WILKES-BARRE — Gov. Josh Shapiro and Secretary of Education Khalid Mu’in emphasized this week that the Governor’s 2024-25 budget proposal will create opportunity for all Pennsylvania children and give them the freedom to determine their own path.
The proposed budget includes significant investments to fully fund public schools, support teachers, and provide families with high-quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities across the state, building on the Basic Education Funding Committee’s (BEFC) bipartisan work to provide K-12 education across the state.
Governor Shapiro proposed the following:
• $1.1 billion in new funding for K-12 education programs. Of this increase, approximately $900 million is proposed as a first-year appropriate investment in line with BEFC recommendations. The remaining $200 million will be allocated through the Basic Education Funding Formula.
• $300 million to rehabilitate the Environmental School.
• A $50 million increase in special education funding.
• $50 million invested in school safety and security improvements.
• $30 million for preschool programs to recruit and retain teachers.
• $15 million for student teacher salaries.
“Ensuring every Pennsylvania child has the freedom to shape their own path and the opportunity to succeed is critical to our state’s future, and since taking office, my administration has worked to create opportunity for all kids by investing in our K-12 schools,” Shapiro said. “From the largest K-12 basic education budget increase in Pennsylvania’s history to ensuring free breakfast for all 1.7 million K-12 students, we are giving all students the tools they need to succeed.”
Shapiro said this year’s budget proposal builds on the historic progress made to date by increasing basic education funding by approximately $1.1 billion and providing comprehensive solutions to education in Pennsylvania by increasing investments in Pennsylvania’s students, teachers and safe, healthy classrooms.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to do the right thing for our kids,” Shapiro said.
Secretary Mumin said providing learners with the resources they need while they are in school, such as new textbooks, expanded coursework and nutritious meals, will help them focus on their learning today and reach their limitless potential for success tomorrow.
For more information, visit shapirobudget.pa.gov.
Legislation for the future Introduction of higher education
Sen. Jay Costa and Rep. Peter Schweyer introduced Gov. Josh Shapiro’s higher education plan this week as SB 1248 and HB 2398 .
According to a news release, the plan, which builds on the Governor’s Blueprint for Higher Education proposed earlier this year, aims to reinvest in publicly funded colleges and universities, improve collaboration among higher education institutions, reduce the cost of college and help close the workforce shortage by making college accessible to more Pennsylvanians and helping attract and keep more people here to power our state’s economy for generations to come.
“For too long, Pennsylvania has underinvested in higher education, which has resulted in rising costs and barriers to students’ access to higher education,” Shapiro said. “This higher education plan will create real opportunity for students by reinvesting in higher education, lowering the cost of college, and encouraging universities to work together to meet our state’s critical workforce needs. This plan will deliver true freedom for Pennsylvanians to have access to an affordable, quality college education at any point in their lives, whether they want to build a skill, earn a credential or get a degree.”
The plan also would increase Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Authority (PHEAA) state aid for students from middle-income families by $1,000, raising the maximum from $5,750 to $6,750 in the 2025-26 school year.
Senator Muhser said, Protect and reduce national security Dependence on China
Republican Rep. Dan Meuser of Dallas this week co-sponsored HR 8631, the Foreign Adversary Battery End Dependency Act.
The bill would ban the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from procuring batteries from six companies owned or operated in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), furthering efforts to cut off supply chains from nations that are adversaries of the United States.
Mueser said China produces about 80 percent of the world’s batteries and about 70 percent of its lithium-ion batteries.
He said the legislation would ban the Department of Homeland Security from procuring batteries from six Chinese companies with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party, including Contemporary Amperex Technology Corp., BYD Corp., Envision Energy Corp., EVE Energy Corp., Haitium Energy Storage Technology Corp. and Goshon Hi-Tech Corp.
In terms of security vulnerabilities, Muether said, for example, Contemporary Amperex Technology could install malware in EVs to collect sensitive information about EV owners, shut down the EV’s charging network or battery energy storage system, or even disable a targeted vehicle through a hardware intrusion.
It’s important to be proactive in preventing these and other vulnerabilities, Muether said. China-allied Contemporary Amperex Technology Inc. had installed batteries at facilities in Florida, Virginia, Nevada and California, as well as at a solar power plant on leased land at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, according to reports last year. Energy storage batteries the company made at Camp Lejeune were removed from service following increasing pressure from Congress.
Pennsylvania is home to some of the largest battery manufacturers in the country.
“As the use of battery power becomes increasingly prevalent in the United States, and especially as the Biden Administration pushes EVs toward Americans, we must ensure that our citizens, their property, and our infrastructure are not subject to manipulation by the Chinese Communist Party,” Muether said. “This legislation is essential to protecting our national security and is a step in the right direction to reduce our reliance on foreign adversaries. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation that will help counter the Chinese Communist Party’s expanding malign influence.”
H.R. 8631 has been referred to the House Homeland Security Committee for further action.
Senator Baker: Senate Judiciary Committee Committee advances six bills
Sen. Lisa Baker said this week that the Senate Judiciary Committee is advancing six bills that will contribute to making Pennsylvania a safer and more secure place to live, ensure protections for our residents, and maintain the integrity of our state’s legal and judicial systems.
“Criminal laws and the pursuit of justice are never completely set in stone,” said Baker, a Republican from Lehman Township. “We continually find new places to exploit loopholes in our laws and create new victims. The same is true of technological advances such as artificial intelligence; bad actors will find ways to exploit it to take human lives. These bills are great examples of the efforts lawmakers are making to solve real and concerning problems.”
• Senate Bill 186 and Senate Bill 187 — Replaces the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material” to more accurately reflect the nature of the crime.
• Senate Bill 1213 — Prohibits AI-generated child sexual abuse material and other AI-generated sexually explicit images.
A bill to help homeowners and landlords maintain control over their properties was also approved.
• Senate Bill 1236 — Amends the Landlord-Tenant Act to codify the common law definition of “tenant” and make clear that individuals who take possession of real property without the owner’s consent are not entitled to the rights and procedures provided by the act.
The committee also voted to enact a directive trust law for Pennsylvania and to conduct a study on veterans’ experiences in the criminal justice system.
• Senate Bill 1231 — Updates the legal definitions and rules regarding trusts and designated trusts based on recommendations in the 2021 Report of the Joint Commission on State Governments’ Advisory Committee on Inheritance Law.
• Senate Resolution 196 — Directs the Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission to conduct a study on the correlation between post-traumatic stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual trauma in the military and traumatic brain injury among veterans who have also been involved in the criminal justice system.
