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In this Update:
* Securing Over $2 Million in Local Share Account Grants for Adams and Franklin Counties
* ACP/LEAD Anechoic Chamber Groundbreaking
* Condemning Antisemitic Attack in Sydney and Calling for Passage of Holocaust Education Legislation
* Fentanyl Is a Weapon — And Pennsylvania Must Act Like It
* Successful Start for New Program Connecting Young Pennsylvanians to High Demand Careers
* Committee Examines CDLs and REAL IDs Being Issued to Illegal Immigrants
* Dec. 31 Deadline for Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
* It’s Annual Dog License Time
* Assistance Available to Help Rural Communities Fight Wildfires
* Happy Hanukkah

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** Securing Over $2 Million in Local Share Account Grants for Adams and Franklin Counties
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Thursday, I announced the approval of more than $2 million in Commonwealth Financing Authority Local Share Account (LSA) grants to fund vital public safety, infrastructure, and community improvement projects across Adams and Franklin Counties.

These strategic investments are a game-changer for our communities, strengthening vital services, bolstering public safety, and addressing long-overdue infrastructure needs. Local Share Account funding ensures that these critical resources are directed back into our neighborhoods, directly benefiting the lives of our residents.

The following projects in the 33rd Senatorial District have received LSA funding:
* $675,000 to Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department, for the purchase of a state-of-the-art fire engine, significantly enhancing emergency response capabilities.
* $577,000 to the Fairfield Municipal Authority for much-needed sanitary sewer rehabilitation, upgrading aging infrastructure and boosting system reliability.
* $166,750 to Tyrone Township for the replacement of a sludge storage tank, ensuring safe and efficient wastewater operations.
* $159,353 to Southampton Township, on behalf of West End Fire & Rescue, to fund wildland response equipment, improving emergency preparedness and response.
* $149,216 to Greencastle Borough for police vehicle replacements, enhancing the effectiveness and reliability of law enforcement operations.
* $120,948 to Shippensburg Borough for upgrades to Veterans Memorial Park, ensuring safety improvements and better recreational amenities for the community.
* $117,397 to Quincy Township for the purchase of a highway maintenance vehicle, aiding year-round road upkeep and maintenance.
* $34,281 to Fannett Township, on behalf of Valleys Community Medical Center, for roof replacement, preserving this essential facility for local health services.

The Local Share Account program is a vital tool in ensuring that communities across Pennsylvania have access to the resources they need to thrive. I remain committed to advocating for our region and ensuring that we continue to receive the funding necessary to protect taxpayers and improve our communities.

For more information, residents are encouraged to contact my district office.


** ACP/LEAD Anechoic Chamber Groundbreaking
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I was honored to join the groundbreaking for the ACP/LEAD Anechoic Chamber at Letterkenny Army Depot —an important investment in advanced testing capabilities, national defense, and local jobs.


** Condemning Antisemitic Attack in Sydney and Calling for Passage of Holocaust Education Legislation
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Let’s be honest about what happened in Sydney. It was a targeted attack on Jews. We can’t afford to sugarcoat it or hide behind politically correct language. This rise in antisemitism across the West — from city streets to college campuses must end.

This violent incident comes in the wake of increased threats and assaults on Jewish communities around the world following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel.

We are witnessing the normalization of antisemitism in broad daylight — and our institutions are either silent or complicit. Jews are being told to stay quiet, hide their symbols and blend in. That’s not the West that we swore an oath to defend.

Senate Bill 127, which would require Pennsylvania schools to teach students about the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee earlier this year.

This generation is dangerously uneducated on the Holocaust and the atrocities of the past. If we don’t teach the truth, I fear it may happen again. Senate Bill 127 is about more than curriculum — it’s about moral clarity. We cannot afford a generation who chants terrorist slogans but can’t recognize Nazi propaganda. We cannot afford silence in the face of this surge in antisemitism. We must draw the line — now.

Senate Bill 127 directs the State Board of Education to assess current Holocaust education offerings and implement consistent statewide standards to ensure that every student learns this critical history.

If you believe in ‘Never Again,’ prove it. Pass the bill. Teach the truth. Stand with the Jewish people. The time to act is now.


** Fentanyl Is a Weapon — And Pennsylvania Must Act Like It
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Two milligrams.

That’s all it takes to kill a human being — a speck you could barely see on the tip of a pencil. Yet this poison is killing Americans by the hundreds of thousands, ravaging families, devastating communities and flooding our streets.

This is not a “public health issue.” This is an attack on our people, and it demands justice. President Donald J. Trump is right: illicit fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction. And if we want to protect Pennsylvanians, we must treat it as such.

That is why I introduced Senate Bill 92 — Tyler’s Law. This bill is named for a young Pennsylvanian who died because someone sold him lethal fentanyl. His death wasn’t tragic luck — it was criminal profit. Under current law, a dealer can escape real accountability. That ends with Tyler’s Law. If you are a repeat drug trafficker, you knowingly distribute fentanyl or counterfeit pills, and someone dies — you will face serious consequences. This is about criminal conduct, not addiction. We explicitly exclude those suffering from substance use disorder — victims, not villains.

Fentanyl is manufactured by foreign criminal networks, trafficked by cartels and tied to organized violence. The same poison killing Pennsylvanians is funding criminal enterprises, undermining security, and threatening our borders.

There will be critics. They will say law enforcement doesn’t work. They will push for more programs, more studies, more bureaucratic talk.

I say this to them:

Tell that to the parents burying their children.

Tell that to the siblings who found a loved one lifeless on the bathroom floor.

Tell that to the communities where ambulances run nonstop and funerals have become routine.

Tyler’s Law draws a clear moral line between those trapped in addiction and those who weaponize drugs for profit.

President Trump declared fentanyl a national security threat, and federal resources are being mobilized. Pennsylvania must do its part. Senate Bill 92 is responsible. Measured. Necessary. If fentanyl is a weapon, then those who deploy it should face the consequences.

For Tyler. For every family shattered by fentanyl. For the future of our commonwealth.


** Successful Start for New Program Connecting Young Pennsylvanians to High Demand Careers
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The first year of the Grow PA program to help connect young people to quality careers in Pennsylvania has been a tremendous success ([link removed]) , according to statistics from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA).

The Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program ([link removed]) was created by the legislature last year to help reverse the trend of young Pennsylvanians seeking education and job opportunities in other states. The program offers grants of up to $5,000 per year for in-state students who agree to attend college in Pennsylvania, pursue a degree in an in-demand occupation and work in that occupation in Pennsylvania after graduation.

PHEAA reports more than 11,000 applications for Grow PA in the first year. More than 4,000 applicants have already received grants, and another 2,300 applications were approved through early December. The average award per student was $4,650.

The top programs of study in the first year of Grow PA included registered nursing, early childhood education, business administration and management, biological sciences and accounting. Next year’s application period is expected to open in early February.


** Committee Examines CDLs and REAL IDs Being Issued to Illegal Immigrants
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The Senate Transportation Committee held a public hearing ([link removed]) to examine commercial vehicle safety and nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) following recent claims of CDLs and REAL IDs being issued to illegal immigrants.

Pennsylvania law bans regular and commercial driver’s licenses for anyone unlawfully present in the commonwealth. Last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegal immigrant from Uzbekistan wanted for belonging to a terrorist organization. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) issued him a CDL with a REAL ID indication in July.

The committee examined commercial vehicle safety and nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses with driving advocates, along with officials from PennDOT and the Pennsylvania State Police. You can view the hearing and read testimony here ([link removed]) .


** Dec. 31 Deadline for Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
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The deadline to apply for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program ([link removed]) is Dec. 31. Eligible residents could qualify for up to $1,000 (plus supplemental rebates for qualifying applicants).

The program provides financial relief to older adults and people with disabilities who paid property taxes or rent in 2024. To qualify, applicants must be age 65+, widows/widowers 50+ or individuals with disabilities 18+, and their household income must be $46,520 or less (excluding half of Social Security income).

Applications can be submitted online ([link removed]) , by mail or in person, or by calling 1-888-222-9190 for assistance. My office is also available to help you apply for this rebate.


** It’s Annual Dog License Time
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The deadline to purchase an annual license renewal for your dog is Jan. 1, 2026. Many counties allow you to purchase a lifetime license.

Licensing fees help the millions of dogs in Pennsylvania by funding the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. If your dog gets lost, a current license is the fastest way to get your dog back home.

Dogs must be licensed at the point of adoption or purchase, or at three months if no transfer of ownership has taken place. Annual licenses can be purchased online from your county treasurer in one location here ([link removed]) .


** Assistance Available to Help Rural Communities Fight Wildfires
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State grants are available to volunteer fire companies to help protect rural communities from wildfires.

Eligible applicants include local firefighting forces in rural communities with fewer than 10,000 residents. Funding can be used for training and equipment purchases directly related to fighting brush and forest fires. Recipients are selected based on vulnerability and adequacy of existing fire protection, with a focus on improving volunteer readiness and protecting lives and property in under-protected areas.

Administered by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the maximum grant award in 2026 is $15,000 per fire company. Applications must be submitted electronically through DCNR’s grant website ([link removed]) by Dec. 31.


** Happy Hanukkah
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This week, Jewish families across our district are celebrating Hanukkah, the festival of light dating back more than 2,000 years, when the Jewish people won a battle against the Greeks to practice their religion freely.

I wish everyone celebrating Hanukkah a time of warmth and appreciation with family and friends.

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