Rep. Frankel applauds House passage of budget supporting schools, communities
Rep. Dan Frankel November 12, 2025 | 1:48 PM
HARRISBURG, Nov. 12 – State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, today praised the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for passing a state budget that delivers urgently needed funding to public schools, tax relief for working families and support for the social safety net.
“In the face of careless cuts coming out of Washington, state budgets are under unprecedented and growing pressure to make up the difference—to fund the social safety net that keeps so many of our neighbors safe, fed, and healthy,” Frankel said. “This budget is a necessary step forward, but it’s also a reminder that the fight to protect our communities is far from over.”
Under the new budget, anyone who qualifies for the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit would automatically qualify for a state level tax credit of 10% of the federal credit back when filing local taxes.
“That means hundreds of dollars back in the pockets of working people with kids at a time when it’s needed most,” Frankel said.
The spending plan includes $800 million in investments in K-12 education and an additional $40 million in special education. It also includes long fought for charter school regulations and reforms the funding formula to ensure that charter funding reflects the actual costs of educating children – that provision is projected to save Pittsburgh Public Schools more than $12 million in the 2025-2026 funding cycle.
The legislation includes a $40 million increase in funds to address food insecurity in the face of unreliable support from the federal government. It also will invest three quarters of a billion dollars for medical assistance managed care, and increased funding for direct care workers to support Pennsylvanians who need it most.
“Today we’re getting vital funding out the door to the people and communities who cannot afford to wait another day,” Frankel said. “It supports public schools, bolsters our social safety net, and strengthens the public health infrastructure that protects Pennsylvanians.”
Frankel also acknowledged that the final budget falls short of fully meeting the vision put forward by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s original proposal—but said Democratic leaders in the House fought hard to protect the Commonwealth’s most essential programs.
Most disappointing, Frankel said, was the agreement to give up the fight to have Pennsylvania join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
“After years of attacks on and misinformation about RGGI, it has become clear that Republicans were never going to allow that program to proceed, despite every indication that it would have kept costs down while lowering emissions. It’s deeply frustrating to be back to the drawing board in creating a framework that will help protect our planet and move Pennsylvania into the future with our neighbor states,” Frankel said.
Frankel, who chairs the House Health Committee, emphasized that while this budget represents meaningful progress, more work lies ahead.