constantly guarded and protected. >> we are stilts, at our core, a democracy. >> this is also a massive victory for democracy and for freedom. ♪ announcer: pennsylvania democratic governor josh shapiro addressed childcare initiatives, infrastructure investment, and education policy during his annual budget address in the state capitol building in harrisburg. during the general assembly jam, governor shapiro addressed the plane crash in philadelphia that left seven people died. this addresses about an hour and a half. [applause] governor shapiro: thank you. lieutenant governor davis, speaker mcclinton, president pro

tem ward leader bradford, leader , pittman, leader topper, and leader cost to you, thank you for convening this special session and for giving me the honor of addressing this general assembly, the third time as the 40th governor of the commonwealth of pennsylvania. i want to thank the senators and representatives gathered here , and welcome our fellow pennsylvanians who join us in this beautiful chamber. welcome and join us in this beautiful chamber in a mindful and espoo s we gather in this full chamber, one seat is empty this morning. billy representative matt gridley we continue to lift up his family and friends, they been have a memory forever with the blessing. before beginning want to recognize my outstanding cabinet and senior team, led by her chief of staff dana friesen i'm of the privilege of working

alongside every single day coming to move our commonwealth foreword this also welcome the opportunity attorney general dave sunday. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> in our treasurer garrity. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and are under come to fort. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> i espec -- and our auditorener, tim deffor. and i especially want to welcome the love of my life and pennsylvania's first lady, lori. thank you for all you do to lift up our fellow pennsylvanians who aren't powerful enough to have a seat in this room but whose problems are our priorities. [applause] when this joint session was

convened two years ago, i addressed you for the first time as governor. for the first time in a dozen years, it governor addressed a divided legislature. i told you then that we needed to work together, and if we did, we could do big things. and in the last 708 since that address, i have traveled all across this commonwealth and gotten to see its lender and meet with folks from all different walks of life. i have stood with our fellow pennsylvanians in times of triumph and tragedy. right now in northeast philly, people are walking around in the eagles green excited about the super bowl while at the same time, trying to process of what happened on cottman avenue on friday night. our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of that terrible plane crash, and we're praying for a full and speedy recovery for those injured and battling right now. but through that tragedy, we've

seen what makes pennsylvanians so special -- our resilience. makes pennsylvania so special and resilience and willingness to bed together to make it through tough times neighbor helping neighbor, every level of government working together. we learn something from that and over the last few years, i think that we have pretty because despite her disagreements, we work together to get stuff d because despite our disagreements, we worked together to get stuff done. we solved problems that languished for decades. we focused on common sense, and delivered real results to make a real difference in pennsylvanians' lives. i'm proud of that work, and you should be too. while there are still many challenges before us and many more problems to solve, we how have a real foundation to build upon. today, i can report that pennsylvania is on the rise. [applause]

170,000 more pennsylvanians are working today than when i began my term two years ago. we've enrolled nearly 12,000 new apprentices, giving more young people the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed. we've attracted over 3 billion in private sector dollars and become the top state in the northeast for regional economic competitiveness. pennsylvania is on the rise. our seniors, like bob coleman from perry county who joins us here today, they are staying in their homes because we gave bob and 520,000 other seniors $320 million in tax cuts. [applause] [applause] [applause] and families families have $1,306,000,000 back in the

pockets we may childcare more affordable pennsylvania is on the rise and we've invested $11 million in public education for the first time ever, and for the schools that need it most. [applause] [applause] [applause] that's right. >> we did that together. >> were starting to meet the need to source due to its including serving nearly 92 billion free breakfast last year. [applause] [applause] >> pennsylvania processed over 20 million. [inaudible]. eliminated and cut — life-changing services were

moving at the speed of business here in pennsylvania we made wise investments in beginning now we still have billions of dollars in surplus at a time when neighboring states are facing serious deficits and repairs are up in violent crime is down in pennsylvania, is on the rise. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> we've done this work together, both democrats and republicans, they voted for common sense budget, this solved problems, move the ball downfield and we went to the board and we should celebrate that we should be hungry for more so today let's talk about what comes next braided how we build upon that foundation. in this nation saw significant

political change in the last election i just two weeks ago, you can after that, that's okay. just two weeks ago president trump was sworn into office with the u.s. house under republican control. but despite all the change you might want to hold your plus percent but despite all of that change, nbc, the orders here in pennsylvania, the return the republican senate and a democratic-controlled house with the exact same margins. that's right. you came back with the same margins to continue to work with me to get stuff done and you see the good people pennsylvania looked at all we've accomplished

together and spoke loud and clear to the buses have become a go work together and so problems common sense policies and go build on that progress and go get more stuff done in pennsylvania in pennsylvania is on the rise and we are not going to stop. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and you see, where the resources we need to make smart investments now to maintain responsible balance and reserve my administration has working to cut the cost is money more wisely unless you're interacted a budget secretary to begin a comprehensive review and review of every program we offer in our commonwealth notice three — initiate we started with three agencies, and if i did inefficiencies and cost can be eliminated in this budget incorporates the savings and by some setting programs for their

work in addition to the savings from the re- map initiative director secretary department of general services, to conduct it first ever comprehensive review of every space this commonwealth those polices pretty way we work has changed, we need more technology more hope to hotel space and more areas for collaboration by using the buildings we own, as effectively as possible in reducing our reliance an external parking in office places, we will say the commonwealth tens of millions of dollars over the next several years and when we say that money, he gives us a chance to invest in the things that matter most fight great schools for our children. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> the last few years we've not shied away from our conversations in solving complex problems case in point we reform

the public education and we knew that was a problem. we all agreed, the old system was unconstitutional is last year, we made a commitment to not only invested record amount of public education, but creating printed formula that drives the money out to the school districts that need it most and you voted for that and he signed it into law we agreed to keep doing it until we need our obligations set forth under article three, section 14 of our state constitution, which guarantees every pennsylvanian, access to thorough and efficient system of public education, just two weeks ago, i visited middle school in the allentown school district at thanks to the work that we all did together to both investors and are schools in the drive those dollars out, the new advocacy formula and allentown school district is now receiving

$90 million more than before. and i saw the pride and the students faces when the band played their new instruments and they had to show me their new uniforms radar the comfort in their voices and they told me that now they had more mental health resources in their schools analyst senate committee with greater joyce colón hernandez, talk about what a difference it makes avenue hvac system that keeps cool cool on this warm days. if those kind of school infrastructure repairs happening in more than 250 schools all across to our common law and josh also also to mama july was his teachers and because of our work, these certified new teachers than in any other time in the past seven years. [applause] [applause] >> and together we did by the

teacher shortage crisis has a looming issue we did do something about it to address it we created a new initiative to find student-teacher stipends and make sure that those who are just getting started in this profession, or paid with her hard work and uncountable come melanie williams here today. melanie pleaded student teaching and centennial school district in bucks county last fall and she is the sole provider for her family and she was only able to student-teacher because those siphons pretty were putting more features over there you go. [applause] [applause] >> thank you. [applause] [applause] >> we are putting more teachers in our classroom any spinning the resources available to our students, 778 schools have been able to expand mental health services and higher counselors because we prioritize student mental health a number 75000

people are starting their own course through vo-tech and cte classes, that is 3500 more than before but there's still work to do before we can say that we have met our constitutional obligation pretty the budget continues the path we set out asher my investing an additional $526 million to advocacy formula. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and you know what, that 526 million-dollar figure, that the is the exact same number that we agreed to last year, this budget also continues our support for school repairs mental health a month free breakfast cooled student-teacher stipends a special education and

holland mark and what we're doing on education is working now braided let's continue to build on this foundation, the related pretty united education is not the only problem, they were solving together and we knew that it was a problem when those shady middlemen jacked up the cost of prescription drugs, while driving in our community pharmacies out of business and we came to get her to pass landmark reform the to bring transparency to help pharmacy benefit managers operate infantile and keep money and pennsylvanians pockets. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> were protecting the small into been a pharmacies that we rely on community staffed but that is not all, we knew that in neighboring states energy companies when developing groundbreaking new technology, leaving pennsylvania behind, said that you passed and i signed legislation that allows companies to invest in carbon

capture and energy novation. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and some of that, we stop forcing our state police to compete within doubly decoupling funding for the first time in over 50 years, no distinctive dedicated funding retraining 800 new state troopers and we fixed it 12000 miles of roadway in your me on this, we prepared bridges than any other state in the entire country. these are just some of the examples, of the many problems we solve together we should be proud just of the laws, but the quality of legislation and effectively are solving problems that seems so out of reach this

building for so long so starting with regulating those so-called skill because everyone pennsylvania to compete and win, we need to take some of the money and go into the slots but interstate so that we can maintain our reserves building a progress and their 70000 unregulated terminals all across pennsylvania and district attorneys across our problem with her calling on us to regulate the machines and finally provide law enforcement, with some clear guidance on top of that these machines have no quality control for the customers who are using them and, there are punishing our seniors and every time, somebody present buck intimate of those unregulated machines, and advise

the lottery in the critical services if funds, for the seniors for things like prescriptions and meals in the pennsylvania lottery boston estimated $200 million of the last five years and primarily due to these unregulated skill games and seniors deserve better than that and some my budget charges gaming control board, which already regulates the video giving terminals, with regulating the skill games in pennsylvania, we will treat the skill games just like other video gaming terminals and we will use the revenue from that to do a couple of things and first, we will build and build the funding gap for older adults the cows in the first place, secondly, provide an influx to the general fund discovered to strengthen our commonwealth and speed up the rise we been putting this opportunity was be real and is time to regulate and tax skill games, and it predict the interests of her seniors at our commonwealth.

[applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> i skill games, there's another issue that it's long overdue to regulate and that is adult use cannabis and 24 states, they've already 24 states have already legalized adult use cannabis, and because of us every single one of our neighbors and look, i want to be real with you as a father four, and is a former chief law enforcement of the commonwealth of pennsylvania, this was really hard for me and took the time to study it into understand the impacts and witnessing the choice between continuing the black market of drug dealing versus a highly regulated industry with protections in place for our children in this business operate in the shadows, does not make sense and by doing nothing, making pennsylvania

less competitive besides let's not kid ourselves here, pennsylvanians one by cannabis, just driving across the border to another neighbors and five of our neighboring states have legalized adult use cannabis and across the ceos of the company's, right across the border, new jersey and maryland in new york you tell me, that 6d shops pennsylvanians and losing on revenue instead of helping us right here were losing out on an industry, that of s5 years will bring it one point $3m dollars in revenue to our common law and so i ask you to come together, and said to them i guess a bill that legalizes i don't use cannabis and expunge is the records of people looping convicted for nonviolent possession of small amounts of marijuana. [applause]

[applause] [applause] >> and build assess reasonable regulations the severed from the criminalization of cannabis, an opportunity to succeed. >> and i know some will say it is going to get a look, this is been about four years and just past few years, ohio to arrest have legalized, and we keep falling further behind and not been hard by the fact when were republicans are turning briskly aboard to brace liberty and economic opportunity let's get this done, together. [applause] [applause] [applause] and you know maybe pennsylvania more competitive thanks to the

work that we've done with massive years, we are competing again the goalpost fact recent labs are present from your main street and supporting small businesses billing them to revitalize downtown pittsburgh an average $6 million in state capitol to generate $600 million in private sector investments for the golan triangle. >> we are reforming our government to finally move at the speed of business and we took a hard look at our licensing and certification, processes and we/wait times and we clear the backlogs i think systems that we haven't been lifted in years and just three days to get a business license and set of eight weeks and you can get new license same day.

thump, time is money coming time is money. we have now, a permanent fast-track process, for major economic development projects like the weather in south philly, project hazelnut, and hazleton many back guarantee, making sure the permits processed on time pretty in your me on this, since i guarantee when in fact 50 ms. ago we've only processed for refunds and abilities of permits the team is doing a great job and last year i signed into law this feedback to move the project spirit move more quickly to the environmental review process for years people this billing of a talking about permitting reforms we've actually gotten it done and the results speak for

themselves, we jump 25 spots more than any other nation, most burdensome states and terms of our licensing to the best and according to trusted national index and site selector magazine named as the top state in the northeast, for economic competitiveness and we are moving at the speed of business and we are thinking major deals again. last year, you'll came together to deliver 1.1 the dollars and if any for economic development and as a result. [applause] [applause] as a result of that $1.1 billion in incentives that you passed we've secured more than $3 billion in new private sector investments this great for taxpayers in companies like in pittsburgh and martinsburg chambersburg of the growing now with her help else attorney

cavities from all of the world pretty and relocating right here in pennsylvania and from the world-renowned pasta maker good opened up get this, the first american manufacturing facility, and union county, the biotech committee's like it there permanent solutions recently moved their headquarters from jersey northeast philly and businesses are choosing pennsylvania again in such these business, the choosing pennsylvania, and the big events as well and i'm proud of effectively that in the nfl draft in pittsburgh. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> this iconic event, will bring hundreds of thousands of people to western pennsylvania and generate nearly $200 million in local economic impacts and is on top of people broke up the ammo be whole start came from the pga championship and some anymore

big events all across our commonwealth budget ensures these epic events will have the resources they needed, all eyes going to be in pennsylvania as we celebrate america's, 250th birthday in 2026, and welcome millions of people to wear it all began. [applause] [applause] [applause] every year the book of nearly 200 million visitors in the enjoy their getaway the commute for this person history and restaurants and craft breweries and experience the natural beauty and kayak on horseback bike and yes, even an rv with of our children we were to invest in tourism paid off with more

interest in visitors and more hotel rooms booked as of this year that's building the foundation by connecting portrayals, and creating more state parks printed in this budget,. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> this budget expands c4 to the popular false real and creates pennsylvania's first underground state parks an incredible and by way the campers will be our 125th state park. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> in pennsylvania is home to some of the most beautiful marketable places in the country and a lot more people to experience that if this is a budget that looks to the future and whether it supporting america, the 50 or expanding access to her parks and trails and all of which are free by the way as we look to the future, we

need to invest in the key sectors that are going to fuel our growth is where economic strategy identified five pillars of opportunity energy, agriculture, manufacturing, robotics and technology, and life sciences in this budget supports all five sectors that were to focus on life sciences for just a moment. the scenario what we are poised for explosive novation and growth and we visit the landscape of life sciences dominated our country for many years the bay area, in boston and it pains me to the work boston given my serious hatred of the boston celtics but facts are facts here but after them, there's a huge drop off huge life sciences point of this should be filled by absent think about it, already home to world-class universities and research institution and state,

they all spent over a billion dollars annually on groundbreaking research and development and taken together our colleges colleges and universities ranked fourth in the nation and life sciences r&d spending oh oh hundred thousand pennsylvania's work in the industry places like crystal biotech and western pa, sparta there — and philly and jfk, like entered county and we just need to connect the docks create an ecosystem and were innovators and entrepreneurs can really thrive in my budget deliver $65 million and specifically designates $30 million to help life sciences sensor data and commercialize and unleash pennsylvania's full potential this is desperately needed in the last five years, get this,

pennsylvania companies received, 10000, 783 new life sciences hat said that is the fourth highest over the entire country but we only received 3 percent of the venture capitol flowing into life-sciences and that means that we are effectively doing the research for the blessing on the commercial opportunities going to other states and we should change that because life-sciences run thrive not only improving people's lives, we improve of the major industries as well and leading life-sciences company that we have iv fluids pharmacy products and complex medical devices last year and raw material for over 100 suppliers that includes materials for residents from pittsburgh and moldings

life-sciences fees in to every other sector supporting growth pretty but did you know the number one purchaser, lakes, pennsylvania pulled reformers, is a life sciences company is so for purchases, 200 million eggs, from those farmers every single year to power our work. so much of our economic development, is intertwined some perhaps nothing is much as a culture so for the first time ever agriculture is now at the center of our economic involvement strategy and is not just part of our rich heritage in pennsylvania, it is a key part of our future pretty their 50000 pharmacists across pennsylvania they contribute $132 billion to our economy is horse almost 600,000 pennsylvania jobs and to ignore that, is it just disrespectful, he does not make sense

economically. 52 percent those forms are less than a hundred acres is of any has more small midsize farms, hit almost any other state in the whole country is when we talk about agriculture, just talk about these big farms, which of the matter businesses as well, there are few things more noble in life than working everyday to peter neighbors we have to supporting invest in pennsylvania farmers. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and never seen so many people

represent farmers who cannot even clap for them. [laughter] [laughter] >> you know, and this money came together last year committee create the first egg innovation fund in the nation, you see today with $10 million to start in the has been overwhelming at first, the make because rossi when nine applications and for nearly $70 million with of innovation projects admit is there so i'm coming back to you with a plan to more than double finding for agriculture innovation as we help our farmers,. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> as we help our farmers raise the latest technology, we also have to be there for them when disaster strikes and for months, we've known that influenza was

likely to return to work commonwealth and we take an aggressive and proactive steps it to communicate with farmers and for major commercial sites, to her amish community and encourage them to put by security measures in place, other states have been slow to react, we have been proactive and is helped us avoid that were so far. and last week, we confirm the first case of commercial what this year, and over the weekend of the commercial infected the department of agriculture is all hands on deck right now, working to reduce the spread and to protect our farmers for those who are impacted the, i want you to know that we are here for you and thanks to proactive planning, we have the only path recovery fund the nation with more than $60 million set aside to support poultry farmers whose blocks have been impacted it and we are ready to deploy those

existing resources, to assist our farmers in need. then we will be there for farmers because our economic success runs right through pennsylvania farmlands. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> economic success requires us to ensure former life-sciences company or small business, can't get there goods to market and the people who do the work, can get to and from the job site pretty and a solo standing to a repair bridge and lancaster county listening to folks express appreciation for penndot repairing the right and now they were able to get to work quicker think about how to the kids for dinner sooner my first two years is your governor, we've delivered over $380 million in funding the roads and bridges and use it to

prepare more conditions bridges than any other state in the entire country and on top of that we repaired 12000 miles of roads and that is more than any other time in the last decade. we are building out the transportation network puts arcades people working strengthens business this and increase quality of life. and look, i am mindful that for some, coming home in time for dinner does not take you over bridge and it requires you to have a trolley or a train or bus of the subway and just like we repair and maintain the bridges, on those rural and suburban communities, we also always to pennsylvanians, and pittsburgh and chester had yes in philadelphia who rely upon mass

transit. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and so. [applause] [applause] >> is so my budget deliver to keep our mass transit running all across our coming with at a list deliver more funding for roads and bridges especially in a rural community so that we can continue that progress as well and it should not be in either work and this should be at both and whether you are a mom,. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and whether you are a mom in mannheim, you deserve it transportation network, the get you to work and home again in time for dinner, safely. >> i'm not. [applause] and so, by investing in the

roads and bridges and public transit, we not only help pennsylvanians get where they need to go, also tracking businesses and growing our economy feet early when a spur economic growth and help businesses grow here, where the most important things that we can do is to make our tax system more competitive in my first two years, we cut taxes. in my first two years we cut taxes, significantly for businesses and lowering that corporate net income tax and increasing that an operating loss for small businesses which allow them to write off more than the losses that they have greater opportunity to get off the ground to be successful and some were amazed that we were able to reach agreement cut taxes so aggressively well appreciate that blaise want you to know that i am hungry for more in my kids knife referred

from the chamber and countless businesses all across pennsylvania, he wanted to see pastor cuts to our corporate net income tax and so that's exactly what this budget does nsb more aggressive and speed up these tax concert by two whole years so that we can compete more effectively and mine and unleash our commonwealth full potential pretty. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and we speed up tax cuts, this to protect system more simple and more modern and more streamlined just run even more economic growth in the me give you an example. unlike most of the businesses in pennsylvania, the banks and financial institutions, payment of three separate taxes, consider the corporate net income tax and one of this think taxes going his so old, that it

was passed when president abraham lincoln it that this country and is eliminate those three outdated think taxes and make our systems more simple and more consistently and this is common sense stuff ready anyone else that we can do to make our tax system, more fair and consistent, well we can close something called the delaware hall. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and so follow me on this right and all of the businesses in pennsylvania, nearly 90 percent paid their full amount due in texas with this the personal income tax or whatever, but the 11 percent of those businesses, typically, the big ones, you can afford big time accountants in high-priced lawyers, the take advantage of

the hoople in our system to avoid paying their fair share to her fellow fellow pennsylvanians not for that to get a free pass while everybody else pays and think about it, they generate a lot of revenue here in this commonwealth the user roads and bridges and schools and parks in the avoided paying taxes here do to announcement negatively pulled from the 28 other states have already closed and that includes states like texas and utah in new york and west virginia led by democrats and states led by republicans and so let's close the loop old and get the taxes more aggressively move on from civil war era fiscal policy designed to get that done. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> and just my two years in

office, we have already in the taxes were businesses by more than $1.5 billion and to get together with progress that we've made, my plan we cut the taxes by ten and a half billion dollars, by 2029 braided and it will encourage, coming will encourage, more companies to moe and expand here and allow them to reinvest in our workers, and expand their operations folks in this building, they have been talking about cutting taxes, four years. but here i am, and of the democratic the governor with an aggressive plan to cut taxes when ready to work do to get it done and make pennsylvania more competitive and so let's joined to gather. [applause] [applause] [applause]

>> cutting taxes that's important to strengthen our economy no matter what sector is important to remember we are people powered economy and we need to invest in the people who are doing the work here. one of the biggest problems we face in pennsylvania is workforce shortages and that's why been focus on expanding our workforce from the very first day in office and i signed an executive order, to make 92 percent of state government jobs, over the pennsylvanians with out a college degree and since then, nearly 60 percent of all new hires here in the commonwealth, do not have a college degree and taken together with what we've invested in education coming to overtly address workforce shortages, and help businesses find the workers, we are now helping grow our economy this

budget builds on that foundation and places a special emphasis on workforce development braided and i want to be like about workforce is different than employment. there are 170,000 people working today, that might not took office in our unemployment rate is near historic lows. what i'm talking about his future of our workforce we need to a chart we have enough trained workers in the industries that will fuel our growth and we face growing workforce shortages across several sectors, including childcare, director and healthcare pretty this is not unique to pennsylvania in the states are grappling with this problem as well and we know how to solve problems here so let's get to work on it and it startsy respecting all for success and some pennsylvanians join the

workforce right out of high school and some completed apprenticeship and some joined the militarism go to college there are many pass to success we need to respect and support all of them. that is what we've done done together of the past two years, increasing funding for biotech and career technical education, and apprenticeships of nearly $65 million and today, our commonwealth invest 50 percent more and workforce development, sensitive took office and as a result we've created over 110 new pre- apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships, just two years and trained over 29500 pennsylvanians in fields like welding, manufacturing, confrontation and agriculture as a said there's paths to success, last year, came together to make the first significant progress in higher education in 30 years.

and we directed significant resources, for public and universities and immunity colleges at the same time expanding access to scholarships make the college education more affordable. and finally started to fix the problem that identify the and my first budget if universities competing against each other the limited dollars and ultimately driving up the cost for students and we created the coordinating council to enter that there were all going the same direction and for the first time ever, we are going to incentivize outcomes and paying our universities for their performances in meeting the goals like rejoining students with in demand degrees and skills in graduating first-generation college students and incentivizing universities undergraduates when they stay and they work here in pennsylvania and so now, need to build on that foundation might budget keeps of the scholarships in the rancid fund last year and fully funds the performance-based formula for

penn state and must continue the work that we started to create opportunities for pennsylvanians and there can be. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> , they can be no ongoing bit access and opportunity and the opportunity they should be available to those with without a degree. did you know that there are 650,000 pennsylvanians adult who do not even half a high school degree. and hundreds of thousands of our neighbors with untapped potential and folks who actually want to advance their careers and the need help developing their reading and writing and math skills, that most jobs require that is where adult literacy initiatives committed to provide the training and education folks need to get child to keep a job and get a better job we have 54 sectors all across pennsylvania, the do this work. more than 7500 people stop

allowing it and because they don't have the funding but must folks get into a class, can be life-changing and that is the story of alexandria mcdill joins us today thank chester county welcome. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> alexandria to get an adult literacy class and got her ged daughter to get a job as a home health aide pretty field is in critical workforce shortage in helping yourself an arrow for new this is a bridge to getting more people to get a ged that's why this investment of $6 million in adult literacy us so critical and it is a bridge to opportunity to grow our workforce we do believe in the potential of all people in pennsylvania and not shut anyone out, so was opened the doors of

opportunity for those 650,000 pennsylvanians who want to learn and so they can walk through and there are. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> there's so many pennsylvanians, who want to be part of our workforce too often times get forgotten and left behind. ... these folks might have visual or intellectual disabilities but they are making incredibly valuable contributions in our communities every single day. we recognize that. people often underestimate what people with disabilities are

capable of. but we are different here in pennsylvania. we know people with disabilities, they bring unique strength to the work they do. we have an entire office in the department labor and industry it helps folks with disabilities get right into the workforce. the office of vocational rehabilitation. this office is not just give workers the skills they need. it fosters connections between the 50000 pennsylvanians received help. and the businesses that are looking for trained workers. this is something the first lady herself is work closely on with our team at l and i, the office of transformation and opportunity. one of the iconic pennsylvania companies that has a history of hiring individuals with disabilities is sheets. they've been working for a few years hiring pennsylvanians with disabilities to work in their distribution center. recently the first lady went too

encourage them to also partner with our team. and they agreed. i know they've always had a bit of a friendly rivalry. in fact there's a bunch of people in this room that have chosen sides in that battle. [laughter] but here's the thing. here's the thing. so many others are unified by lifting up and employing those with special needs and disabilities. i'm proud of both companies. we are going to keep reaching out to businesses all across pennsylvania to encourage them to hire people who have so much to contribute to our workforce. [applause] i want to thank the first lady for her leadership and for all of you to join her and come together to fund the office of vocational rehabilitation so that work can continue. [applause]

[applause] click the record reflect efferent seems a clap for the first lady. oh vr is just one part of our effort to expand our workforce and address the shortages we face in key areas like childcare. too many young parents are forced to exit the workforce because they cannot find affordable childcare we take an action over the last two years to make childcare more affordable expanding one tax credit for families critic another for businesses that contribute to employee childcare costs. we cannot just tackle affordability. increase the availability of childcare right now we have 3000 unfilled jobs and childcare. if we fill those jobs 25000 more children in pennsylvania could have access to childcare and parents could have a piece of

mind that their kids are well taken care of when they go to work. we studied this issue from all angles with community organizations, chambers of commerce, members of my administration and everyone reaches the same conclusion. the reason why these jobs are not failed is because folks are not being offered a competitive wage. today we are joined by michelle the directive childcare center and county. [applause] after serving our nation in the u.s. army, michelle has dedicated her life to others ensuring our kids get off to a great start. it's hard to a high enough childcare workers because we do not pay them enough. this budget delivers $55 billion give childcare workers in pennsylvania at least $1000 in

recruitment bonuses. [applause] look, look this type of approach works to fill critically important positions but we've tried it with other jobs including recruitment bonuses for police officers. we came together to pass that. as a result we have been able to recruit nearly 700 new police officers across pennsylvania. so, let's build on that foundation and tackle this workforce shortage two. childcare as of the only industry facing shortages because wages are too low. that's the case with direct care workers. these go into people's homes provide care for those with disabilities and for our seniors. people like cheryl harp who joinus in the chamber today. [applause]

cheryl moved home to harrisburg 10 years ago to care for veronica her aging mother. thanks to cheryl veronica is able to stay in your home cared by someone who loves her deeply. listen we've come together as democrats and republicans to support those who care for the most vulnerable and our society. after years of shortchanging ida communities we made a historic commitment to meet their needs in this past budget. it is working. for the first time ever more than 40000 pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities or autism are getting the services they need. after years of an action would reduce the emergency waiting list by 20% since just last july. [applause] let's continue to show we care

for our neighbors this year by supporting participant directed care and home care workers like cheryl with increased wages, paid time off and access to affordable health insurance. [applause] [applause] sustainable home care workforce is critical for our seniors. many of whom rely on their services. that's one of the takeaways from pennsylvania's first ever master plan for older adults aging away pa. that's why it is part of that plan the department of aging created caregiver toolkit to give those caring for our seniors more help during these difficult jobs. there are 2.6 million pennsylvanians over the age of 65. the best way to meet their needs is to work closely with our community partners including our

aaa. where the most critical areas of our master plan identified is better support for aaa's which served as community centers connect older adults are critical resources, serve as the front lines are protecting our older adults from abuse and neglect. i was with many of these aaa's i have seen how they've been underfunded for too long. this year we should make a significant new investment and support our seniors. we have a special responsibility to look out for those seniors who served our nation apart pennsylvania's home to 800,000 veterans. i recently visited with the general delaware valley jet veterans home to thank them for their service to our nation. and to celebrate the holidays together. these are wonderful people who served our nation and deserve the best as we continue to build a new veterans home and might've directed my team to make for

veterans a priority going forward to fully fund our veterans needs. thank you. so whether pennsylvania lives and what of our six veterans homes, visits aaa or goes to the doctor, they deserve great care but here in pennsylvania we are facing shortages of healthcare professionals. especially in a rural communities. consider this urban counties in pennsylvania there is one primary care doctor for every 222 residents. and rural counties there's one primary doctor for every 522 residents. that means rural pennsylvanians are already having to travel further distances to get to

their doctor. also have less access. to ensure every pennsylvania no matter their zip code has access to high-quality healthcare professionals we've got to take actions to build a more competitive healthcare workforce. across this whole budget, we take steps to find more doctors and nurses need them most. we expand existing and successful loan forgiveness initiative to incentivize more healthcare providers and behavioral health specialist to take jobs all across the commonwealth. there's also common sense steps we can take to ease the shortages that do not come with a price tag. giving full practice authority to highly educated holly highly qualified nurse practitioners who work under a licensed physician for at least three years. [applause] this is smart and it is already

past the state senate passed the bill last year on a bipartisan basis. pass it again, send it to the house, get it to my desk and let's get this done. [applause] we need to address workforce shortages for the future. we need to make sure our workers today are being treated fairly. let's be real, folks. our wage structure in pennsylvania is too low. [applause] that's been stuck for the last 15 years. and in that time, every single one of our neighboring states has raised the minimum wage for their workers in maryland and delaware are up 15 bucks, new york and new jersey are over 15

bucks ohio west virginia is $8.75. in the last session the house of representatives passed legislation to increase our minimum wage to $15 an hour and the senate sat on their hands. that decision to do nothing is hurting our workers. we have spent so much time passing laws to put money back in people's pockets by cutting taxes. how about we put more money in people's pockets by raising their wages? come together let's raise the

minimum wage in pennsylvania. [applause] this budget places a special emphasis on filling critical workforce gaps it makes strategic commonsense investments to give every pennsylvania a shot at success. it solves a real problems including in healthcare. one of the most heartbreaking problems are grandmom's and graham pop's face are degenerative diseases like alzheimer's and als and parkinson's. there are members of this body who have lost a parent to these terrible diseases. and i know they want us to do more here. to honor the memories of their loved ones. pennsylvania is home to some of the top research institutions in the world. let's put them to work by funding groundbreaking research into degenerative diseases and make pennsylvania a leader in this fight by doing so would

build on the progress we made last year we created the first alzheimer's disease division and the department of aging. let's keep working on this together. to ensure pennsylvanians at the best possible care throughout their lives we've got to address the significant structural challenges hospitals across the commonwealth are facing right now. rural hospitals in particular has been stretched to the breaking point i can meet healthcare working group back in 2023 spent time working directly with the hospital ceo, healthcare providers folks in this chamber and many others to find sustainable solutions to this problem. based on those conversations my budget leverages $10 million in the commonwealth to draw down additional $26 million in federal matching funds. facing our rural hospitals

invest in the $10 million in state funds and solve some of the problems they face some time solving those problems cost money. sometimes it just requires the courage to make roller form. for example became together at last year to reform the weight pharmacy benefit managers operate. it did not cost any money in the budget. save taxpayer money on prescriptions which should not stop there. let's reform, let's reform the way private equity has infected our healthcare system. [applause] let me explain this. let me explain this. private equity is motivated to make a profit and to make it quickly. it does not mean they are doing something wrong or criminal. they buy up hospitals and healthcare facilities, line

their pockets by stripping money and resources from those of facilities and then they compromise care. and in many cases they skip town leaving taxpayers holding the bag and communities without the care and services they need. i am done letting private equity treat pennsylvania hospitals like a piggy bank they can empty out and smash on our floor. [applause] [cheering] so, why don't you join me in standing up for our local hospitals and nursing facilities, and put in place real safeguards against private equity. most require pre-transaction notification for all sales mergers and acquisitions and bankruptcy claims by empowering the office of attorney general to review these intentions carefully, comprehensively

that's best interest at the forefront. [applause] let's also put an end to the armful leaseback arrangements were private equity backed hospital or nursing homes sells their land and then rinse it back, often at excessively high prices that push them deeper into debt. many of you in this chamber have seen the damage private equity can do to local healthcare facilities. in fact democrats and republicans and the senate and in the house have sponsored bills to make these needed reforms. pass the bills, put them on my desk stop letting private equity take advantage of our healthcare system and our fellow pennsylvanians. [applause] here is something in the

healthcare space we don't often talk about. an issue that lurks in the shadows but affects one in eight moms across our country. postpartum depression. improving maternal health is important to me and i know it is to so many of you in this chamber. including the black maternal health caucus. [cheering] two years ago we came together to make the first ever state investment to address maternal mortality. we doubled down on it last year. but, what comes postpartum depression moms in need are not getting the help they deserve. i am directing the department of health to work with healthcare providers across pennsylvania to implement universal postpartum screenings for moms. train doctors and nurses and healthcare professionals on how to more quickly identify postpartum depression.

spieth up referrals to mental health professionals when a mom is diagnosed. and create a resource hub where families can go find more information as well as local support networks for postpartum depression. [applause] [applause] thank you. let's take an issue that lurks in the shadows and put it right in the middle of the conversation. let's end this stigma around postpartum depression just like we worked in the stigma around mental health. over the last two years just as physical health here in pennsylvania. take aggressive action for

mental health. our review process led by the insurance department now serves as a national model. but we cannot stop there. they're still reforms that need to be made. we have come together to deliver $200 million at schools could used to increase mental health supports for our students. it is working. but, we found a glaring loophole. while insurance company would normally cover mental health services for students, they often don't get those services are delivered within the walls of a school. it makes no sense. the same students of the same mental health professional and received the same service from an office across the street from the school, the insurance company would reimburse for it. so, let's close this loophole that insurance companies are taking advantage of and pass a law that stops insurance companies from denying payments for mental health services simply because they are provided inside the walls of the school.

[applause] and what we are fixing mental health coverage for kids here's another thing we should work on. let's have a transparency in pricing and healthcare. look, if you make any other purchase groceries, to buy in the refrigerator to store those groceries you can look up the price ahead of time and see what the store is going to charge you. may sound quality and price your doctor based on quality and price to process individuals we go to her insurance company and we ask how much will we have to pay to get the same inhaler for my kid that he was prescribed? we actually cannot compare that to what other insurance would provide. pennsylvanians deserve price

transparency in their healthcare system. this budget invest $4 million to develop all payer claims database. this database will collect medical pharmacy and dental claims from private and public insurers and then make them publicly available. that is a small investment of $4 million could save pennsylvanians hundreds of millions of dollars on their medical bills. this is a common sense away to cut healthcare costs. [applause] let's also enshrine the protections of the affordable care act under federal law into our state law here in pennsylvania. [applause] [applause]

today one point to million pennsylvanians get their healthcare through the affordable care act. i note there are some who would like to do away with this in washington d.c. the fact is it's working pennsylvanians have come to rely on guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions. to guarantee young adults can cn stay on their parents insurance until they turn 26. in the guarantee lifetime limits will not price people out of healthcare that they so need and so deserve. if we fail to take action and daca goes away will dramatically increase her pennsylvanians. let's work together to make sure that does not happen from childcare to healthcare comic to energy we have been focused together and cutting costs all across the board. our common wealth is the

second-largest energy exporter in the country one of the most important energy producers in the world. because of that we are powerful enough to develop commonsense policies that will lower costs, protect and create jobs and take action to address climate change. last week i announced my vision to secure our commonwealth energy future. the lightning plan inspired by ben franklin and backed by building trades, chambers of commerce, consumer organizations, and even industry leaders the lightning plan takes bold steps to increase energy production, explore pathways to renewable sources and grow our economy. six concrete direct steps to cut energy costs, create jobs, hold on electric bills for families and increase degeneration and our commonwealth. the time for action is now.

so, what would folks are on the light switch in their home they will not have to worry the power will turn on or the bill will be too high. as another thing people should not have to worry about access to safe, affordable housing. [applause] in april, and april my administration will certify over $1 billion it's the first time ever there will be over $1 billion available to property tax relief. today i took office the average homeowner received a savings of two $125. as a result of the certification, the average savings will climb to $386 per household.

the cutting cost for pennsylvania's in philadelphia county to increase by 30% to very different counties with the exact same problem is mostly being driven by a lack of nude when it more than 100,000 new homes and apartments. last september signed into executive order to create pennsylvania's first ever housing action plan. six key steps to begin to solve the problem. first let's invest $10 million to help first-time homebuyers cover closing costs. not only can they put a roof over their head they will have a real opportunity to build a generational wealth.

second let's step up the planning board so he can help local communities fix their permitting and zoning and coding enforcement issues. and build more homes more quickly. improved support and coordination for the on houston. fourth, let us continue the progress we made is increasing our largest most flexible affording housing tool. let's increase it by an additional $10 million reach $110 million by the end of 2028. [applause] in the last two years, has been used for construction on 2000 new homes and apartments and repairs of another 3200 protecting folks homes for scott let's seal eviction records. if you are not actually evicted.

[applause] in pennsylvania is a permanent mark and the tenant favor that makes literally no sense. let's deploy our commonsense mentality and fixes together by sealing in those cases are public record. and six, let's invest $50 million to create a new statewide housing repair fund to help homeowners struggling to make needed repairs to their aging home. [applause] consider this, almost 60% of all the homes in pennsylvania were built before 1970. many of them are in dire need of

repair. but a lot of homeowners like thomasine frank from lawrence county who joins us here today, cannot afford it. from home repair funding for two years now. chit leaky roof and a back door that is not close right. we can solve this problem. many of you have attended our administration roundtables to discuss it. you have heard from your constituency. constituents. it is time to deliver for them by taking these commonsense steps we can cut housing cost to pursue the american dream. we are cutting costs for

pennsylvanians. or making sure they can receive the healthcare they need. were expanding art workforce, investing in our schools, growing our economy. working together we are solving real problems. so let's solve another by prioritizing the needs of our brave firefighters. [applause] let me give you an example the fire department responded to 10,000 calls every year they use a fire while that's more than 30 years old. join today travis and captain rich machi. [applause] thank you gentlemen. [applause]

these guys and their teams literally run into burning buildings to keep us safe. we need to do right by them. my budget takes three concrete steps to support our firefighters. creates a new competitive funding stream of $30 million in grants, we already appropriate 30 million through a different initiative. that money gets spread out all across our fire companies. firefighters know they'll get a steady stream of funding every year. that's a good foundation. make the single big purchase or an equipment upgrade. this solves that problem by establishing competitive grants that allow it fire companies to purchase equipment, recruit and retain firefighters and meet

their unique needs. second, we have to be mindful that firefighters are being stretched thin right now. responding to more and more calls each year fire companies, they've got to share more services. it costs them money might budget incentivize to help municipal fire companies work together. [applause] just like our law enforcement officers and first responders, our firefighters to a dangerous job and they deserve our support. third, let's cover cancer screenings for firefighters every single year. [applause] last year, last year we reformed

our worker's compensation act to ensure firefighters come first responders and law enforcement with a posttraumatic stress injury get the coverage that they deserve. let's build on that foundation. firefighters expose themselves to toxic chemicals while on the job just to keep us safe. we have to have their backs. join me in supporting our firefighters. thank you for your service when that plane crashed in northeast philly on friday nights, we saw our brave firefighters put out a raging jet fuel fire. because of how quickly they acted lives were saved. they did that work in

partnership with law enforcement. law enforcement at all levels work together to help a frightened community. we have to keep investing in our police. especially her state police the finest law enforcement organizations and the entire country. [applause] they take seriously their responsibility to be from northeast philly, to the northern tier. but, in term it's our responsibility to provide them with the resources that they need to be successful but that is what we took a historic step to give psp dedicated funding and we have to continue that commitment in this budget. we've also funded new cadet classes to offset increasing numbers of troopers nearing retirement.

today nearly 400 more highly trained troopers are out in our communities thanks to the bipartisan commitment and more are on their way to build on that foundation this budget adds for more cadet classes for the pennsylvania state police. [applause] this budget also supports our corrections officers, reducing the strain on them giving them the resources that they need to do their critically important job successfully. my administration has prioritized vacancies among our ceos. over the last two years we've cut the corrections officer vacancy hiring nearly 3000 ceos. our investment and law enforcement are working. violent crime is down across pennsylvania. [applause]

and we understand that investing in law enforcement is one part of that success. the other part is working with community groups, youth groups and church groups to lift up their work. we. the boost initiative for afterschool programs so kids have some are safe and productive to go before their parents get off of work. for afterschool programs are expanded because of our collective work. giving thousands of kids more opportunities to succeed and less opportunities to engage in violence. that is a good start. this budget builds on that foundation. i went to a special thanks to lieutenant governor davis. for connecting the dots between our state funding and the organizations on the ground who

are doing meaningful work to reduce violence in our community. [applause] so here is what i want to do together. in short we've gotten good schools and kids in every zip code. grow our economy and cut costs for people in rural, urban and suburban communities. and spur economic growth. healthcare and energy accessible and affordable for all pennsylvanians. sure our kids can walk down the street safely. stop giving our neighboring states a competitive advantage. these are commonsense pennsylvania that i know we all share. i recognize some may have a different approach to these objectives. but, we've got to work at it together. look, i get how politics works. i know there are some folks in this room who will feel the need

to reflectively be against whatever i am for. remember, despite nationally voters set the same group back here to keep making progress. i ask you to resist the temptation to put politics about people let's continue to work together to solve problems in pennsylvania. [applause] [applause] two days ago, two days ago i was standing with nearly 50000 people in a cold field in punxsutawney at 6:00 a.m. in the morning as the sun rose over the horizon.

folks from every corner of our commonwealth were there. from all corners of this great country and several foreign countries gathered together to see our official state meteorologist come out and give us a glimpse into our collective future. at that moment as we held our breath while the president of the inner circle tom single shaker dunkel waited to see if phil would see his shadow. tom and his wife join us here today in the back of the chamber. welcome. we were all just there together and shared humanity and in good spirits excited to be part of

this tradition. i know some folks think we are all crazy for standing in the freezing cold waiting fulfill. i have got to say i love a groundhog day i go every year and the greatest part is seeing tens of thousands of joyful people coming together from all different walks of life. pennsylvania is built on traditions that bring us together. traditions that celebrate our shared past and welcome newcomers to share in the fun. that is the spirit of pennsylvania. it started when william penn first founded our home has a place that would be welcoming for all. each successive generation has passed down those traditions. through it all we have made sure pennsylvania would be a place where everybody belongs. no matter what you look like

comment where you come from, who you love or pray to, a place where you could be comfortable being your self a place where we continually forge ahead. never losing the traditions that bind us together but always creating new pathways of opportunity for all. you know, the first groundhog day it was held in 1887. and since then pennsylvania has stayed true to those values. our commonwealth fueled the industrial revolution lifting people out of poverty and creating the american labor movement. pennsylvania workers and energy and steel gave rise to the arsenal of democracy at the most powerful manufacturing base in the world. our scientist grade medical miracles and lifesaving remedies including the vaccine that drove back the scourge of polio. we built the first modern interstate linking beaver county to sail up from art, to music,

to sports, great pennsylvanians like harris and andy warhol, franco and taylor swift have inspired the world and all along the way the world needed some changes. pennsylvanians like cecil moore and rachel carson triumphed. through it all our legacy has been defined every day. by folks rising up demanding more seeking change and always keeping us on the path. i am inspired by those people we owe it to them to tackle the challenges we face today with that same spirit. with principled common sense and a respect for all periods by staying true to our values i know we can work together to get more stuff done. and of course by honoring our

traditions including the tradition of getting our weather from a groundhog. listen, i am proud to be your governor. to take up that baton of progress passed down to the generation and run toward a future filled with opportunity for all. ladies and gentlemen pennsylvania is on the rise let's keep reaching for that horizon together. may god bless you and our fellow pennsylvanians. and may god watch over the men and women of the pennsylvania national guard and all who wear the uniform. thank you, god bless you. [applause] announcer: vice president jd vance is scheduled to give remarks on thursday at the

conservative political action conference, or cpac. watch live at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. ♪ announcer: c-spanshop.org's c-span's online store. browse through our latest collection on c-span products, apparel, books, home decor, and accessories. there's something for every fan and every purchase helps support our nonprofit operations. shop now or anytime at c-spanshop.org. ♪ >> democracy. it isn't just an idea. it's a process, a process shaped by leaders and interested to a select few with guarding its select principles. it is where debates unfold, decisions are made, and the nation's course is charted. democracy in real-