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In this Update:
Big 33 Classic Football
It was an energetic day at the Pennsylvania Capitol Building on Monday recognizing Big 33 Football Classic players, cheerleaders, buddies, and coaches, who are participating in the 2026 Big 33 football game! The game has been described as the “Super Bowl of High School Football” and has chosen a team every year since 1957. It was a pleasure to welcome Roger Beitel and his wife Amy to the Senate. Mr. Beitel is a social studies teacher at Ligonier Valley School District, and the long-tenured coach of the Ligonier Valley Rams football team. Roger was selected to serve as an assistant coach on Team Pennsylvania for the 2026 Big 33 Football Classic. Congratulations Roger! More than $567,000 in State Grants Awarded for Projects in Westmoreland County I’m very pleased to join with Reps. Abby Major (R-60), Leslie Rossi (R-59) and Jill Cooper (R-55) to announce $567,231 in Local Share Account funding has been awarded to support projects throughout Westmoreland County. The funds were approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority and funded through the Local Share Account Program – Category 4 Facilities Program, which uses money generated by casinos to support projects to improve quality of life for area residents. These projects represent meaningful steps toward enhancing the quality of life in our community. I am proud to have partnered with my colleagues to advocate for these important investments. The efforts of local leaders and officials on these and other projects, have a profound impact on our municipalities, and I thank them for their work to ensure essential services and infrastructure remain safe, reliable, and efficient for residents. The following nine projects in the 41st Senatorial District are receiving support through this round of funding:
The Commonwealth Financing Authority is an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development that administers many of Pennsylvania’s economic development and community improvement programs. Senate Approves Measure to Protect Children from Harmful AI Chats
The Senate approved legislation to establish commonsense safeguards for children interacting with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. The bill will be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration. Senate Bill 1090 would require robust, age-appropriate safeguards to prevent content generation that encourages self-harm, suicide or violence against others, and directs users to appropriate self-harm crisis resources whenever high-risk language is detected. Heartbreaking stories have been reported of vulnerable individuals, including minors, who have used AI chatbots to cope with trauma, mental health, depression and anxiety. Multiple families have alleged in lawsuits that chatbot responses contributed to their teen’s death by suicide. Legislation Expanding First Responder Training Passed by Senate
Legislation to help alleviate the shortage of emergency responder instructors across Pennsylvania was approved by the Senate. Senate Bill 782 would allow retired public school and state employees who previously worked part-time as certified EMS, fire or police instructors to return to that work without losing their pension benefits. Retirees would not earn additional benefits. The measure was sent to the House of Representatives for consideration. Senate Acts to Protect Vehicle Choice in Pennsylvania
Legislation preserving Pennsylvanians’ ability to choose their preferred vehicle by prohibiting state mandates on specific vehicle purchases was approved by the Senate. Senate Bill 990 protects consumer choice, encourages innovation and helps prevent higher costs associated with uniform mandates. The bill supports a comprehensive approach to transportation that includes gas and diesel-powered vehicles, hybrids, electric vehicles and emerging technologies, allowing new advancements to develop and compete. The bill was sent to the House of Representatives for consideration. Westmoreland County Association of Township Supervisors
I was pleased to participate in the legislative roundtable portion of the 115th Annual Convention of the Westmoreland County Association of Township Supervisors. It was good to see many familiar faces and a few new folks as well. I appreciated the thoughtful dialogue about area priorities, and the perspectives on how we can better help our local communities. Thank you for inviting me to take part in this important discussion! Shooting Range Improvement Program Accepting Applications
Shooting ranges and related organizations open for public use have until May 8 to apply for state grants for development and renovation work that helps ensure community access to safe ranges. Related organizations include shooting clubs, recreational shooting organizations, archery clubs and education groups. Public use of facilities includes public range times, educational outreach/trainings or organized shooting competitions. Retail ranges are not eligible to apply for this program. Each Pennsylvania Game Commission region will receive at least one project. Learn about eligible projects and how to apply here. Recognizing the Need for Government Transparency
National Sunshine Week highlights the importance of “sunshine laws” designed to ensure government transparency, and the importance of citizen access to government information. The Office of Open Records maintains information about Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act, including information about filing a request for records. You can find more tools for keeping government transparent here.
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