PA children

(Jun 05, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

HARRISBURG, June 5 – State Rep. Paul Friel this week voted in committee to advance legislation (H.B. 2370) that would bring adequacy, equity and stability to Pennsylvania’s education funding system. The bill is now ready for a full vote in the House, ahead of budget negotiations. Friel, who is secretary of the PA House Education Committee, said the legislation represents the foundation of the recommendations made by the legislature’s Basic Education Funding Commission earlier this year. “This week, the House Education Committee voted on a bill that would commit the legislature to phasing in adequate and equitable public education funding over seven years,” said Friel, D-Chester. “The bill also contains cyber-charter reforms, which are essential for ensuring the transparency, responsibility and accountability we should expect for taxpayer-funded education. “This bill is a blueprint for providing all students in Pennsylvania with the educational resources they need, deserve and have a constitutional right to. The court ruled that we needed to close the gap for our students, particularly students in low-wealth school districts. This bill is a solid plan to do that. “Providing an equitable and robust education for each and every student in the commonwealth isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do – socially and economically.” The legislation Read more

 

State grant will replace North Coventry police vehicle

(May 20, 2024) Daily Local News

“Equipping police officers with high-quality effective tools means better protection for both officers and the people they serve,” Friel said. “It’s about investing in our local police force and putting officers in the best possible position to serve our communities and uphold justice.” Read more

 

Grant Memo: Agricultural, Educational, Environmental, Redevelopment and Additional Grant Opportunities

(May 17, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: Wild Resource Conservation Program Who May Apply: Counties, municipalities, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, conservation districts, and municipal authorities. Individuals, state government agencies, and for-profit businesses may be eligible depending on the project. Use: Grant applications will be accepted for species surveys, conservation, and management. Funds: Funding comes through the Wil Resource Conservation Fund and a portion of the Environmental Stewardship Fund. Grant size varies, but the average grant award is $30,000. Application Deadline: July 1, 2024 More information: DCNR website Department of Community and Economic Development: Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) The NAP is broken down into five components: The Neighborhood Assistance Program Tax Credit, the Special Program Priorities, the Neighborhood Partnership Program, the Charitable Food Program, and the Enterprise Zone Program Tax Credit. Please visit the link below for specific information on each component. Who May Apply: Depending on the program, eligible applicants include neighborhood organizations that hold a ruling from the IRS as nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organizations, and organizations operating as food banks, food pantries, or emergency food providers. Use: Use varies by program, but priorities for this funding Read more

 

Friel presents grant to North Coventry Police

(May 16, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

POTTSTOWN, May 16 – State Rep. Paul Friel presented a grant of $146,125 to the North Coventry Township Police Department on Wednesday. The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development and will be used to replace an aging police vehicle and purchase updated equipment, including stationary license plate recognition cameras to aid in criminal investigations and motor violations. “Equipping police officers with high-quality effective tools means better protection for both officers and the people they serve,” Friel said. “It’s about investing in our local police force and putting officers in the best possible position to serve our communities and uphold justice.” Funding also will be used to replace officers’ tasers, which are at end of their recommended lifespan for safe usage. The department says implementing the use of tasers has allowed officers to better deescalate incidents and potentially prevent the need for greater physical force. “We would like to thank Representative Paul Friel and his office for their support that they gave toward this grant,” said North Coventry Police Department Chief Matthew Deichert. “The department will use these funds to purchase equipment that will help officers with their daily assignments and investigations with the focus on keeping our community a safe place to live and work.” Read more

 

Friel spearheads open letter concerning relationship between CHOP & Medicaid insurers

(May 16, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

State Rep. Paul Friel has authored an open letter, co-signed by 23 additional regional members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, urging AmeriHealth Caritas PA, Keystone First, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to collectively find a solution that keeps CHOP in-network for coverage under the insurers’ Medicaid plans. Read more

 

Friel congratulates Chesco school districts for critical safety & mental health grants

(Apr 26, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

“Investments in school security upgrades are an important component of protecting our students and teachers in the face of modern security challenges,” Friel said. Read more

 

Bipartisanship and Finding Common Ground to Help Pennsylvania’s Families

(Apr 05, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

We are both first-term state representatives — Paul Friel, a Democrat serving Chester County, and Kristin Marcell, a Republican representing Bucks County. Despite being “across the aisle” from each other, we discovered early on that we share many goals. One of those goals is to cut through partisan roadblocks that get in the way of progress on meaningful legislation. Too often lawmakers get caught up in the “team sports” of politics, and when we need to score wins for “our side,” we lose focus on the job we were elected to do: improve the quality of life and opportunities for Pennsylvanians. We, however, are committed to staying in conversation with our colleagues from across the state – Democratic and Republican alike – and our goal is simple: identify areas of common ground where we can work together on solutions and make real improvements for the people we serve. Another mutual commitment we share is to enhance access to quality education. Having both served on a school board prior to our state house elections, we place high value on quality K-12 education and affordable college, career, and technical education. The affordability of higher education is a pressing issue statewide. For many, loan repayments are higher than monthly grocery bills, with the average college graduate under 40 paying more than $400 monthly toward student debt. In Pennsylvania, graduates face the third highest student loan Read more

 

Legislation would expand 529 TAP Tax Credit

(Mar 27, 2024) Pennsylvania Business Report

Under the bill, an incentive would created that would remove barriers to educational accessibility and affordability. Employers would have the ability to contribute to employees’ 529 college savings accounts. Read more

 

Bi-partisan Friel bill passes House unanimously; Bill would encourage employers to contribute to their employees’ college savings for tax break

(Mar 22, 2024) The Mercury

House Bill 1745 would amend the state tax code to add the 529 Tuition Account Program (TAP) Tax Credit, allowing for employer contributions to PA 529 College and Career Savings Program accounts. Friel and Marcell said their proposal aims to incentivize Pennsylvania employers to help employees save for future education expenses. Read more

 

Pa. House Unanimously Passes Bill to Boost Education Savings Through Employer Contributions

(Mar 22, 2024) MyChesCo

The PA 529 plan, a cornerstone of the Commonwealth’s efforts to facilitate higher education savings, enables families to save for college and career expenses in a tax-advantaged way. The introduction of the 529 Tuition Account Program (TAP) Tax Credit aims to expand this opportunity by leveraging employer support, thereby easing the financial burden on families striving to afford post-secondary education for their children. Read more

 

Bill to offset student debt through tax credit passes Pennsylvania House

(Mar 21, 2024) Associated Press

To offset the burden of student debt, employers in Pennsylvania could get a tax credit if they make contributions to their employees’ tuition savings account, under Rep. Friel's bill with Rep. Marcell that passed the House on Wednesday. Read more

 

Friel applauds unanimous House passage of his bipartisan legislation encouraging employer contributions to PA 529 tuition savings accounts

(Mar 20, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

State Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester, announced today that his bipartisan legislation crafted with Rep. Kristin Marcell, R-Bucks, to encourage Pennsylvania employers to contribute to employees’ PA 529 tuition savings accounts has passed the House of Representatives unanimously. Read more

 

Democrats talk raising the minimum wage at hearing in Philadelphia

(Mar 07, 2024) Pennsylvania Capital-Star

State Rep. Paul Friel (D-Chester) said Jones provides a great counterargument to Republicans who claim those making near the minimum wage are just teenagers working a side job after high school. Friel said there’s also an economic argument. Read more

 

State fire, EMS grants announced in three House districts

(Feb 22, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

“We are happy to support our local fire and EMS providers and excited to see the grants and funding recently announced throughout the 26th district,” Friel said in a statement issued by his office. “Our first responders cannot rely solely on local donations and fundraising, it is critical that we build permanent funding supports for fire EMS into our state budget process to ensure the public safety.” Read more

 

ASK YOUR QUESTION HERE! Friel to host Legislative Town Hall Feb. 29

(Feb 22, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

State Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester, announced he will host a Legislative Town Hall on Feb. 29, 2024 to discuss legislative updates, constituent services offered by his office, and answer residents’ questions. Read more

 

State Rep. Paul Friel Endorses Governor Shapiro’s Bold Budget Plan

(Feb 08, 2024) MyChesCo

In a statement issued following the governor’s budget address on February 6, Friel lauded the budget for addressing funding inequities in education and reducing the burden on school districts to hike local property taxes. Read more

 

Friel encouraged by governor’s 2024-25 state budget proposal

(Feb 07, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

This is a fundamentally sound budget proposal from Governor Shapiro. It represents a significant investment in public education for Pennsylvania’s students by addressing the current funding inequities, and would reduce the pressure on school districts to raise local property taxes. Read more

 

REVIEW: Legislative Update: Safeguarding Our Land and Water

(Feb 02, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

As you may know, I’ve been working with the Pennsylvania departments of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, as well as local and industry stakeholders, to address the issue of food processing residue being used on local farmlands. While many of us use food scrap compost to help fertilize our gardens, there has been a good deal of legitimate concern about safety issues of the residue used as fertilizer from mass produced, commercial food processing. Read more

 

Grant Memo: Cultural, Educational, Environmental, Public Safety, and Redevelopment Opportunities For Your District

(Feb 02, 2024) Rep. Paul Friel

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Conservation and Natural Resources: Community Conservation Partnerships Program Who May Apply: counties, municipalities, municipal agencies, nonprofit organizations, state heritage areas, prequalified land trusts, for-profit organizations (for some grant types). Use: Funds may be used for projects related to parks, recreation, and conservation, including, but not limited to, park and recreation rehabilitation and development, recreation and conservation planning, trail planning and construction, land acquisition and conservation, river access and conservation, community and riparian tree planting, and regional and statewide partnerships to better develop and manage resources. Funds: Funds for this program come from a mix of state and federal sources, including the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, the Environmental Stewardship Fund, the Snowmobile Restricted Account, the All-Terrain Vehicle Restricted Account, and more. The 2023 funding round provided over $52 million in awards. Application Deadline: April 3, 2024 More information: DCNR Website Community and Economic Development: COVID-19 ARPA PA Multi-Purpose Community Facilities Program Who May Apply: Units of local government and community anchor institutions ( as defined in Act 96 of 2021 ). Use: Funding is to be used for community projects that construct, acquire, or improve facilities (shared office space, recreation centers, schools, libraries, etc.) Read more

 

Revamping Water Infrastructure: Chester County Receives Over $2M in Grants for Essential Projects

(Jan 25, 2024) MyChesCo

This influx of funding underscores the importance of maintaining and upgrading water infrastructure. Aging systems can lead to inefficiencies, higher operating costs, and even health risks. By proactively investing in these projects, Chester County is not only ensuring reliable service but also safeguarding public health. Read more

 

Friel supports bill to ensure equitable, quality education for PA children
Jun 05, 2024

State grant will replace North Coventry police vehicle
May 20, 2024

Grant Memo: Agricultural, Educational, Environmental, Redevelopment and Additional Grant Opportunities
May 17, 2024

Friel presents grant to North Coventry Police
May 16, 2024

Friel spearheads open letter concerning relationship between CHOP & Medicaid insurers
May 16, 2024

Friel congratulates Chesco school districts for critical safety & mental health grants
Apr 26, 2024

Bipartisanship and Finding Common Ground to Help Pennsylvania’s Families
Apr 05, 2024

Legislation would expand 529 TAP Tax Credit
Mar 27, 2024

Bi-partisan Friel bill passes House unanimously; Bill would encourage employers to contribute to their employees’ college savings for tax break
Mar 22, 2024

Pa. House Unanimously Passes Bill to Boost Education Savings Through Employer Contributions
Mar 22, 2024

Bill to offset student debt through tax credit passes Pennsylvania House
Mar 21, 2024

Friel applauds unanimous House passage of his bipartisan legislation encouraging employer contributions to PA 529 tuition savings accounts
Mar 20, 2024

Democrats talk raising the minimum wage at hearing in Philadelphia
Mar 07, 2024

State fire, EMS grants announced in three House districts
Feb 22, 2024

ASK YOUR QUESTION HERE! Friel to host Legislative Town Hall Feb. 29
Feb 22, 2024

State Rep. Paul Friel Endorses Governor Shapiro’s Bold Budget Plan
Feb 08, 2024

Friel encouraged by governor’s 2024-25 state budget proposal
Feb 07, 2024

REVIEW: Legislative Update: Safeguarding Our Land and Water
Feb 02, 2024

Grant Memo: Cultural, Educational, Environmental, Public Safety, and Redevelopment Opportunities For Your District
Feb 02, 2024

Revamping Water Infrastructure: Chester County Receives Over $2M in Grants for Essential Projects
Jan 25, 2024