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In this Update:

• RSVP Today for Our Upcoming Veterans Breakfast
• New Law Means PA Schools Will Be Cellphone-Free 
• Remember to Vote! Election Day is Tues., Nov. 3
• Expanding Access to Life-Saving Medications for Low-Income Pennsylvanians
• PA House Needs to Act to Protect Pennsylvania Communities
• Ensuring Sexual Assault Survivors Get Justice
• Making Education More Affordable
• Action Taken to Protect Children in the Age of AI
• Bringing Dollars Back to Communities for Local Road Projects
• Making a Difference with Breast Cancer

RSVP Today for Our Upcoming Veterans Breakfast

Join me and the Community College of Beaver County for our Veterans Breakfast on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 9 a.m. at the CCBC Dome, 1 Campus Drive in Monaca!

To register, please call 724-480-3554 or email by end of business day today.

It’s our chance to come together, enjoy breakfast, and thank the veterans and active-duty military members who have given so much in service to our country. Breakfast is FREE for all veterans, serving military members, and one guest.

I hope to see you there as we honor and thank those who have served!

New Law Means PA Schools Will Be Cellphone-Free 

Pennsylvania teachers will no longer have to compete with smartphones for their students’ attention – and kids will be able to get through the school day without the constant pressure of social media and notifications – with bipartisan passage of a new law requiring schools to adopt policies prohibiting student cellphone use during the school day.

Act 117 of 2026 includes limited exceptions, such as students with individualized education plans and special occasions such as field days. It establishes a clear statewide standard, while allowing school districts, which have direct contact with parents, to decide what works best for their communities.  

The law will take effect with the 2027-28 school year. Pennsylvania joins 40 states in restricting these devices – 19 of which have school-day bans. Read more about the effect of cellphones in schools.

Remember to Vote! Election Day is Tues., Nov. 3

Tuesday, Nov. 3 is Election Day, your chance to weigh in on state and federal elections.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For those voting by mail, county election offices must receive completed ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Find your polling place and other voter information here.

Expanding Access to Life-Saving Medications for Low-Income Pennsylvanians

I was pleased to support the unanimous passage of House Bill 69, now Act 61 of 2026, which expands the newly named Prescription Drug Repository Program to allow healthcare facilities and individuals to donate prescription drugs other than cancer drugs.

Participation in the program remains voluntary and safety will be ensured by requiring donated drugs to meet strict criteria before being accepted.

This bill also prohibits an approved participating pharmacy from billing or submitting a claim to the medical assistance program for a donated prescription drug.

With costs for goods and services continuing to rise in our communities, this expansion allows for low-income Pennsylvanians to have access to life-saving prescription drugs and help ease their financial burdens.

PA House Needs to Act to Protect Pennsylvania Communities

In March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the state’s mandatory life-without-parole sentence for second-degree murder is unconstitutional. The court gave the General Assembly until July 24 to enact a new rule. The Senate passed legislation to protect our communities and fix the problem – twice.

Instead of acting on our bipartisan Senate Bill 1400, the House of Representatives advanced a proposal tied to expanding medical parole, creating additional opportunities – without proper guardrails – for convicted felons to be released before completing their sentences.

Senate Bill 1400 is supported by Attorney General Dave Sunday, PA State Lodge FOP, PA State Troopers Association and district attorneys across the commonwealth. It has languished in the House Judiciary Committee since June. Second‑degree murder is an extremely serious crime, and the House needs to act so these criminals remain behind bars.

Ensuring Sexual Assault Survivors Get Justice

Obtaining justice for sexual assault survivors requires timely processing of rape kit evidence, and I joined colleagues in making it a priority to improve and standardize rape kit testing.

Previously, state law allowed local law enforcement agencies to determine whether a sexual assault evidence kit should undergo DNA testing or other forensic analysis, creating the potential for inconsistent practices across the commonwealth. We passed a new law eliminating such discretion. Read more about Act 106 of 2026.

In addition, a law we passed in 2024 established a rape kit evidence tracking system, allowing survivors to track the status of their rape kits throughout the testing process. After operating as a pilot program in three counties, it will launch statewide in December.

To better care for victims, we included a $12 million increase for rape crisis centers in the current state budget. Prosecuting perpetrators of these heinous crimes should be pursued vigorously, and we’ve made significant changes to ensure just that.  

Making Education More Affordable

An affordable and thorough education allows young Pennsylvanians to find success and lay down roots while filling in-demand jobs here in the commonwealth – without the burden of heavy debt. In addition to funding K-12 and higher education during the current legislative session, I supported initiatives that:

• Expanded the Grow PA Scholarships by $10 million to provide grants to students pursuing higher education for in-demand fields, provided they agree to stay and work in Pennsylvania after graduation.
• Expanded the state’s popular Educational Improvement Tax Credit program by $50 million to support more school choice opportunities for families in disadvantaged schools.
• Expanded the Dual Credit Innovation Grant Program to increase access to dual credit opportunities in underserved and rural communities.
• Expanded access to education and training by establishing the Nurse Education Capacity Expansion Grant Program, providing targeted support to accredited nursing schools across Pennsylvania.

Affordability in education benefits students, parents, employers and communities. I’ll continue working to lower the cost of education and increase student access to promising careers.

Action Taken to Protect Children in the Age of AI

The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence requires rapid deployment of sound policies to protect children from its darker side. I supported measures passed by the Senate cracking down on AI child sexual abuse material (CSAM), shielding them from harmful chatbots and banning “nudification” apps.

Fortunately, the House of Representatives also passed one of them: Act 87 of 2026 requires teachers, childcare workers, healthcare providers and other individuals responsible for caring for children to report all instances of CSAM they become aware of, including those produced by a minor. This House bill mirrored the language of Senate Bill 1050. Read more about Act 87 of 2026, including the new requirement of reporting hazing.

Unfortunately, House Democratic leaders did not act on other bipartisan bills passed by the Senate, including the Safeguarding Adolescents from Exploitative Chatbots and Harmful AI Technology (SAFECHAT) Act, which would require age-appropriate safeguards to prevent AI content generation that encourages self-harm, suicide or violence against others, and directs users to appropriate self-harm crisis resources whenever high-risk language is detected. Learn more about SAFECHAT.

Also awaiting House action is a bill we passed to ban “nudification” apps, which allow individuals to take an image of someone and generate a fake nude or sexually explicit photo of that person. Read more about Senate Bill 1368.

The Senate also established a Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age to review state laws, assess emerging technologies and identify gaps in protections for children in the digital environment. It will issue a report and recommendation for action to the General Assembly. Learn more about the task force.

Bringing Dollars Back to Communities for Local Road Projects

When we learned PennDOT was sitting on millions of dollars that should be spent on local infrastructure, my Senate colleagues and I used state budget negotiations to free this money up for road projects across the commonwealth.

PennDOT agreed to release an additional $775 million from the Motor License Fund for local road projects only, not interstates, which are funded elsewhere.

We fought to secure these funds because local road improvements mean safer travel with less congestion and improved transportation infrastructure that supports the economy and job creation. List of Rapid Deployment Transportation Projects

Making a Difference with Breast Cancer

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2026 comes to a close, here are a few ideas to take action all year long in your community:

Make mammograms part of the conversation
Make sure annual screenings are on the calendar for you and your loved ones. If you need information about how to access a no-cost mammogram, contact the PA Breast Cancer Coalition at 800-377-8828 or PABreastCancer.org.

Know your risk
Many factors can include your risk of developing breast cancer including your age, family history, dense breast tissue, genetics and prior radiation therapy. Talk to your relatives about any breast cancer in your family and discuss your personal risk with your healthcare provider.

Host a Friends Like Me Care Package donation drive
The PA Breast Cancer Coalition provides free, customized care packages to Pennsylvanians newly diagnosed with breast cancer and to those facing Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Each package includes helpful resources, small gifts and thoughtful items designed to remind patients they are not alone. Join with friends to collect much-needed items from the PBCC’s Amazon wish list and help ensure no one fights alone. Learn more at the coalition’s website.

Support research
Consider supporting the outstanding Pennsylvania researchers working toward a future without breast cancer. Every contribution helps researchers pursue new discoveries, improve treatment options and work toward better outcomes for patients and families.