Promises Made
Governor Shapiro promised to ensure access to the ballot box and streamline Pennsylvania’s voter registration process while improving the accuracy and security of the electoral system upon taking office by establishing automatic voter registration (AVR).
Promises Kept
In September, Governor Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania has implemented AVR for eligible Commonwealth residents obtaining driver licenses and ID cards at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) driver and photo license centers. By implementing AVR, Pennsylvania joins a group of 23 states with leaders from both parties – including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia – who have taken this step to promote election security and save taxpayers time and money.
Agriculture
Hi-Path Avian Influenza
Promises Made
In the Governor’s budget address, he proposed putting $25 million towards combatting Hi-Path Avian Influenza.
Promises Kept
The final budget the Governor signed into law included $31 million to help poultry farmers impacted by the influenza pay for testing and get reimbursed for losses to their flocks. This funding includes the $25 million for grants to farmers.
Farming
Organic Center of Excellence
Promises Made:
In the Governor’s first budget, he proposed $1 million in new funding for a new Organic Center of Excellence to improve and detect counterfeit organic goods.
Promises Kept:
The final FY2023-24 budget invested $1 million to create the Organic Center of Excellence, one of the first-of-its kind.
Center for Plant Excellence
Promises Made:
In the Governor’s first budget, he proposed $500,000 to create a Center for Plant Excellence to expand supply chain opportunities and boost available resources for Pennsylvania’s diverse plant industry.
Promises Kept:
This $500,000 funding was included in the final budget.
Economic Development & Opportunity
Business Development
Office of Transformation & Opportunity
Promises Made:
While running for Governor, Josh Shapiro promised to create a new one-stop-shop that directly reports to the Governor and will “help businesses cut through red tape, secure permits and licenses, and create jobs” in the Commonwealth.
Promises Kept:
Governor Josh Shapiro signed an Executive Order in his first month in office to create the Office of Transformation and Opportunity to operate within the Governor’s office, a one-stop-shop for businesses looking to grow in Pennsylvania. The Governor signed a final budget that included $2.9 million for the Office of Transformation and Opportunity.
Pennsylvania First Program
Promises Made:
In his first budget, the Governor proposed increasing the Pennsylvania First Program’s funding by $12 million to provide financial assistance for increased investment and job creation in Pennsylvania.
Promises Kept:
The final budget included this funding.
Opening Up New Doors of Opportunity for Small and Historically Disadvantaged Businesses
Promises Made
In an interview with the Philadelphia tribune Editorial Board, then-candidate Josh Shapiro stated he would direct his Administration to increase the amount of business spent with businesses owned by people of color.
The Governor proposed $20 million for the first state investment in historically disadvantaged businesses in the Commonwealth and provide sustainable support.
During their campaign, Governor Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Davis spoke often about empowering small businesses and small diverse businesses to expand economic opportunity and help build generational wealth, and the Executive Order signed by the Governor today is the latest step to make good on that promise.
Promises Kept
The final budget the Governor signed into law secured this $20 million investment into the program.
In September, Governor Shapiro signed an Executive Order to increase opportunities for small and small diverse businesses to compete for state contracts, make the Commonwealth procurement process more accessible, and take actionable steps to help small businesses and small diverse businesses grow, succeed, and create good-paying jobs.
Licensing & Permitting Processes
Promises Made
As a candidate for Governor, Josh Shapiro promised to “establish clear and reasonable processing times for completed applications and a guarantee that a business receives a decision within that established time, or their application fees will be refunded.”
During his first budget address, the Governor promised to “put our money where our mouth is” and give Pennsylvanians their application fees back if the Administration fails to deliver on the established timelines.
Promises Kept
In his first month in office, Governor Shapiro signed an Executive Order to improve the Commonwealth’s licensing, permitting, and certification process, establish a date-certain for each license, permit, or certificate, and refund applicants’ fee if they don’t receive a response by the date-certain.
On November 1, 2023, the Shapiro Administration launched the first-in-the-nation online money-back guarantee system – PAyback – where businesses and workers can see the standard processing time for each application and request a refund if their application isn’t processed within that timeframe.
In addition, Governor Shapiro signed a budget into law that allocated $4.6 million to modernize and speed up the Department of Environmental Protection’s permitting processes and clear backlog.
Manufacturing Industry
Promises Made
While running for office, Josh Shapiro promised to expand the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Manufacturing PA Initiative.
Promises Kept
In his first budget address, Shapiro proposed a 50% increase in the Manufacturing Innovation Program. The Governor signed a final budget that provided a $1 million increase for the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program.
Municipal Assistance Program
Promises Made
In the Governor’s first budget, he proposed investing $1.5 million into the Municipal Assistance Program to help Pennsylvania communities support themselves.
Promises Kept
Shapiro signed a final FY2023-24 budget with a $1.5 million investment in the program.
Education
Preschool
Promises Made
The Governor proposed investing an additional $10.4 million into the Preschool Early Intervention services to support children with developmental or social-emotional service needs.
Promises Kept
The final appropriation included this funding increase.
Fair Funding Formula
Promises Made
In an interview with the Philadelphia Tribune Editorial Board, then-candidate Josh Shapiro promised to “put more dollars into what is known as the fair funding formula.”
Promises Kept
The Governor proposed a $567 million increase for basic education funding (BEF), which will go through the Fair Funding Formula and is the largest BEF increase in history. The final budget signed into law included this historic increase.
Investing in Mental Health
Promises Made
Governor Shapiro promised to “make our children’s mental health a priority” upon taking office by ensuring every school building had access to a mental health counselor.
In March, the Governor proposed a budget with $100 million in funding to connect Pennsylvania students and staff to mental health services.
The Governor proposed increasing funding for community-based mental health services by $20 million to provide critical services and address workforce shortages.
Promises Kept
The final budget signed into law included $100 million in funding for mental health counselors and resources in our schools, as well as $20 million to for counties to provide community-based mental health services.
Delivering Universal Free Breakfast
Promises Made
Josh Shapiro promised to fund universal free breakfast in his first budget to cover all 1.7 million Pennsylvania students and cover the full costs of lunch for 22,000 eligible students.
Promises Kept
The Governor signed a final FY2023-24 budget with $46.5 million to provide universal free breakfast and free lunch for 22,000 students.
Creating Safer School Settings
Promises Made
The Governor proposed funding for school safety and security grants through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security Committee.
Promises Kept
The final budget signed into law included $50 million for grants for school safety and security.
"It's On Us PA" Funding
Promises Made
The Governor proposed an additional $250,000 in state funding for the “It’s On Us PA” initiative to provide grant funding to promote awareness, prevention, and reporting of sexual assault incidents.
Promises Kept
The final budget included this funding.
School Buildings
Promises Made
The Governor proposed investing $100 million in matching grants for schools to make environmental repairs and upgrades in his first budget.
Promises Kept
Governor Shapiro signed the budget implementation bills into law that included $175 million in environmental repairs and upgrades to Pennsylvania schools to create world-class facilities that are safe and healthy for students to learn and teachers to work in.
Secondary Education
Lincoln University Funding
Promises Made:
In addition, Governor Shapiro proposed increasing funding for Lincoln University by $1.1 million.
Promises Kept:
The Governor signed the final state appropriation into law, which increased Lincoln University’s funding by $3.2 million to $18.4 million – or by 21%.
Board of Education
Promises Made
Governor Shapiro promised to make sure parents had a seat at the table about their children’s education by appointing two parents to the State Board of Education.
Promises Kept
In August 2023, Shapiro kept his promise and appointed two Pennsylvania parents to the State Board of Education.
Environment
Office Of Outdoor Recreation
Promises Made
The Governor’s first budget proposed $2.8 million to expand access to outdoor recreation and improve management and safety on public lands, including a new Office of Outdoor Recreation.
Promises Kept
The final budget included this funding that will help promote the recreation industry that accounts for 164,000 jobs and $17 billion annually in the Commonwealth’s economy.
Energy - Hydrogen Hubs
Promises Made
In his first budget address, the Governor stated Pennsylvania “must lead the way by securing at least one regional hydrogen hub.”
Promises Kept
In October 2023, the Biden Administration announced Pennsylvania was the only state to secure two regional clean hydrogen hubs – which together will create more than 41,000 jobs in the mid-Atlantic region and Appalachian region.
The Shapiro Administration provided significant financial support to aid the successful application of the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2) and engaged with the Department of Energy throughout the process to voice support.
Energy - Orphaned & Abandoned Wells
Promises Made
During his first budget address, the Governor stated he directed the Department of Environmental Protection to draw down as much federal funding as possible to cap and plug orphaned and abandoned wells.
Promises Kept
By the end of his first year, the Shapiro Administration capped 139 wells – more than the prior eight years combined. Shapiro delivered on his promise as his Administration is drawing down more than $450 million, including a recently announced additional $44.45 million through the Inflation Reduction Act to help plug thousands of oil and gas wells.
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Healthcare
Centers for Independent Living
Promises Made
The Governor’s first budget included an additional $484,000 in state funding to support the nine state Centers for Independent Living. These centers help individuals with disabilities remain in their own communities.
Promises Kept
The final budget included this additional $484,000 for the Centers for Independent Living.
ID/A
Promises Made
The Governor’s first budget proposed $17.6 million in funding for an additional 850 individuals with an intellectual disability and/or autism to get off waitlists for home and community-based services.
Promises Kept
The final budget included the $17.6 million in funding.
Long-Term Care Facilities
Promises Made
The Governor’s first budget proposed additional funding for long-term care facilities for the purpose of ensuring compliance and mitigating risks while also supporting the implementation of the provisions of Act 128 of 2022 and the Skilled Nursing Facility Regulations.
Promises Kept
The final budget included $1.3 million to implement the provisions of Act 128.
Maternal Mortality
Promises Made
The Governor proposed $2.3 million into prevention strategies to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in his initial budget. The funding would allow the Commonwealth the opportunity to leverage an additional $1.25 million in federal funding.
Promises Kept
Governor Shapiro secured this funding to expand maternal health programming in the final FY2023-24 budget. In July 2023, the Governor signed Senate Bill 262, a new Pennsylvania law that ensures improved access to data on maternal health and maternal mortality in Pennsylvania. With this law, Pennsylvania joined nearly 40 other states with requirements on maternal mortality data.
Making Mental Health Parity A Reality
Promises Made
In the Governor’s budget address, he stated he directed the Insurance Commissioner to “make mental health parity a true reality here in Pennsylvania” and to hold insurers accountable.
Promises Kept
Two months later, Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys announced that the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) strengthened its review of mental health and substance use disorder coverage in 2024 health plans.
PID is enhancing its compliance review of mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements to prevent potential violations. As a result of these reviews, PID pushed insurers to correct those parity issues with some corrections included requiring insurers to remove session limits for rehabilitative and habilitative therapies when prescribed for mental health.
In November 2023, the Shapiro Administration announced that starting on January 1, 2024, all commercial insurers were required to comply with mental health parity laws by covering autism as a mental health benefit. Categorizing autism as a mental health benefit will positively impact the approximately 55,000 Pennsylvanians with autism by requiring their health insurers to provide coverage for autism on the same or more generous terms as physical health conditions.
Lowering Costs
Expanding the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
Promises Made
In March 2022, then-gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro rolled out his first tax proposal to expand the Property Tax Rent Rebate program by doubling the income limit for renters to $30,000 a year and raise the limit for homeowners to $50,000 from $35,000. The plan would increase the maximum standard rebate to $1,000.
In the Governor’s first budget proposal, he included a significant expansion of the Property Tax Rent Rebate program increasing the income limits to $45,000 for homeowners and renters, raising the amount each recipient will receive to a maximum $1,000, and including an annual cost-of-living adjustment to keep pace with inflation.
Promises Kept
Governor Shapiro signed H.B. 1100 on August 4, 2023, which expanded Pennsylvania’s Property Tax Rent Rebate program for the first time in 17 years. Nearly 175,000 more Pennsylvanians will qualify and many of the 400,000 people who already qualify will see their rebates nearly double.
At the Governor’s address, he invited Gaylene – a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother – who received a Property Tax Rent Rebate to help her stay in her home. Gaylene attended Shapiro’s ceremonial signing of H.B. 1100.
Childcare - Childcare Works
Promises Made
In his first budget, the Governor proposed a $66.7 million investment in Child Care Works to give more parents access to stable childcare.
Promises Kept
He signed a final FY2023-24 budget that secured the $66.7 million increase in Child Care Works to allow up to 75,000 low-income families to continue to be enrolled in the subsidized childcare.
Safer Communities
Indigent Defense
Promises Made
While running for office, Josh Shapiro promised to “include a line item that funds legal representation for indigent Pennsylvanians” in his “first budget as governor.”
In his first budget address, the Governor proposed “for the first time – we make a 10-million-dollar investment in public defenders, this year and every year going forward.”
Promises Kept
Governor Shapiro signed his first budget into law, which included $7.5 million to fund indigent defense for the first time in Pennsylvania history to ensure public defenders across the Commonwealth have the resources they need to provide legal representation to defendants who cannot pay for it on their own.
Probation, Parole, & Pardons
Pardons Backlog
Promises Made: During his budget address, the Governor proposed new funding the clear the pardons backlog.
Promises Kept: The final FY2023-24 budget included $355,000 in funding for a new Department of Corrections’ unit to address backlogs in the pardons process.
The Board of Pardons, chaired by Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, has been more productive than before, nearly doubling its workload compared to 2022. In 2023, the Board of Pardons recommended 398 pardons compared to 184 in 2022, heard 520 cases in 2023 compared to 238 in 2022.
Probation & Parole Reform
Promises Made: While running for office, Shapiro called for probation and parole system reform. He promised to stop “costly imprisonment for technical rule violations.” During his budget address, the Governor called on the General Assembly to send him probation and parole reforms and he would sign them.
Promises Kept: On December 14, the Governor signed bipartisan reforms to Pennsylvania’s probation and parole systems.
- One bill expanded the Clean Slate law, extending automatic expungement eligibility to certain non-violent felony offenses and shortening the waiting period for misdemeanor and summary offenses.
- The second bill required judges to tailor probation terms to individual circumstances like employment and childcare arrangements and directed judges to avoid reincarceration due to minor violations of probation terms. The bill included a timeline for probation review conferences where individuals on probation can petition for an early end of their court supervision.
Body Cameras
Promises Made: The Governor proposed $1.5 million for body worn cameras for State Parole Agents to allow for recordings of altercations and interactions that will provide transparency and a key investigative tool to assist in the investigation of accusations.
Promises Kept: On December 14, 2023, Governor Shapiro signed House Bill 1278, which authorizes Pennsylvania Parole Agents to wear body cameras. The final budget included this funding for this initiative.
Pennsylvania State Police Funding
Vehicle & Helicopter
Promises Made: The Governor proposed investing $20 million into the Pennsylvania State Police vehicle and helicopter replacements and equipment upgrades.
Promises Kept: The final budget included this $20 million in funding.
Sustainable Funding
Promises Made: In October 2022, then-candidate Josh Shapiro proposed creating a dedicated funding stream for the Pennsylvania State Police and decoupling the funding from the gas tax revenue to leave more money available for infrastructure projects. Governor Shapiro’s proposed reducing the Pennsylvania State Police’s (PSP) reliance on the Motor License Fund by $100 million a year in his first budget.
Promises Kept: The Governor signed into law the FY2023-24 budget that provided sustainable funding for the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) through the General Fund, reducing PSP’s reliance on the Motor License Fund by $125 million annually over the next four years, putting those dollars directly into Pennsylvania infrastructure projects.
Trooper Classes
Promises Made: In his first budget, Governor Shapiro included $16.4 million for four new Pennsylvania State Police trooper cadet classes in 2023-24, which would hire and train 384 new troopers.
Promises Kept: The final budget signed into law included this $16.4 million in new funding for additional trooper classes.
Pennsylvania Commission On Crime And Delinquency (PCCD)
Promises Made
The Governor proposed additional funding for the Commonwealth’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Program within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
The Governor proposed continuing to invest $5 million through the FY2023-24 budget for the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program at PCCD.The final budget included this funding.
Promises Kept
The final budget included $40 million in state funding for these grants – which was a $10 million increase in state funding from the prior year.
911 Emergency Dispatch System
Promises Made
In his first budget address, the Governor proposed increasing the state’s investment in the 911 emergency dispatch system by over $50 million.
Promises Kept
In December 2023, Shapiro signed budget implementation bills, one of which extended the 911 law and increased the amount of the 911 surcharge per telecommunication line, increasing funding for 911 emergency dispatch by $43 million for two years.
Seniors
Senior Centers
Promises Made
The Governor proposed dedicating an additional $1 million in grants to senior centers to improve safety and accessibility, repair or replace essential equipment, and help cover cost increases around providing food.
Promises Kept
The final budget included this $1 million in additional funding.
Workforce Development
Apprenticeships & Vocational Training
Promises Made
Governor Shapiro promised to increase funding for apprenticeships and vocational and technical training.
He pledged to expand “grants for Pennsylvania businesses that work within their industry to hire and train workers.”
In addition, then-candidate Josh Shapiro pledged to increase the state’s investment in job skill training and vocational training programs and “drastically increase career and technical training by ensuring high school students have access to workforce opportunities.”
Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal sought to expand our workforce and build robust pathways between schools and the workforce by proposing a $23.8 million investment in workforce training and apprenticeship programs.
Promises Kept
The budget signed into law includes a $23.8 million investment in workforce training and vo-tech programs, including a $6 million investment in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programming, and $3.5 million in funding for the Schools-to-Work Program, in addition to $14 million in increased funding for vo-techs all to develop and expand career pathways for high school students via partnerships between schools, employers, organizations, and the Commonwealth.
In July 2023, Governor Shapiro signed an Executive Order creating a new, first-in-the-nation workforce training program that provides workforce development grants to ensure companies, contractors, and unions have the skilled workforce they need to build Pennsylvania’s infrastructure. The program allows Pennsylvania organizations working on infrastructure projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or Inflation Reduction Act to receive up to $40,000 for each new worker they train.
Expanding Opportunity by Removing the Four-Year College Degree Requirement
Promises Made
In April 2022, then-gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro released a workforce development plan that called for eliminating the four-year degree requirement for thousands of state government jobs.
Promises Kept
On his first full day in office, Governor Shapiro signed his first Executive Order, removing a four-year degree requirement for tens of thousands of state government jobs.
