Dear Neighbor,

I want to wish you and yours the very best this holiday season.

In this week’s email—the very last of 2025—I share with you information about upcoming office closures and events in the district, as well as information about government programs, such as:

Upcoming Office Closures
$6.5 Million in State Investments in Our District
Legislative Update
State Program Funding is Available

I also want to let you know about events happening in our district this month:

Longest Night
Safe Firearm Storage Training

As always, please contact my office if you need any assistance with state programs.

Upcoming Office Closures

Please note our office will be closed from December 22, 2025 - January 2, 2026 for trainings and/or holidays.

$6.5 Million in State Investments in Our District

Nearly $1.8 million for

community improvement projects for the 49^th!

I am proud to have brought home nearly $1.8 million in state funding has been awarded for community improvement projects and local museums across the 49!

This state funding will make a real difference in our community—from expanding affordable housing to creating more community centers and improving our trailways. I am honored to have helped bring these funds home to support such worthy projects. I also want to thank my fellow legislators who advocated for these grants and give a huge shout-out to the many dedicated individuals who spearheaded these initiatives to improve the lives of their neighbors. Compassion and collaboration are what community is all about.

Learn more: Smith-Wade-El brings home nearly $1.8 million in state grants for community improvement projects, local museum funding

$4.7 million investment in Lancaster County

This week, state Rep Nikki Rivera and I announced the approval of over $4.7 million from the Neighborhood Assistance Program to help low-income people and communities and improve distressed areas in Lancaster County.

Thanks to NAP’s tax credits, local businesses are investing in projects that empower residents and energize communities. These public-private partnerships will play a significant role in addressing persistent socio-economic challenges in Lancaster, including the shortage of affordable housing, food insecurity, workforce development, blight, and public safety.

Smith-Wade-El, Rivera announce over $4.7 million to support community projects in Lancaster County

In the District

This weekend, I attended the CeaseFire vigil honoring gun violence victims. This same weekend, 17 lives were cut short through shootings at Brown University and on Bondi Beach in Australia.

This year alone, 46 people in Lancaster County lost their lives to gun violence, whether by homicide, suicide or an accidental shooting, according to CeaseFire PA.

We have to keep pushing for gun reform, even when opposition seems overwhelming.

You, as PA voters, have immense power to push legislators to support gun reform.

Use it.

Legislative Update

This week, my House colleagues and I passed important bills that will help our neighbors and improve our communities:

Protecting your privacy by establishing privacy and security requirements for direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to protect consumer genetic data from misuse, unauthorized access, and discriminatory practices (HB 1530).
Protecting workers by requiring employers to adopt written policies and procedures to prevent workplace harassment, discrimination and retaliation (HB 1825).
Preventing human trafficking by requiring hotels, motels and third-party listing platforms to provide training to each employee and rental operator regarding what human trafficking is, how to identify the signs of trafficking, and how to respond if suspected trafficking is taking place (HB 1286).
Establishing a statewide literacy program to provide free books to Pennsylvania children ages 5 and under (HB 1663).
Amending the Pennsylvania Constitution to explicitly protect every person’s right to personal reproductive liberty (HB 1957)
Providing opportunities for fresh food in schools by establishing the Keystone Fresh grant program so schools can purchase local and minimally processed food for school meals (HB 1768).
Ensuring access to healthcare by allowing pharmacists to provide vaccines based on recommendations from Pennsylvania health authorities, which may draw from guidance issued by professional medical societies (HB 1881) and by letting midwives directly refer patients to physical therapy, reducing delays in care (HB 1251).

We also finalized legislation that now moves to Gov. Shapiro’s desk to be signed into law:

Protecting workers by making it easier for domestic violence survivors to receive unemployment compensation benefits if they are forced to quit working in situations where continued employment would jeopardize their safety (HB 274).
Reducing the required seven-day notification to a 24-hour notification for use of an off-premises catering permit for an end-of-life memorial event (HB 467).
Protecting children and teens from illicit vape products by requiring a public directory managed by the Office of Attorney General that lists all approved and certified electronic cigarette manufacturers and products and requiring manufacturers to submit certification forms that confirm their compliance with federal regulations to the attorney general's office prior to selling e-cigarettes (HB 1425).

State Grant Program Funding Available

The latest state grant opportunities are available on my website! My office is happy to help connect you with government funding like this, so please reach out if you have any questions or need a letter of support.

Upcoming Events

Longest Night

Safe Firearm Storage Training