Dear Neighbor,

I hope you had a restful Thanksgiving break! As we return to work, I wanted to share a few important updates from Harrisburg and here at home that affect our lives.

Image: With my family on Thanksgiving.

You may recall, this year’s budget delivered historic education funding, including nearly $200 million more for Philly schools on top of last year’s record investment. We secured $750 million to support older adults on Medicaid, $11 million more for food programs, and over $10 million to combat hate crimes and human trafficking here in PA.

All of this work is guided by our simple mission: Lowering costs, making life better in our community, and expanding fairness and economic opportunity for every family.

This budget bill was carefully negotiated and led by Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery), Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Phila./Delaware), Majority Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris (D-Phila.), and our Governor Josh Shapiro. This bill is where many of the budget’s most impactful policy changes live.

And I was honored to serve as the prime sponsor of the Fiscal Code Bill — House Bill 416.

House Bill (HB) 416 delivers an annual cash back program for working families, helps make child care & housing more affordable, improves health access, creates careers, and unlocks clean-energy and infrastructure investments statewide.

Image: Standing with Governor Shapiro and our leadership team as HB 416 is signed into law.

Below is a snapshot of what HB 416 delivers for the commonwealth, along with other historic gains — from breast-cancer protections to the landmark CROWN Act.

In this update:

Khan HB 416 - Signed into Law
Win for Breast Cancer Survivors & Civil Rights Protections
Standing With Food Workers
Thanksgiving Love

✅What HB 416 Delivers for US

💰 More Money Back for Middle Class

HB 416 creates the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit, giving low- and middle-income workers a refundable state tax credit tied to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. This puts real money back — up to $800 a year — in the pockets of families. This law was written by Rep. Christina Sappey (D-Chester) and Speaker McClinton helped get it over the finish line.

Watch a fun video about this bill by clicking here or below:

🕯️ Tax Justice for Holocaust Survivors

HB 416 permanently exempts Holocaust restitution and reparations from state income tax, ensuring survivors are never taxed on payments meant to bring justice and dignity after unimaginable harm. It was written by Rep. Ben Waxman (D-Phila.) and I was proud to be a co-prime sponsor with him.

Image: With Rep. Waxman and workers at SAG-AFTRA labor rally past summer.

🧬 Standing Up for Families with Rare Diseases

HB 416 establishes a Rare Disease Advisory Council, and the overall budget bill invests $5 million into research for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, and ALS. This will help advance cures, elevate patient voices, improve care coordination, and guide state policy for Pennsylvanians with serious, often overlooked conditions.

This bipartisan effort was led by Rep. Kyle Mullins (D-Lackawanna) & Rep. Brian Cutler (R-Lancaster) — click here or the image below to see a video of my friend Rep. Mullins talking about his inspiration to pass this legislation.

👶 Real Support for the Child-Care Workforce

HB 416 establishes the Child-Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program, providing direct state support to help providers hire and keep workers. Stable child care keeps parents working, children safe, and small providers open. This program was written by Rep. Jeanne McNeill (D-Lehigh).

Image: With Rep. McNeil (far right) at The Allentown Fair.

🏠 Expanding Affordable Housing & Converting Industrial Buildings into Homes

HB 416 creates and strengthens the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Program, incentivizing the construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable homes so more families can find safe, stable housing.

HB 416 also supports the conversion of vacant school and industrial properties into housing, helping turn long-abandoned buildings into safe, livable homes, reduce blight, and strengthen neighborhoods.

Image: Photo of Oprah celebrating. HB 416 encourages converting abandoned buildings into safe livable homes.

☀️ Unlocking Clean-Energy & Infrastructure Investment

HB 416 helps make sure clean-energy dollars — like the $25 million for Solar for Schools in this year’s budget — can actually reach communities to cut costs and create good jobs. This program was championed by Rep. Liz Fiedler (D-Phila.). I recently helped get one of our local high schools a $500K grant to put solar panels up on their roof.

Click on the photo below to watch a short video on Solar for Schools.

Image: Graphic summarizing wins in the 2025-2026 PA Budget.

🏘️ Jobs, Investment & Property- Tax Relief

HB 416 boosts job creation and investments in our workforce, cuts red tape to speed up economic development, and strengthens property tax relief for homeowners — especially older adults and families on fixed incomes.

Image: Ron Swanson approves (GIF). HB 416 cuts red tape so permits move faster and projects get built sooner.

Two Major Wins Now Signed Into Law

Right before the holiday, we passed a new breast-cancer prevention law that makes it easier to get lifesaving follow-up tests after a concerning mammogram. Insurance must now cover medically necessary MRIs and ultrasounds, with many out-of-pocket costs eliminated.

By removing cost barriers, more breast cancer cases can be caught early — when treatment works best. This is common-sense policy rooted in fairness, dignity, and the belief that everyone deserves a real chance at good health.

Image: With my colleagues last session during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We also passed the CROWN Act into law, led by my colleagues Rep. La’Tasha Mayes (D-Allegheny) and Speaker Joanna McClinton! The CROWN act closes a long-standing gap in our civil rights protections by prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles or cultural hair expression. This means that students can’t be disciplined for the way they wear their hair, and workers can’t be denied a job, promotion, or opportunity because of bias.

Image: Graphic to announce the Crown Act passing the Senate.

Both of these laws move us toward greater dignity, fairness, and health for Pennsylvanians across the commonwealth.

💼Standing With Grocery Workers

Last week, I stood with Whole Foods/Amazon workers in Fairmount alongside UFCW Local 1776 — the cashiers, stockers, and front-line workers who keep our grocery stores running.

They deserve fair wages, predictable schedules, safe workplaces, and real respect. Too often, the people doing the hardest work are struggling the most, while corporate profits and CEO pay soar. Despite workers organizing over a year ago, Amazon/Whole Foods continues to refuse to negotiate a fair contract.

Hear from a worker on the scene by clicking here or on the image below:

Image: Screenshot of video with Whole Foods Workers.

🦃 Thanksgiving Turkeys Event

In the spirit of the season, our team partnered with Peace Islands, Share Food Program, NewCourtland, and Sharing Excess to get 90 turkeys and sides to neighbors across the district. These meals offered a little breathing room at a time when grocery prices are still climbing and families are just now recovering from the SNAP crisis.

Image: Photo of me, reps from Peace Islands, George Matysik from Sharefood, volunteers, and my district office staff during the event.

Our office hears daily from families and seniors still struggling to afford food, even with SNAP restored. But we’ve also seen the best of our community — neighbors and volunteers stepping up through fridges and food drives so no one goes hungry. Making sure people can eat isn’t charity — it’s how we take care of each other.

Thank you for reading and being engaged in our community. Many families are still navigating higher prices and uncertainty, but our neighborhood shows up for one another and that always gives me hope.

If you ever need help with a state issue, or just want to share an idea, my office is always here to listen.

Wishing you health and happiness as we head into the rest of the holiday season.