he outlined main poll and i education funding, affordable housing and reducing gun violence and efforts to raise the minimum wage. the governor's speech is about 90 minutes.■

>> thank you very much. lieutenant governor davis.en madame speaker and madame and leader pitman, leader bradford and leader cutler. i'm mindful one of our colleagues is not able to be with us. representative joe is from the township and currently 7,000 miles away and deploying from the pennsylvania national guard. to represent every member of the pennsylvania national guardrd at

home and abroad. and for service to our commonwealth and you are the very best of us >> we're joined by the love of my life, my best friend since the ninth grade. my wife and pennsylvania's first lady laurie shapiro, i love you.

she's g■aoing to kill me for th. hard working folks who that he had m this unique address possible. today we gather for aistoric address. in the 118 years since president y roosevelt stood this, the pennsylvania general assembly never held a joint session in the rotunda and the governor hasas never delivered a budget address here untill today. madame secret foronvening here and inviting me to deliver these remarks. like many of you, i've walked

through this building many times overer the past two decades. when i'm under this dome, i try toto slow down and look up something new catches my attention and you'll see the words that are a quote from our founderfo william penn written before he ever stepped foot in what would be pennsylvania. at a time when he wasn for his religious beliefs, penn wrote of his dream of a place where people of all religions, all backgrounds together peace and an example sent up to the nations that

we'll dot thing that's truly wise and just. above those words there's a mural painted by philadelphia native edwin austin abby and going in search of a new home. a place that would be an example of the nation and tolerance and peace and prosperity. we're leaders that would make in service to all people. everyone has freedom to chart their ownhe course and opportuny toed and the commonwealth where they're responsive of the needs of people to work together and get stuff done.

33 years and governors and leaders in the commonwealth and general assembly all worked together to make progress and build a more just, inclusive society. a century after that mural was painted and penn's promise rings true in the hallways and it's on all of us to carry this forward. my own faith going back and going to refrain from it. that means each of us has a responsibility to get off the sidelines and get in the game and doo our part. they've assembled here today. pennsylvania is the only state in the nation with a divided

legislature. it was the only state where one chamber■lñ led by deputies and e other controlled by republicans. that means nothing gets done unless it has support of members of both parties. we need to compromise and give a lit and will get anything done. and so all we've had is challenging moments and we've all learned and myself included and we've learned how to work together and get stuff done and deliver the kind of common sense solution that i've talked about last year. children learning on full bellies and train an additional 6,000 apprentices last year. we work -- [ applause ]. poultry farmers able to get back on their feet and because we work together, we cut costs for

seniors and working families. we putor more money back in ther pocket in a time when they're worried about high prices. here indo pennsylvania, we get stuff done. together. when we do accomplish something together inrg harrisburg and moe that ball down the field and going to the part, let's celebrate and focus on the progress we're making not from the fact that someone didn't get 100% of what they were asking for. one year after going on strong and the sound fiscal management and all three major ideas and the outlook and gave us an upgrade. those ratings improvement and taxpayers for $100 million and otherwise would have gone to big banks i and as a result of highr

interest rates and those savings on top of the money available to us at the end of the fiscal year. last year we cut taxes and this budget continues that. is suds -- it does not call for a tax increase and now time for the surplus squared away in harrisburg. hear me out on this. it is not a badge of honor, nor is it something to be politically proud of for some lawmakers out there to say i took more money from the than i needed and then i bragged about how i just kept it in some bank account here in the capitol. of course, of course.

soon we'll need to prepare for a emergency or rainy day. my budget does just that. even the ratings agencies said there's too much money sit in surpluses an the country. instead of being driven out into the communism i do not want to take anymore from the people of pennsylvania than we need it. instead i want to invest in them. hymn theco commonwealth overcome the challenges we face and build a better pennsvania that runs in the classrooms and runs through the union halls and small businesses and farmlands and high-rises and college campuses and leads to a lifetime of opportunity and retirement with dig any ty and make sure they have -- dignity and treatment and build the opportunity. some competitive spirit and a fervent belief and i present to

you my budget. start with the kids. opportunity begins in the classrooms and this is investing in our students, teachers and future. last year we made together the largest single year of basic education funding in pennsylvania history. we didn't stop there. together we deliveredd universal healthcare and 1.7 million so kids can start the day with a full belly ready to learn. we delivered.■ we delivered $100 million to out p more mental health in our schools so the kids can get the help they need. wela can replace led pipes dangerous asbestos and find common sense repairs. to make sure classrooms are air-conditioned in august and i.

we've begun to address the teacher shortage and making sure those that are just getting started in the profession get paid for their hard work. that was an ask&we all know and the court just ruled we need a constitutional comprehensive solution to guarantee every student the thorough and efficient education their entitled to under article 3 section 14 of our state constitution. [ applause ]. let's build on the work we've will ever done together. that same court that held our system of funding unconstitutional directed us to get around the table and come up with a better system. it should be noted that everyone

here and legislatures from both parties and both chambers accepted the ream i did the courtac put forward by virtue of your decision not to appeal the ruling. with that decision, republica te table and fix the way we fund education. and so we began that work together. basic education funding commission heard from folks across the commonwealth and traveled to communities, big and small, rural, urban, and suburban alike. members of thebly and staff alongside members of my administration worked harder over the past year meeting with advocates, parents, teachers,ed a minnesota straiters to prepare their report.st last month they delivered that report and outlined a path forward to deliver a comprehensive solution on k through 12 education in pennsylvania. now following the general contours of that report, my budget puts $1.1 billion in new funding this year for our schools. [ applause.

that's right. and it makes sure no school gets make a short note drive these dollars out in a more equitable nearly $90 million of that will be sent to support a schoolchildren under a new adequacy formula. major everest goes the appropriate level of resources they need to serve theirir students. on top of the eye budget another $50 million because wey recognize for some students need more resources and more support. invest some of ts to help recruit and maintain teachers who get our kids off to a great start. b and while we make these new

investments my budget builds on the progress we made last year addressing some of the challenges in our schools. we are continuing to fund universal free breakfast are in the school year but we are also making sure note kid goes hungry during the summer by funding the summer food service program. that is something we should product together. [applause] should. think abouttin it. all the time when some governors are assuming federal funding that venture kids are well fed over the summer we have alrea shown a pennsylvania public and the democrats alike that we care about kids. and what we want to come together to feed them. this includes more of student mental health. our students are quite literally calling out for f help and suppt we need to be there for■t down payment we made last year to fund school repairs. isconsider this, scranton school

district alone hasfi identified more than three to million dollars in necessary repairs everything from installing new fire sprinklers removing lead paint lack school district has at least $40 million of work that stated. all through school buildings the urgent roof repairs to prevent leaks when it rains. went carbon counties of the basic education funding commission■í that kindergartens are forced to learn and rose without air-conditioning because they cannot afford the upgrades. i could go on and on point youoa lot more to help the district maintain safe and healthy learning environments for students. whenever million dollars in this alone healthy and safe. [applause]

this is something impacting students and parents all across pennsylvania. colleagues as well for a couple months ago i had a meeting with representative in my office. i was little surprised when she showed up with two of her kids their school was closed after asbestos was detected. i was happy to seeesentatives km sure they enjoyed their time at the capitol. but listen as a lot of other families out there that would've had to miss part of the paycheck miss a d's work because we didn't do our part to make sure their schools could stay open and safe. owhile we repair the broken pis in our schools we also need to prepare the pipeline of professionals who go into teaching. department of education in pennsylvania t reports there are 5500 teacher vacancies across pennsylvania. that is in large part fewer people are choosing to become

teachers. ten years ago 20000 teachers everyear. recertified only 5000 because so few apply. we have taken steps as the commonwealth to improve this we sped up the time it takes to get new teacher certification from 12 weeks to just under three. we are getting stipends to student teachers for the first time it. [cheering] [applause] rebuild in talent recruitment so we can expose more young people to the joys of teaching and nurturing our kids. two months agohé it's awesome to see so many teachers together in one room.

they talk to about how rewarding the profession is up. but also how they need more help and support. that is what we are putting more and mental health resources in our schools we are working to help her kids improve their reading ability. i also heard from those teachers about how they are confrontingng misinformation. that kids are finding online and bringing into the classroom. i think we need to address that too. i'm especiallyyri mindful during black history month for doctor martin luther king wrote one must train one for quick resolute and effective thinking. i to think for oneself is difficult. we are prone to let our mental life become invaded. legions of half-truths, prejudice and propaganda. our children are being fed to half-truths, prejudice and propaganda nearly every single day on their phone and social

we never teach them how to use them. organize see this as a parents. listen i want to be clear, i do not care whether or kids take a left position or a right position on issue. i do care they are able to discern fact from fiction. that's what directed the department of education develop a toolkit for teachers andit parents on digital ler critical thinking. this is important and itou folls on the good work we did together last year and passed into law a bill that requires schools to teach financial a literacy. we need to ensure together that

our young people are prepared for the world but they are living in. we alsote need to update antiquated state laws that cost our school districts too much money. let me give an example chaeraw t back in 1997 the idea of going to a cyber school was new and relatively few parents of the kids there. but today, nearly 60000 pennsylvania students go to cyber. however we've never gone back and reevaluate how we fund the schools cyber charters at the same amount per student as brick-and-mortar schools do. at various district by district. in practice that means one district might pay $7000 to cyber charter while another has to pay 10,000 dollars to the exact same school cyber charters certainly need adequate funding to operate, logic■i would dictae the two students going to the

same school getting the same education would pay the same rate. logic would also dictate they need less than a brick-and-mortar charter school simply because they don't have the same physical infrastructure. i know and see it by your hands i know there is bipartisan consensus these antiquated laws need to be updated. so let's come up with a uniform rate that actually reflects what it cost to send a kid to a cyber charter school. let's say for example he set a rate of $8000 per student for that's the amount that set by a bill that passed the house of representatives last year end a bipartisano manner. if we do that we will level the innd as a result we will be able to return, get this, $262 million back to our

[applause] [applause] gets better, stay send me if you combined those savings than money and proposing for 500 school district that would mean nearly $2 billion more per school next year. [applause] [cheering] and outlook, this was ambition. none of it is easy all of it thatwill require us to work together. to keep having important conversations. and outlook, one of those conversations will need to be about scholarships philip pork i was in struggling school districts put their kids in the.

whether that's paying for extra tutoring, books and computers are going another school. the senate passed a proposal last year include important elements of that. i support and considered to be unfinished business. i'm grateful to the house democrat leadership who is committed to examine and seriously consider thisne propol to address the needs of our most at risk learners. so we have left room for the house an senate to find common ground on this. let's not shyff away from the my difficult conversations oníy■ education.uc our challenges are in education are not going to be solved in one budget cycle. but we can make realrd a lastine solution. we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the right by

this moment.■d a fleet to this right without lisette our youngpl people up fr individual success we will lift up the entire commonwealth in the process but once those kids graduate from high school and to understand had the freedom to chart their own course and determine for themselves the next step in life. i'm sick and tired of hearing someone say to a high school student, welt college might not be right for you. maybe you should consider becoming a welder. that elitist attitude is wrong and it■ hurts our commonwealth. if you are in the tenth a welder or a plumber we should celebrate that your path of the same level of respect someochoo.

[applause] kind of respect in my administration on my first as governor as an executive order that 92% of jobs do not require collegege degree. as a result, one year later at least 60% of the commonwealth new hires don't have a college degree but do have the necessary skills to help our fellow pennsylvanians. together we have made record investments in apprenticeship programs and on-the-job training. list your site executive order creating the first in the nation initiativeo workers in pennsylvania over the next five years. the pittsburgh water and sewer authority needs to replace lead service lines in a neighborhood where i visited last summer we are going to fund their new workers. workers who are fluent to our school district to deliver clean

families. i come back to you today and including thesenc investments oe again because what we did last year is working. thirty-three new apprenticeship programs new apprentices statewide. we should be proud of that. thanks to the collective work more pennsylvanians are trained to become field work is in your county and machinists in elk county. we are training more apprentices and management we are getting pennsylvania the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed. so let's keep at it but that's one of the reason i want to create a new career connect with the talentedre people and

thousands of internship so that. there are many paths to success in high school but some of our young people go into the military but some will go straight to the workforce. some will enter a unit apprenticeship program some will go to college. we need to respect all paths equally. we need to invest in them. [applause] let's talk about how we are going to help those who choose the path of college. and my budget address at last year i proclaimed are higher ed the system broken i called for new blueprints. you may recall that's one of the moments both sides stood up and applauded because we all recognize that we need to come together and to do something. let's be honest what we are doing now is not working.

yart running on empty not enough students have affordable pathways and into good jobs. think about this. and sylvania now ranks 49 in-state investments in higher and 48th in higher ed affordability. by the way gang you want to beat beone not 50 on that chart. over the past decade and our state system of higher education has dropped 30% and enrollment in our community colleges has a plummeted 37% rate the faculty staff and administrators are working really' hard. they have been dealt a hand because of the legislature disinvestment colleges are being forced to duplicate degree programs, drive up costs and reduce the last decade conversation on higher ed in this building have been about subtraction. subtracting resources.

subtracting services and subtracting access. about we play a game of edition not subtraction and a focus on building a world-class system of higherduat keeps our e here in the commonwealth and helps her students gain the skills theyin need and provide businesses with the workforce they required to grow and be successful a system focused on competitiveness, grounded in access and affordability. last year i promise you i come back with the plan. after a year of gathering i probably present to make blueprint for higher education. a blueprint that earned higher ed leaders from every sector from our community colleges to schools to hbcus interstate universities. this is her and the support of students, workers, ceo county commissioners and mayors in a number of folks in this room.

a bold forward-looking vision i believe we can make happen together. don't let me walk you through my three-part plan. first we will build a new system for higher education that unites our schools with their 15 community colleges. this new system will preserve local t leadership ensuring we e growing in the same direction put together our public colleges and universities will create pathways to affordable credentials and degrees while opening up the doors of opportunity meeting the commonwealth workforce needs. eight or $50 million in art our university colleges combined. this year i'm proposing we invest $975 million a 15% increase to support this new system. second, when it affects the way we fund our state penn state.

along with the nations oldest degree granting hbc, lincoln university. for too long we have underfunded them. and let's be clear, we have subjected them to political gains. at this same time a number pennsylvanians wonder what are they getting by investing in these institutions)i if they ora loved one don't go there? i am proposing we fund these schools through the department of education with a simple majority vote and no longer write them a blank check. we should begin this new approach and increase their funding by 5% this year. pennsylvanians should know we are going to pay for outcomes and performance apart let me explain what that means it. working together as members of the general assembly in higher ed leaders will create a predictable transparent, outcome-based funding system that will apply to schools in

the system and our state related. that funding will incentivize outcomes to benefit all pennsylvanians. like increasing the number of first-generation college students. ensuring more students stay here after graduation. they go into the fields we need like agriculture in education and nursing. all ensuring there ising accountability for tax dollars. in the past or state related had to get a two thirds vote just to get a dollar. under my plan it will be a simple majority in that dollar could turn into a dollar 10, a dollar 20, if they need the metrics that we all agree upon. we also do make sure higher ed is affordable for every student e whether they attend onef our schools in her new system, state related or one of our independent colleges and universities. that's the third part of my yeam is in place i will come back to

you and ask you to invest another $279 million directly in offsettingse cost for our students. under my plan no student or family making that median income will have to pay more than 1000 bucks per semester for tuition and fees in our new system. to help students in every school will increase grants for students by $1000. now we pass at my plan make the investment i lay out in my budget we would jump from 49th in the nation today to 22nd in just five years. [applause] it is time to build this new blueprint for higher education in pennsylvania and leave a lasting legacy on this pennsylvanians great education

from pre-k through apprenticeship program all the college graduation and the freedom to chart their own course of the opportunity to succeed economic opportunity will flo it is on top of that foundation of educational excellence. we will build an economy innovation and job creation. i made it clear pennsylvania is open for business. unning with aun bunch of wins as a result of our direct engagement we secured remore than one point to billion dollars in private sector■ investment. electronics and global semiconductor manufacturing company has put $3 million anday gap facility in the world. apparently it is investing $190 million in chester county to create the first us-based manufacturing to biotech and

pharmaceutical products. and we leader in photonics technology to relocate from massachusetts to the strip district in pittsburgh. it's a guy who absolutely hates the boston celtics. it gives me great pleasure to take this company out of beantown and welcome then to pennsylvania. [applause] [cheering] here in pennsylvania, investment is up and unemployment is down. we have spent up government, cutdown processing and eliminated backlogs and/red tape. last year pennsylvania issued 249,000 of the same type of business for companies big and small. the day i took office it took eight weeks to get one of the licenses. today it takes less than three

days. we are moving at the speed of business. [applause] you can't stop here because i want us to be the best. last week i announced pennsylvania now has a comprehensive strategy focuses our attention, our resources on five doctors we are poised to compete and when. agriculture, energy, life science, manufacturing, robotics and technology. our strategy for different tools and approaches to lift up each one of them. in order to execute this plan, in order to compete we need to invest. consider this. new york, new jersey committed more resources to economic development than pennsylvani did. ohio has one and a half million fewer people than pennsylvania.

yet they invested over seven times more an economic developer and said we have. i am sick and tired of losing to freaking ohio. we need to catch up right now. last year, last year myite selem across the country to our state capitol for two days. we asked them for their honest fe pewhere companies are going to relocate or expand. they were bullish on our highly skilled workforce. our world-class universities and the weight we performrm governmt to make it move more quickly. they like the fact we are less than a day's drive from less than 40% of our population.

it's nearly impossible to sell a company we don't have sit ready to go. other states literally hemp shovel ready there done electrical hookups are good to go. it's time we catch up and it is important we start this work now. it takes years to get some of the sites ready. that is why, thanks to the investment you made it last year we launched a pilot program for site development through dcb. we asked for applications made $10 million in grants available so developers and companies can begin the process. in the course of a few weeks we received over 100 applications totaling more than $235 million for site development. the demand is there. the businessdy other states are already doing it. it is time we catch up. that is why am proposing a major new investment we will buy a half a billion dollars to develop sites. and when it works we will use the added revenues we get from

the companies that move to these thesites to pay back that bond. there's power in these pads. last night pro tem award and toe redevelopment of a site into kensington to turn it into a center of high-tech nu create 300 new jobs that often times is been overlooked. that is just one sites. that project s to change the face of that committee once it's up and running to make aluminum will embrace innovation reducing parts for aircraft's or batteries to support our clean energy sector. new direct investment in the innovation economy. one that helps her start ups grown and support the dreams of her entrepreneurs and inventors. it gives them the resources they need to go after the next big discovery and commercialize it. right here in pennsylvania. these sites and our investment

and innovation are key to growing our economy. rebuilding our communities and combating climatemu change. i know there are bills to pass and work to do to combat climate change. one of the most important things we can do right now is invest in a clean energy economy and the jobs it supports. the plan wl do that and help businesses to succeed here in pennsylvania. when businesses set up shop we want to make sure their new munities to liven it where main street is lined with shops and start small businesses and housing is affordable for that is why am proposing $25 million for batters and initiative building off the keystone. [applause] building off the community to support small businesses downtowns and main pennsylvania. at the same time will launch the

pennsylvania regional challengev incentivize regional p local communities can work together to leverage the resources available to them. met with local elected leaders to see how our investments can support their visions this is exactly the kind of thing mayors and county commissioners from both parties have been asking for. as a build strong thriving communities safely and affordably. last year we finally started completely decoupling police the funding and infrastructure which put themst both and a stronger financial footing. that made an additional $125 million available to road and bridge repairs my administration leverage that state funding to get even morere matching federal dollars. and as a result we repaired over 7000 miles a pennsylvania road weights. 600 more miles than we had the year before. this year my budget makes of the 125 million available so we can

do even more to ensure our roads are safe and well maintained. but, not everybody drives to work or schools on a roadways. nearly 1 million pennsylvanians rely on public transit every single day. major employers count on trains, buses and trolleys to and from the office. our seniors, seniors depend on shared bride's services for 2.1 million trips a year. in oul communities. public transit provides freedom and opportunity. it makes us competitive it helps seller commonwealth to others. on the all-star game coming right here in 2026. don't clean, safe, on-time public transit. deserve and what our economy

needs. new publicda transit and more tn a decade. [applause] [applause] under my plan transit systems across pennsylvania will receive $1.5 billion over the next five years that would mean nearly $40 million more in allegheny county this year alone. mill state. i know this is especially important in southeastern southeasternpennsylvania paid my administration has been working foradmi months to address their unique challenges and come up with solutions.

i insisted they address concerns about cleanliness and safety. and i asked the local count is whose residents would benefit from the system to meet i cannot report septa has presented plans to address cleanliness andnd safety and county officials have entertained a willingness to increase their financial support. it has work to do to make good on the plans, especially partnerships with the city of philadelphia and mayor parker's administration. i am now prepared to increase our investment wonders $61 million. bring the total state funding to $1 billion. b [applause] this investment will trigger an automatic amount of 15% of local

counties. raising the $24 million for the system this year. based on our discussions, if you adopt my proposal they will not cut service or raise fares they will have a concrete plan for a cleaner safer public transit system that creates economic opportunity in southeastern pennsylvania.he [applause] my administration is focused onf creating economic opportunity in every community rural, urban and suburban alike. something you may have noticed is that for the first time our economic straty focus and high-n our suburban parks. we understand her economic success are dependent onrural c. last spring i sent time on silver valley farm and ninth at

generation family farm in lancaster county. i don't see that farm is just part of our heritage. i see it as a critical part of our economic success going forward. and sylvania some to 53000 farms. nearly 600,000 fellow agriculture and ag contributes $130 billion to her state's economy. to ignore that is not only disrespectful to our farmers does not make sense economically. in the same sentence we talk about sciences manufacturing and robotics we should be talking ab in our farms and our farmers. that is what my economic moment strategy places special emphasis on ag. as an t example i help more farmers upgrade their equipment and take advantage of the latest technology through our ag innovation fund.ovation happening across the common law especially in our farms. over the summer i visited dairy

farm and i met brett and his beautiful family. he joins us here today. he showed me their methane digester that turns waste into electricity. not just for their farm but for the neighborhood nearby. brett is helping our environmen6 and his business but that's ingenuity of pennsylvania farmers outwork the commonwealth invested in that digester. we need to do more of that on our farms across pennsylvania. this budget also invest in animal health and disease prevention by funding a new state animal testing laboratory in western pennsylvania. we have a a state animal testing of verse date. the western our budget closes that gap to protect our herds, flocks, and farms. [applause]■

it runs from her skyscrapers to our farmlands. on our roads and on our rails that also gives everyone a no matter what you look like or where you come from. small business owners who just want that shot an incubator for black-owned businesses providing them with office space and access to capitol. we need to do more of that. weak need to make sure there's opportunity for all tour participate in our economy and forll to build generational wealth. that is what we devoted to funding specifically to support historically disadvantaged businesses in our last budget. the first time the commonwealth is directly putting state dollars towards creating opportunities for folks who have for too long been shut out. i have heard from small and small and diverse businesses how hard it is to compete for state

contracts despite doing exactly the sort of work that we are looking for. the largest purchaser of goods and services in pennsylvania as our commonwealth. c that's why signed executive order to help the small businesses work with us. we are already making progress. put into place a prompt to pay a policy that requires some contractors to pay their subs within 10 days of receiving payments. [applause] we raise the revenue cap soap more small and diverse businesses can qualify. we reduce the time it takes to certify a small business to work with the cmonwealth by 33%. i am not just doing this because it is the right thing to do, and it is but i'm doing it because it is the smart thing to but we open up the opportunities to more businesses we can deliver better services and better prices for the people of

pennsylvania. i am p not looking to give a had out. i want to give a hand up and create opportunity here in our economy that gives everyone a shot. [applause] iner to create the opportunity pennsylvanians and need to earn a decent wage. and, on,.■ñ [applause] come on. you all should be for decent wages, come on. [applause] let's be real. minimum wage stuck at 7025 cents an hour 15 years. fifteen years. [applause]

unit that is questioning if we do not know what that means go as the budget secretary later. it's time we raise our minimum wage to $15 an hour here in pennsylvania. [cheering] [applause] we are falling behind falling behind its anti- competitive and it's hurting our workers. as we remained every single one of our neighboring states can raise their minimum wage the country. we have seen proof workers and border counties can drive into another state for work so they e a job at home in pennsylvania. up along our northern tier some workers the hospitality sector

go to work in new york struggling to find help. raising the minimum wage will make us more competitive and it isnd going to create economic opportunity. the house of past a bill to raise the minimum-wage to $15 an hour. i am encouraged to see the comments of the leaders in the senate who have shown a issue.gness to engage on this so let's finally get this done together. [applause] you know, wages are not the only place we are falling behind other states. member want to talk to it losing to ohio? last year 57% of voters in ohio supported an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. [applause] and now, and now ohio, new york, new jersey, delaware and

maryland, practically all of our neighbors have legalize marijuana. we are losing out on the industry which fully impleme ul than $250 million in annual revenue. our failure to legalize and regulate this only fuels the black market and drains much much-needed resources for law enforcement. it is time to catch up. i ask you to come together and send the b t desk that legalizes marijuana. [applause] now my bill, that bill should ensure the industry is regulated intact responsibly. we create jobs and build a wealth here in pennsylvania. especially in communities that have been disproportionately harmed by criminalization.

[applause] that should also contain a provision for those who have been convicted for nine violentt possession of small amounts of marijuana to have their records expunged. a [applause] let's stop hamstringing ourselves and start competing again in pennsylvania. [applause] [cheering] and listen, what we take steps to be more competitive we have got to be mindful that we have got to cut costs for folks i traveled all across the commonwealth i heard from first hand from pennsylvanians who are struggling. they have told me it seems like the price of everything from rent, to childcare, to groceries is making it harder for people . relief is on the way. we took two giant steps forward last year to cut costs.ç%

back in the pockets of working families by expanding the childcare tax credit. [applause] this year children 10,000 families will get hundreds more dollars back to help pay for childcare. on top of that what we delivered the largest targeted taxge cut r seniors in nearly two decades. by expanding the property tax rent rebate. [applause] what program had not been updated sin 2006. lawmakersle complained about it for a while but to gather we got itnd done. for those who already qualify, many will see their rates nearly double. we tied the income limit to the cost of living to no one, no senior can be price out thee. future. pennsylvanians have to work extra hard to pay their bills. we should work as hard for them as they do for themselves.

less work harder together to cut costs more. you can do that by helping pennsylvanians stay in and take care of their homes. almost 60% of all homes in pennsylvaniayl were built before 1970. many are in dire need of repairs. a lot of phone owners cannot afford the cost of those repairs. nga her for group out at the age of 72 she cannot afford to replace it. she uses space heaters and her oven to heat her home. living alone turn the oven on overnight and leave the door open just to stay warm. we cannot accept that. but fortunately this body came together and created the home repairs program. in got was one of the first recipients of the new initiative received a 10,000 dollars grant to replace a furnace and fixed

to drafty doors in her house. we distributed all the initial money allocated for that program. dema was so strong their state there statewaitlist in most cou. especially in our rural counties in potter county for example as of last month they allocate all of their■a times more people sitting on the waitlist for indiana county has enough funding for around 25 projects received more than 75 applications. we cannot leave struggling homeowners out to dry up or let support them by investing another $50 million in the homes repair program. [applae] this is a smart investment. we know it works, demand is high we alsoj1 need to make housing more affordable. one of the most effective tools we have for that is the housing trust fund. for 14 years that fund has subsidized the construction and

rehabilitation of more affordable housing but has not is notgot enough support. it will increase that capitol to $100 billion of the victorious s helping folks repair their homes and building more affordable homes to help cut costs or pennsylvanians. we have lowered cost for seniors. we have lowered costs for families with children. we have a plan to lower costs for homeowners and renters to know what else is taking too much money out of people's pockets? the cost of healthcare. folks are getting hurt with the high cost of health insurance. consider this, they are people in this commonwealth working very hard but they have a job, they are supporting themselves and make a just enough money they did not get government assistance for health insurance for the still do not make enough to afford the price of a private health insurance premiums there are 100,000 of our fellow pennsylvanians who fell into that category. these are people who are doing everything right. they just need a little extra help. so let's be there for that my

budget invest $50 million to allow them to keep on working in our economy and purchase health aminsurance. at the same time this investment will also help lower the premiums for an additional 400,000 pennsylvanians. if we do nothing here, these folks will be priced out of health insurance. we have folks or uninsured but only drives up the cost of healthcare for all of us. we can invest in funding now and save us all money later. or we can do nothing and subject ourselves to higher costs on the road. again this is common sense stuff. high cost of prescription drugs. drug companies keep raising prices and often times we do not know why. the middlemen negotiate the drug prices betweenour health ruinsurance company the drug manufacturers they don't have to report enoughh information to te insurance department. those middlemen are called

pharmacy benefit managers. they have made record profits on the bacf time to reform the operation here. we are doing our part the insurance department but we need legislation to god further. we also need to help pennsylvanians who are being crushed by medical debt. consider this, 1 million pennsylvanians carry some kind of medical debt. this issue disproptionately impacts our rural communities. in fact the counties of the highest share of medical debt or worn, green, bradford, franklin, and mckee. and a warrant county alone 20% of residents carried medical debt that's affecting credit. combine that higher prices this debt is an anchor holding families and communities back. your credit course suffers it makes it harder to reach

financial stability because hospitals then sell off this debt to collections agencies were really pennies on the dollar with an investment of use $4 million they can start wiping out medical debt for pennsylvanians and give them the chance and they need to succeed financially. [applause] now listen, listen, this is an issue that disproportionately impacts our rural communities. the same time we face a crisis in rural health care. in the past 20 years, 33 rural hospitals in pennsylvania have either reduced services or close completely. my administration has been working closely with elected officials from both parties with healthcare and community leaders to put our rural healthcare providers on stable footing moving forward.

i expect to come back to you in the next summer monthsac with a plan to address this crisis. because as we cut the cost of healthcare we need to make sure it is available and accessible for everyone. but unfortunately that is not the case for everyone. imagine you are among the 1 million pennsylvanians with medical debt and you got a furnace on the fritz. you■/ are 60 years old caring fr your adult child with disabilities. and not getting any support to offset your cost. i have listened to those families. i have seen the exhaustion and the desperation in the eyes of parents and caregivers who are doing everything right. but they still cannot get the kids their services they need. it is heartbreaking. one of those parents and her son joins us today. cindy and her adult son matthew live in lancaster county. they visited me back in my matthew requires 24/7 report

something cindy has not been able to find because our state does not pay direct support professionals enough. instead cindy, a 6-year-old single mom has battled her own health challenges but have limited her ability to care for math it was forced to provide care herself. along with matthew's grandma judy. listen, you have all heard from people from cindy, judy, and matthew. they have walked these halls. they rolled their wheelchairs and their offices year after year to ask you to step up and help them. the reason they cannot access is because there are not enough caregivers. the reason why there are none of caregivers is because they're not getting paid enough. [cheering] [applause]

[appla we are asking a professional to do this in credible difficult skill labor intensive to help determine their paycheck. it yields about 12 bucks an hour so consequently these caregivers who got into this field because they want to help people. they went to find work elsewhere they just don't get paid enough. my budget invest $260 million which allows us to draw down another $266 million in federal dollars to provide more resources than ever before. in turn they can pay competitive rates to attract and retain staff to provide the life-changing services. [applause] a. [cheering]

imagine if this was your kid. imagine if this was your kid and you could not find the services that they need. found out the only reason why a caregiver is not available is because they're not getting paid a decentage because the state refused to raise our rates. i note some members here do not have to imagine, they are living it. let's make this the year we get it done for cindy, judy, and matthew the thousands of others like them across pennsylvania. let's do this work together. let's also show this budget isn't just a bunch of numbers on some spreadsheets. the statement of our values of our principles of the fellow

pennsylvanians especially when it shows how she cares. early intervention and childcare because our kids deserve the support they need to grow and develop before they enter school it raises the minimum snap benefit for low income families because every pennsylvanian deserves a healthy meal on the table at dinner time. thisng budget addresses a challenge for so many girls who lack access to feminine hygiene products at school and at home. [cheering] [applause] look, look, this is something we do not often talk about. it is something we don't often talk about but the first lady has spent time this year meeting with these young women and hearing their stories.

laurie spoken to girls who have literally missed school days because they got there. nothing was available to them in school. mike's feminine hygiene products available at no cost and our schools girls deserve to have a they can focus on learning. [applause]q6 this in budget increases support for healthcare c providers that provide highily family-planning tools and reproductive and healthcare servicesau because women and gis deserve to make their own choices about their own bodies. [cheering]

[applause]ht to double down on r work to prevent maternal mortality. especially among black mothers. [cheering] and this budget does that. fulfilling a commitment i made to the black maternal health caucus. [cheering] and the priority with our commonwealth second lady and a new mom by the way blair holmes davis. we are going to do this together. invest more in the right capable hands to develop and deliver more service caregivers to

support an aging loved one. for the first time ever establishes an alzheimer's disease division at the of thedepartment of aging to sut families dealing with that■. terrible disease. all of these investments are being made as we get ready to implement the first ever master plan on aging because our seniors deserve support so they can live out their golden ears with dignity today nearly one in four pennsylvanians are seniors spurred by 2030 and three. now is the time to plan for that. a budget is a statement of our values you think about our values let's remember what happens between our ears is just as important as what happens on the rest of your body. we've already done it meaningful work to address investing $100 million in student mental health and 20 million more for county mental health support

this budget matches those investments goes even further by increasing support for county level mental health services. the crisis hotline in operation. the mental health crisis centers. and as we think about our values we also need to think about those who have been abused or left u unprotected by the law. we need to finally do right by the survivors s abuse give them a chance to confront their abusers after decades of injustice. decades. look, come on gang. no one has passed this before. you pass it and hear me it should not need to be part of a political deal with the stringss

right. it is a right and it is time. [applause] [cheering]g] we should recognize the dignity of every pennsylvanian. and we should be proud of what was set in motion. a place that would be welcoming to all. a place where there are no second-class citizens. back in 1974, right here in harrisburg governor milton shaft working alongside my friend mark joins us today. became the first governor in the nation to meet with lgbtq community. and one year later he became the fit employees. that is a history we should be proud of it.

we were leading the nation when it came to lgbtq rights. and now we are falling behind. it is ridiculous that here in pennsylvania married on a sunday and fired from the job on the monday just because they are in love. they are a landlordtheir apartme is bigoted. the house passed the fairness act to fix this. then should honor our legacy off tolerance and pass that bill and put it on my desk. [applause] i got a lot of bipartisan crops for that. commonsense reforms that makes the system more fair and just for everyone. we began together last yr and

let' and probation report. let's continue that work. every pennsylvanian who enters the criminal justice system has a constitutional right to adequate legal defense. before i was elected your governor pennsylvania was one of only two states in the whole nation that didn't pvi public defenders. last year we came together to lose the shameful distinction and delivered 7 and a half million dollars for poor defendants. we need to do more because the need is great. my budget invest another $10 million in public defenders. [applause] >> but understand, understand similar defendants aren't the only ones in need of legal help.

my budget increases their funding by 50%. [applause] for the first time ever this budget ensures pennsylvanians facing eviction will have access to legal counsel. [applause] >> you know, philadelphia has done exceptional work with its own eviction diversion program. a nationally recognized initiative started during the pandemic. now we should expand that work statewide. and as we continue -- as we continue to make our legal system more fair and just, we have to think about the victims of crime and those communities that are impacted by gun violence, nicholas where you say

a great rick and actually voluntred on my campaign because he cared about his community. he had a bright future ahead of him until the gunman killed him after a football game. i talked to his mother meredith many times. since nicholas' death she's been powerful advocate. we are honored to have nicholas' mom here with us today. [applause] >> with gun violence at unacceptable levels in our communities it is long past time for us to take real action.

lieutenant governor davis knows this well. he's been leading on this issue since his time as a kid in the case port when he saw someone get shot in his block. now thanks to his leadership the pccd for the first time ever we are going to fund a statewide office of gun violence. [applause] >> i'm proposing that we invest another a hundred million dollars. we will also increase nonprofits, security grants for places like mosques and churches and synagogues and will give local law enforcement agencies and district attorneys offices more resources to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes

but -- [applause] >> we can't stop there. you see this year we have an opportunity to pass the first significant legislation in two [applause] with loopholes on background check that is allow criminals to get the hands on guns, just close the loopholes. you know, close the loophole. [applause] >> y'all crack me up. you like to talk a big game about law and order, so let's strengthen our laws and bring about more order in pennsylvania

and save lives. the house -- the house passed a package of bills to do that in a bipartisan manner. the senate should do the same. the community is crying for us to act. law enforcement is on the side of the community not the inaction in this building and you all should be too. police officers do a dangerous job in dangerous position. we have to have their backs. we also made a massive investment in the pennsylvania state police creating four new state trooper cadet classes which psp is already hiring but the need is great and it's clear and now psp has seen 258% increase last year in the numbeo

become a state trooper. i think we should be supporting those who take up that call to service and invest. we owe it to the sure they've got the equipment resources and funding they need toto do their jobs safely as possible. it's not just the cops who need more resources, equipment and technology, it's our first responders too. last year we took a step forward when we helped fire companies more training to prepare to fight dangerous wild fires and expand efforts to recruit and retain firefighters. after the norfolk train derailment near western border a year ago a past saturday we made sure the railroad paid to replace all fire fighting equipment used contaminated as a result of their crash. this year my budget expands on ethat work.

by doubling our investment in the state fire commissioner ms grant program just a few weeks ago. just a few weeks ago i was inste about how they need help. i heard same thing about firefighters who need help rebuilding firefighter colleagu' mental health. we have to ensure first responders are well staffed, well funded an well e will do. look, this year we have a real chance to build safer communities, become more. competitive and invest in our students. i just laid aggressive budget focused on doing just that where each piece builds on the other where the

young girl has options for her future no matter what path she choses. where she gets to age with dignity and, of course, where she gets to live in a common wealth that respects her for who she is. i know that's a bold vision and some who are opposed saying we can't afford that. well,rg i will argue we can't afford not to invest right now. think about it. we've got a 14 billion-dollar

surplus. we are facing real challenges in education and with our workforce that will hold us back in the future if we don't take action right now. one in four pennsylvanians is over the age but we can track more young people, more business, more prosperity to pennsylvania.mo no one here i don't care what party you're in nobody should be care with unconstitutional system for our kids. no o [applause] no one here should be okay with the status quo on higher-ed where we rank 49th in the nation. we can't afford to let our neighboring states invest several times more than w in

economic development. we need to step up for those who are most vulnerable in our system and show them that we give a damn we need to get more stuff done together for pennsylvanians. not to be clear my budget is balanced, it does not raise taxes, in fact, it cuts them and cons moment, even if we fund every single one of the initiatives that i talked about today and is contained in my budget, we would still have an 11 billion-dollar surplus at the end of june 2025. $11 billion. [applause] >> so while i expect you will carefully analyze my proposals and seek your own in the final budget, your analysis should not be used as an excuse for

paralysis, it is time to solve the moment responsibly and with bipartisan compromise. let's takeke inspiration from ts grand reon thea. i mentioned the murals earlier depicting our founding of our common. show the roman god in honor of our common wealthh mastery of iron and steel. that mural painted at the height of prominence, it reminds us of that history. it reminds an era where our common wealth fueled revolution and lifting people out of poverty and powering the middle class and creating the american labor movement. it reminds us that when fascism

threaten freedom overseas it was over common wealth that was home to the arsenal ofcy and most powerful manufacturing base in the [applause] you know, our kids read about those things in our history books and they're depicted on the murals but i don't want our children just to be inspired by our past. i want them to be hopeful for their future. [applause] just last week i visited the old pennsylvania, a place where pennsylvania workers felt that spirit of bulkin as they produced the steel that helped us win world war ii and built our skylines and bridges. today bill 19 is once again a driving force insperity and

progress, progress growing out of unique partnerships and building the next big thing in robotics and biotech and change our future and change lives and when i walk the halls and i see depictions of the feel optimistt our future. a future we will build together staying true to the words and the creed of pen as we work to do what is truly wise and just. thank you all, now let us get to work together. thank you.

>> during this week we've been showing state of the state addresses from across the country and in just a moment we will hear from indiana governor eric holcomb and katie hobbs. >> the most important political issue is immigration. >>om issue that needs to be addressed. >> we invite you to share your voice by going to our website■[ c-span.org/campaign2024 select

to record your voice tab and record 30 second video telling us your issue and why. c-span's voices 2024, be a part of the conversation. >> in the weeks that lie ahead first my juror television unfolds the famous and influencal men and women who occupy those states are going to have a lot of freed friedman's views of our time. >> american history tv will air ten-part series free to choose. featuring milton friedman. the freedman's also best selling companion book of the same name. programs in the series take us to locations important to the u.s. and world economies. freedman's advocate free market principles and limited government intervention in the economy and in social policies.

other topics include welfare, education, equality, consumer and worker protection and inflation. watch free to choose saturday at 7:00 p.m. on american history tv on c-span. >> it's extremely rare. >> hi. >> but friends don't have to be. when you're connected you're not alone. >> cox supports c-span along th the other television providers giving you a front-row seat to democracy. >> and now indiana's governor eric holcomb with his state of the state address he talks about the state winning federal partnerships and biotechnology manufacturing and also discusses