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Hi Folks,

We hope this March edition of District Deliberations finds you all doing well. March 2026 has lived up to its roller coaster reputation of coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb. Which brings us to another roller coaster of sorts. As we enter Spring, we draw nearer to Budget season with all its ups and downs, twists and turns, as we work towards a budget that is not only responsible but also reflects our values benefiting all Pennsylvanians. As such, this edition of District Deliberations includes what our Caucus values most – the working families of Pennsylvania. These past few voting sessions, our Caucus has been laser focused on affordability. We passed historic bills like Paid Family Leave, AI Data Center Consumer Protection, and of course, Raising the Minimum Wage. And through our Caucus’ recent efforts, we passed a first ever Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit and an expanded Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for the 2025 tax season.

Our intent is clear. It’s time for the PA Legislature to support the working families of Pennsylvania and not tax breaks for billionaires. However, the State Senate leadership has historically been unwilling, so we encourage you to contact Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman and Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward to demand passage of Paid Family Leave, AI Data Center Consumer Protection, and Raising the Minimum Wage. See below for more information on these great bills.

This issue also features our Hometown Hero CPL O’Connor who died in the line of duty protecting our community. Day in and day out our first responders answer the call putting their lives on the line. Lest we forget that Cpl. O’Connor’s sacrifice reminds us of the dedication and duty our law enforcement continually expends for our safety.

March is also Women’s History Month, and our office has spent this month celebrating the great accomplishments of women right here in our community to include our Hometown Heroes, The Fund for Women & Girls’ advocacy for the Vote16PA project, and our stellar new Eagle Scout Katelyn Orkin.

Of course, what would March be without St. Patrick’s Day? There are nearly 39 million Americans of Irish descent of which I proudly count myself. As a member of the PA House Irish American Caucus, I was honored to recently meet the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland and his lovely wife at the grand re-opening of the Havertown Irish Diaspora Center.

In addition, we thank Governor Shapiro for coming to our District to discuss the harmful impacts of AI on our children. During this discussion with educators, students, and parents, we talked about the Governor’s new AI task force and other important initiatives. We also spoke about an important bill (House Bill 2215) prime sponsored by both Rep. Jeanne McNeil and myself that seeks to protect our children from dangerous AI chatbots and companions. As usual, we end this edition with the wise whelps of wisdom from our official mascot, Penny the Pup, as she reminds us to take advantage of our new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit and an expanded Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for the 2025 tax season.

Folks, as always, we are thankful for the opportunity to serve you and look forward to any questions or concerns you may have. We wish you, your families and friends a safe, healthy and pleasant Spring. Until our next issue, Stay Well, Stay Safe, and Stay Strong.

PA Representative Christopher Pielli's signature image

Chris Pielli
Pennsylvania State Representative House District 156

Hometown Heroes

This March, Our Hometown Heroes are the late State Trooper, Corporal Timothy O’Connor; and Vote16PA under the auspices of The Fund for Women and Girls.

State Trooper Corporal Timothy O’Connor - Who Died Protecting the Lives of Our Neighbors in Chester County

On March 8, Pennsylvania State Trooper Corporal Timothy J. O’Connor Jr. tragically lost his life in the line of duty. He was fatally shot during a traffic stop in West Caln Township, Chester County.

Corporal O’Connor was a true professional and public servant. His entire career was dedicated to the service and protection of his community. He worked for the Pennsylvania State Police and First West Chester Fire Company, and as a Counselor and Youth Mentor at Chester County Camp Cadet. Trooper, firefighter, husband and father, Corporal O’Connor will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

We hold Corporal O’Connor in the highest esteem, and we wish to extend sincere condolences to his family, friends, and to the law enforcement community across the Commonwealth.

Corporal O’Connor will be remembered for his integrity, leadership, compassion and sacrifice to protect our community. As such, I am proud to co-sponsor a Condolence Resolution alongside my fellow PA House Members in Chester County.

Learn more about the extraordinary life of Corporal O’Connor HERE.

Vote16PA – Empowering our Youth to Civically Engage!

Whoever believes that our youth do not care about voting or their government has not had the opportunity to hear these inspiring youth leaders from Vote16PA, an initiative of the Fund for Women and Girls in Chester County. Vote16PA is coalescing 16- and 17-year-olds to advocate for the right to vote in school board elections in Pennsylvania.

Earlier this month, Vote16PA hosted a roundtable discussion among state legislators and state government staffers held at the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry. We heard from high school students around Chester County, who as a group presented compelling arguments to empower them to have an electoral voice over matters that directly affect their education. They presented research evidence and examples of countries and municipal governments in other states that allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections or in all municipal elections.

In short, they have convinced me and my colleague Rep. John Inglis to introduce a bill that would allow all 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections in Pennsylvania. So far, we have 11 co-sponsors of this bill due to their advocacy. Learn more about my legislation HERE.

Learn More HERE: https://www.thefundcc.org/vote16pa

Pleased to Present a Citation to Katelyn Orkin — Youth Leader & Henderson High School Student

Last week, I was proud to present a citation to Henderson High School student, Katelyn Orkin, alongside her family. Katelyn recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor awarded by Scouting America.

For her Eagle Scout Project, Katelyn turned a special education classroom at her high school into a sensory-friendly space for students with sensory-processing needs.

Through this project and all her time as a Scout, Katelyn has dedicated herself to public service and leadership. She is an exemplary Eagle Scout, student, and member of our community.

Visit to Irish Diaspora Center to Meet Ireland's Prime Minister & Ambassador to the U.S.

Earlier this month, I visited the new location of the Irish Diaspora Center in Havertown -- a fantastic way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the strong Irish imprint on our community. I was privileged to meet Micheal Martin, Prime Minister of Ireland; Geraldine Nason, Ireland's Ambassador to the United States; and many other wonderful people.

As a member of the PA House of Representative's Irish American Caucus, I commend the Irish Diaspora Center for their ongoing mission to support immigrants, promote citizenship, and strengthen the Irish American community.

Governor Shapiro’s Artificial Intelligence and Online Safety Roundtable in West Chester

I thank Governor Shapiro for hosting an Artificial Intelligence and Online Safety Roundtable in West Chester last week and was grateful to join the discussion along with students, parents, educators, and a child psychologist. Gov. Shapiro engaged and listened to participants share perspectives on social media, AI chatbots, deepfakes, cell phones in schools, and impacts on K-12 student safety and mental health.

I applaud the Governor's leadership to keep our children safe from powerful, rapidly evolving Artificial Intelligence. There is no more precious resource than our children and their future. As state legislators we can’t expect our children to navigate these dangers alone and we must legislate to protect them from predatory use of AI chatbots and generative deepfakes.

That is why Rep. McNeill and I have introduced House Bill 2215 to demand age verification for AI chatbots and ban AI companions from minors. -- Read about House Bill 2215 HERE.

I Voted YES to Pass ‘The Data Center Act’ – To Protect Consumers and the Environment (House Bill 1834)

Data centers can greatly contribute to rising electricity costs for entire communities in Pennsylvania. This is unacceptable during a time of already rising costs for gas, groceries, housing, and utilities. They also can create severe and adverse environmental impacts to our community.

That's why I voted YES on the Data Center Act - House Bill 1834 - which passed the PA House.

HOUSE BILL 1834 WOULD:

✅ Protect ratepayers by explicitly prohibiting large data centers from shifting costs to households and small businesses.

✅Require data centers to pay their fair share for costs and to invest in energy affordability and low-income assistance to Pennsylvanians.

✅ Protect the environment by requiring data centers to use cleaner energy, improve energy reliability, and reduce emissions.

✅ Require new clean energy investment & development here in Pennsylvania which will help our environment and create PA green energy jobs.

I Voted YES to Raise Minimum Wage to Livable Wage in PA (House Bill 2189)

Last week, I voted YES to increase Pennsylvania's minimum wage - to $11/hour in 2027; $13/hour in 2028; and $15/hour in 2029, in addition to having a COLA increase tied into the inflation index thereafter.

House Bill 2189, which passed the PA House 104-95, now heads to our Republican-controlled State Senate, where I hope they will finally agree and pass this bill for the hardworking families of Pennsylvania.

The plain and simple truth is that we in the PA House passed legislation multiple times to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour and tie it to inflation thereafter. We did it again this past week. Unfortunately, each and every time, the Senate Leadership refused to act.

Pennsylvania has not increased the minimum wage since 2009, when the federal rate was set at $7.25 per hour. No one can live on that, and all of our neighboring states have raised the minimum wage in their states. It’s time for State Senate Leadership to stop supporting tax breaks for billionaires and start supporting our working families.

Fun Fact - Raising the minimum wage would not only benefit working Pennsylvanians and the overall economy; it would also bring in $53.3 million in estimated revenue and save $300 million in Medical Assistance benefit costs.

Read more about HB 2189 HERE.

I Voted YES for House Bill 200 - The Family Care Act - which Passed the PA House

House Bill 200 would require employers to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family leave and now heads to the PA Senate for consideration.

If passed into law, Pennsylvania would join more than a dozen states that require employers to provide paid family leave. Benefits would be calculated on a graduated scale using a percentage of the statewide average weekly wage.

Current federal law only requires employers to provide unpaid family leave, which sometimes forces parents and guardians of newborns to return to work earlier than is fair or reasonable.

HB 200 would require employers to provide leave for a variety of reasons, including to:

Bond with a newborn or newly adopted child
Care for an elderly or disabled relative
Support a seriously ill child
Recover from a personal illness or injury
Escape domestic violence
Support family members related to military deployment

Please Call Senate Leadership and demand that we pass this long overdue bill.

Joe Pittman – PA Senate Majority Leader

717-787-8724

Kim Ward – PA Senate President

717-787-6063

Q: I’m ready to file my 2025 PA state income taxes. Are there new tax credit programs I should know about?

A: Yes, we have a new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit and an expanded Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. Don’t miss out!

Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit (WPTC), created in the 2025-26 budget signed by the Governor last year.

Modeled after the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the WPTC can provide up to $805 in tax relief. The credit is expected to deliver $193 million in tax savings to approximately 940,000 Pennsylvanians this year. Anyone who qualifies for the federal EITC automatically qualifies for the state credit, helping to put more money back into the pockets of working Pennsylvanians. To learn more about this tax credit, visit pa.gov/wptc to check eligibility using an online calculator.

Learn more about this tax credit HERE.

Pennsylvania’s Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit, expanded under a law passed by the PA state legislature.

This credit provides financial relief to taxpayers with child or dependent care expenses. It matches 100% of the federal Child Care Tax Credit, offering a maximum of $1,050 for one child/dependent and $2,100 for two or more, with minimums of $600 and $1,200, respectively. Eligibility includes expenses for children under 13, spouses, or other dependents who are physically or mentally incapable of self-care. The credit is refundable, meaning taxpayers can receive a full refund after tax obligations.

To claim the credit, taxpayers must file a PA-40 form along with PA Schedule DC, Federal Form 2441, and 1040 Schedule 3. The PA Department of Revenue encourages filing through myPATH, Pennsylvania’s free online tax filing system.

Learn more about this tax credit HERE.