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State

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Not seeking re-election:
 Rep. Paul Schemel (R–Franklin) (State House of Representatives – D90)
 Rep. Rob Mercuri (R–Allegheny) (State House of Representatives – D28)
 Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R–Lehigh) (State House of Representatives – D187)
 Rep. John Galloway (D–Bucks) (State House of Representatives – D140) – Elected as Magisterial District Judge in Falls Township
 Rep. Patty Kim (D–Dauphin) (State House of Representatives – D103)
 Rep. Jim Marshall (R–Beaver) (State House of Representatives – D14)
 Rep. Mark Rozzi (D–Berks) (State House of Representatives – D126)
 Rep. George Dunbar (R–Westmorland) (House of Representatives – D56)
 Sen. John DiSanto (R–Dauphin) (State Senate – D15)
 Sen. Mike Regan (R–Cumberland) (State Senate – D31)
 Rep. Donna Oberlander (R–Clarion) (State House of Representatives – D63)
 Sen. Jim Brewster (D–Allegheny) (State Senate – D45)

Members seeking different seats/offices:
 Rep. Patty Kim (D–Dauphin) (State House of Representatives – D103) – Running for State Senate – D15
 Rep. Rob Mercuri (R–Allegheny) (State House of Representatives – D28) – Running for U.S. House of Representatives – D17
 Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R–Lehigh) (State House of Representatives – D187) – Running for U.S. House of Representatives – D7
 Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D–Erie) (State House of Representatives – D3) – Running for State Treasurer
 Rep. Mark Rozzi (D–Berks) (State House of Representatives – D126) – Running for State Auditor General
 Rep. Jarred Solomon (D–Philadelphia) (State House of Representatives – D202) – Running for State Attorney General
 Rep. Malcom Kenyatta (D–Philadelphia) (State House of Representatives – D181) – Running for State Auditor General
 Rep. Craig Williams (R–Delaware) (State House of Representatives – D160) – Running for State Attorney General
 Rep. Dawn Keefer (R–York) (State House of Representatives – D92) – Running for State Senate – D31
 Rep. Nick Pisciottano (D–West Mifflin) (State House of Representatives – D38) Running for State Senate – D45

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A breakdown of election’s yesterday’s results has been announced. Some of the major election results are as follows:

  • PA Supreme Court
    Daniel McCaffery (D) won against Carolyn Carluccio (R).
  • PA Superior Court
    Jill Beck (D) won one of two open seats. Timika Lane (D) is currently ahead in the second open seat race.
  • PA Commonwealth Court
    Matthew Wolf (D) won against Megan Martin (R).
  • Philadelphia Mayor
    Cherelle Parker (D) won by approximately 46% against David Oh (R). Mayor Elect Parker will be Philadelphia’s first female mayor.
  • Allegheny County Executive
    Sara Innamorato (D) will be the new County Executive. Innamorato will be the first woman to hold the Allegheny County Executive position.

A recap of the County Commissioner races throughout the Commonwealth may be found at Politics PA.

On Tuesday, Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order to create a Behavioral Health Council. The council aims to bring together state leaders, local governments, and community providers to develop a statewide action plan to address any gaps in access, affordability, or delivery of services, with the goal of removing silos across state agencies, health care providers, payers, state and local government sectors, and decreasing the wait time for services for Pennsylvanians in need.

Charged with setting the agenda for behavioral health under the Shapiro Administration, the council will be comprised of 33 members and include a diverse array of stakeholders with representation from state, county, and local governments, the provider community, advocacy groups, and individuals with lived experiences. A list of Council members is available online.

The executive order also creates an advisory committee that will share with the council industry knowledge, expertise, reports, findings, and feedback from the communities they serve to assist members in their work to improve the delivery of services. Read the complete press release.

The PA House of Representatives passed HB 1300 (Fiscal Code) by a vote of 121-82. The Fiscal Code contains language appropriating the $100 million for mental health funding, which follows the recommendations of the Behavioral Health Commission’s recommendations. The Fiscal Code also provides another $34.5 million to expand mental health services, $34 million for workforce initiatives, and over $30 million for criminal justice and public safety.

The House also passed HB 1456, a general appropriations bill. HB 1456 passed by a vote of 115-88. The bill provided new monies of $50 million towards intellectual disabilities and direct support professional (DSP) workforce retention. The bill would also fund $642 million for Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), and Temple University. While there is good news for the IDD providers in regards to additional workforce funding, the bill was challenged by House Republicans because the Penn State, Pitt, and Temple funding requires a two-thirds (supermajority) vote, which was why the colleges were not funded back in June.

This week, the House also passed a tax code bill and a school code bill.

Despite the flurry of legislative activity on the code bills in the House, the code bills will not have to go to the Senate for a concurrence vote. The code bills passed by the House contain new spending (i.e. IDD workforce retention), and the new spending was not negotiated with the Senate; therefore, the expectation is that because there is not a deal between the House and the Senate on the new spending, the Senate will not concur on the code bills.

The Senate will return to session on Monday, October 16.

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Governor Shapiro’s Office has launched a new phone number, which will allow him and his Administration to communicate directly with Pennsylvanians on important updates and hear from them on issues impacting them and their families. This communication is made possible through Community, an SMS engagement platform that connects elected officials, businesses, public figures, and sports teams to their audiences through unique 10-digit phone numbers. 

Why is the Governor launching this number?  

Governor Shapiro fundamentally believes there should be no wrong door to access government, whether you are calling an office, walking into a government building, or (now!) sending a text. The Governor has made meeting Pennsylvanians where they are a key aspect of his Administration — from connecting with Pennsylvanians everyday on social media to engaging content creators around important events and updates.  

How do I sign up to receive texts? 

Signing up is easy — all you have to do is text 717-788-8990, or visit this link! Make sure you follow the prompts after you text to continue receiving messages from the Governor.