Last week in Philadelphia, I had the pleasure of welcoming student Yuki Wu to a historic special House session at Congress Hall. This gathering was a unique opportunity to reflect on our Commonwealth’s history while looking ahead to our shared future.

 

As one of the nation’s oldest legislative bodies, the Pennsylvania House has a remarkable history that predates the Continental Congress by nearly a century. It was especially meaningful to share this historic moment with Yuki and give the next generation an opportunity to see our democracy in action. Our history reminds us how far we’ve come—and our young people remind us that the future of our Commonwealth is in capable hands.

Here is a friendly reminder of upcoming election deadlines as the General Election is less than 2 months away!

• Monday, Oct. 19 – Last day to register to vote.
• Tuesday, Oct. 27– Last day to apply for an absentee or mail-in ballot.
• Tuesday, Nov. 3 – Election Day: Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters must be in line by 8 p.m. to cast their ballot. Mail-in and absentee ballots must be received by your county election office by 8 p.m.

If you are unsure of your polling location or have other inquiries about voting or elections in Pennsylvania, please click below for more information:

 

Voting & Election Information | Voting & Election Information | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that high school students from around the state are invited to participate in this year’s PennDOT Innovations Challenge, which encourages students to use their problem-solving, creative and strategic-thinking abilities to solve real-world transportation challenges in a competition among their peers. The Innovations Challenge is open to all Pennsylvania students in grades 9-12.

 

Pennsylvania's transportation network includes thousands of bridges and tunnels that safely connect communities every day. However, many of these structures were built decades ago, when commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles (RVs), and truck trailers were significantly smaller than they are today. As vehicles have gotten larger, the risk of them striking low-clearance bridges and tunnels has increased. In recent years, more than 600 Pennsylvania bridges have been struck by over-height vehicles. Even when these incidents cause only minor damage, they often result in lane closures, traffic congestion, emergency response, expensive repairs, and disruptions for businesses, schools, emergency services, and the traveling public.

 

Bridge hits undermine the progress that has been made in improving Pennsylvania's infrastructure. Under Governor Josh Shapiro’s Administration, 21,852 road miles have been improved statewide, and work has advanced on 1,988 state and local bridges. The Governor’s 2026-27 enacted budget will drive out an additional $775 million over the next two fiscal years for shovel-ready projects to repair state-owned roads across Pennsylvania.  

 

This year, teams are challenged to develop an innovative solution to help prevent over-height vehicles from striking bridges and tunnels. Proposals should focus on identifying potential hazards before a collision occurs while improving safety, protecting infrastructure, and minimizing disruptions to travelers and local communities. 

 

Regional Innovations Challenge winners will be invited to present their solutions to Secretary Carroll and a panel of judges, who will determine the statewide winner.

For complete Innovations Challenge details, visit their webpage. The submission deadline is Friday, January 29, 2027.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives Legislative Fellowship Program is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2027 semester. Applications are due on October 1, 2026.

 

The Fellowship Program is based in Pennsylvania’s magnificent Capitol Building in Harrisburg. Fellows are assigned to work in House Standing Committees or House Leadership offices, are compensated for their work (which may also include college credit), and are provided opportunities to draft and present their own legislation, attend meet-and-greets with various public officials and staff, and tour some of the Commonwealth’s historic public spaces, to name a few.

 

Qualified applicants will be:

• College undergraduate juniors or seniors, graduate students, or law school students;
• Enrolled in a Pennsylvania college/university, or a Pennsylvania resident enrolled in an out-of-state institution; and
• Pursuing any major with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

If you are interested in applying for the Fellowship Program, please visit the website at www.pahousefellowship.us.

 

Applications are now available online and can be submitted via this link. Supplemental materials must be emailed to pahousefellowship@pabmc.net.

On Friday, Montgomery County held a rededication ceremony for the 9/11 Memorial at its new location in Elmwood Park in Norristown. It was a solemn and poignant ceremony where we remembered and honored all the lives lost 25 years ago in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

 

The memorial was relocated from the County’s Emergency Operations Center in Eagleville to Elmwood Park to make it more accessible to the public.

 

Many thanks to all the local police departments, the Montgomery County Commissioners, the District 16 VFW Honor Guard, my fellow State Representatives, and community members who came together to honor the 25th anniversary of one of the most tragic days in our nation’s history.

We will never forget.

PennDOT has announced that resurfacing operations are planned next week on several state highways in Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties under multiple ongoing contracts to repair, resurface, and improve more than 240 miles of state highways across the five-county region.

 

In our district, the resurfacing will be completed in Lower Moreland Township.

From Monday, September 14, through Friday, September 18, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., a lane closure with flagging will be in place on Valley Road between Frederick Road and Route 63 (Welsh Road) in Lower Moreland Township for milling, paving, and utility adjustments.

 

Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the work areas because backups and delays will occur. All scheduled activities are weather dependent.