The Governor proposed his budget 149 days ago, and 79 days ago, on April 15, the House passed a budget (I voted Yes).

On Tuesday, the Republican Senate Leadership ended session – without passing a budget – and went home early for the holiday weekend.

My House colleagues and I stayed in Harrisburg through Wednesday, and we continued to work for our neighbors and communities.

The PA House is on a “6-hour call of the chair,” meaning the Speaker of the House can call us back within hours if we have budget bills to vote on.

I’m hopeful the Senate will come back to work next week. Our communities, schools, non-profits, and social services agencies need a budget that works for everyone.

You can see my comments on the budget below: 

Pennsylvania’s fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30, yet it is rare that the General Assembly implements the new fiscal year’s state budget by July 1.

Every day that the budget is delayed, schools, healthcare, social services, nonprofits, and other essential services and organizations are denied the funding they need to provide for our residents and communities.

While the Pennsylvania Constitution requires that the state budget must be balanced, there is not a current law that provides measures to ensure a budget is passed on time.

I have introduced two bills to address this:

• The first bill – HB 2484 – would amend The Administrative Code to require that, if the General Assembly does not pass the state budget by June 30, then it must remain in session each weekday after June 30 until the budget is passed
• The second bill – HB 2483 – would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to require the governor to call a special session if a general appropriations bill is not enacted by June 30.

It is the “wild west” out there with Artificial Intelligence companion chatbots. These AI products hold full conversations with users without safety regulation and oversight.

72% of U.S. teens ages 13-17 have used an AI chatbot – this goes beyond homework help to chatbots that look and sound like your favorite sports star or celebrity and offer emotional support, never judge, and are always there.

Recent tragedies and headlines filled with wrongful death lawsuits show us that we must act NOW to protect our children and vulnerable adults!

Some of the safeguards my bill requires are:

• Prohibiting chatbots from assisting with – or encouraging – suicide attempts and acts of violence
• Not allowing chatbots to create child sexual abuse materials or expose minors to sexual content
• Requiring parental consent for minors to use chatbots

Yesterday, my bill advanced through the amendment stage on the House floor. All Democrats but only two Republicans voted Yes to advance my bill.

I am hopeful it will receive a final House floor vote soon.

I am proud of the work my House colleagues continue to do, and we have passed some good legislation that is still waiting for action in the Senate:

• We have sent NINE bills to regulate data centers to the Senate to protect consumers from utility bill increases, manage water usage, and provide transparency.
• We sent a minimum wage increase bill to the Senate. PA’s minimum wage has been at $7.25 for 20 years while our neighboring states have raised theirs. It’s past time we act.
• We passed a Digital Ad Tax Act – making sure big tech pays their fair share AND every penny of the revenue would go to preventing property tax hikes for seniors.
• We passed protections against discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

Sincerely,

Rep. Melissa Shusterman

157th Legislative District

Pennsylvania State Capitol

114 Irvis Office Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-7524

District Office

1536 E. Lancaster Ave., Suite 200
Paoli, PA 19301
(484) 200-8260

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