The Pennsylvania House of Representatives reconvened this week as the state continues to operate without a finalized 2025-26 budget. The ongoing delay has resulted in withheld funding for counties, schools, pre-K centers, and hospitals.
A bill that would extend last year’s funding levels as a temporary measure was passed by the Senate in August. However, it was initially voted down by House Democrats in the Appropriations Committee. On September 10, the committee reconsidered and unanimously approved the proposal. The bill now awaits a vote from the full House before it can be sent to Governor Josh Shapiro for approval.
“House Democrat leaders who control the agenda have not yet scheduled a vote on this Senate bill. Like many Pennsylvanians impacted by the delay, I am demanding progress be made soon,” said State Representative Jill N. Cooper (R-Export).
Concerns have been raised about Governor Shapiro’s proposed $51.5 billion budget, which exceeds the Independent Fiscal Office’s revenue projection of $48.3 billion by $3 billion. This gap has led to worries about possible tax increases or reductions in county services.
“I stand firmly against reckless overspending and advocate for the passage of last year’s budget at $47.6 billion to serve as the 2025-26 budget. Doing so is a level-headed measure to deliver essential public services while negotiations on new spending continue. Essential services must not be used as leverage for overspending,” Cooper stated.
In other developments, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that his office joined 50 bipartisan attorneys general in sending warning letters to 37 voice providers accused of allowing illegal robocalls and texts through their networks, violating Federal Communications Commission rules. The task force also contacted 99 downstream telecom providers regarding these violations.
“So many states working cooperatively sends a clear message to telephone service providers to be more diligent in not allowing these robocalls to occur,” Cooper said.
Attorney General Sunday advised residents that sharing phone numbers with businesses or during contests may lead to telemarketing calls. He recommended signing up for both Pennsylvania’s Do Not Call list at attorneygeneral.gov or by calling 1-888-777-3406, and the FCC’s National Do Not Call Registry at DoNotCall.gov.
Enforcement challenges persist because many scammers operate outside U.S. jurisdiction and use technology that hides their identity. There are exceptions under FCC rules for certain callers such as debt collectors, survey conductors, nonprofit fundraisers, legislators, and government agencies.
Residents are encouraged to mark unwanted calls or texts as spam or junk to help carriers address these issues.
Additionally, community members are invited to attend a Scam Jam event on Friday, October 3 from 9–11 a.m. at Murrysville Community Center for information on fraud prevention and identity theft protection.
Nominations are open until Friday, October 31 for Pennsylvania’s 2026 Trail of the Year award through pa.gov. The program aims to highlight trails that benefit communities environmentally and economically; winners receive statewide recognition and support for educational programming.
