Borowski ranked first among Pennsylvania freshman representatives for ‘exceeding expectations’ in new report from UVA & Vanderbilt
Rep. Lisa Borowski October 16, 2025 | 12:19 PM
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Oct. 16 – State Rep. Lisa Borowski, D-Delaware, was recognized September 29 by the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) as the top freshman representative of the 207th Pennsylvania General Assembly to exceed expectations in its newly released State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) for the legislative session that concluded in 2024.
CEL is joint partnership between Vanderbilt University and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. It was created in 2017 to promote knowledge about the effectiveness of individual lawmakers and U.S. legislative institutions.
Borowski is ranked first in the category of Freshmen Representatives Exceeding Expectations, which CEL uses to identify first-term lawmakers who “demonstrate emerging legislative talent” and are likely to “step into roles of greater influence in future legislative sessions.”
“At the top of our list is Rep. Lisa Borowski, who was elected to the State House in 2022. Prior to that, she served on the Radnor Township School District Board in 2011, and she later ran for township commissioner and was elected president of the board of commissioners,” Paige Higginson-Rollins, who serves as CEL’s Program Director for State Legislatures, said in the report. “Strong performance in a legislator’s first term is closely linked to future legislative success and long-term influence. Given this trend, we expect Rep. Borowski, and many of these representatives will continue to shape policy and help steer their parties’ legislative agendas in the years ahead.”
The SLES are based on fifteen metrics capturing the bills that each member of each state legislature sponsors, how far their bills move through the lawmaking process, and how substantial their policy proposals are. Details on CEL’s methodology and scores are available on its website.
Borowski’s achievements during the 2023-24 legislative session include:
Legislation Overview:
- Bills signed into law:
- Postpartum Depression Education Act (Act 102 of 2024) - Directs the PA Department of Health to create a public awareness campaign around perinatal and postpartum depression.
- Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (Act 72 of 2024) - Implements an “anti-SLAPP” process via court motion to quickly dismiss a frivolous lawsuit on the basis of free speech.
- Removing Duplicative Health Centers (Act 50 of 2023) - Allows for more efficient spending on public health by authorizing the removal of duplicative public health centers.
- Other prime-sponsored bills passed in the House:
- Fee Waivers for Victims of Domestic Violence (H.B. 544)
- Protecting Tenants in Cases of Violence (H.B. 1441)
- Protecting PA Health Services & Facilities (H.B. 2344)
- Updating Negative Options to Protect Consumers (H.B. 2557)
Issues of Note:
- Responding to the Crozer Health System crisis through community advocacy and introduction of proactive legislation to prevent similar occurrences.
- Worked with parents in her district who lost their daughter to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy on legislation to create awareness around SUDEP and foster research into its causes and warning signs.
- Secured a $40,000 grant in partnership with Rep. Jennifer O’Mara to place automatic external defibrillators in all American Legion and VFW posts in Delaware County.
- Secured grants to support infrastructure enhancements in Edgmont, Middletown, Newtown, and Radnor for the townships, school districts, and other community groups totaling more than $8.43 million.
Committee & Caucus Leadership:
- Reactivated the bipartisan House Fire and EMS Caucus to find solutions to the challenges facing fire companies and emergency medical service providers.
- Named Chair of the House Health Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Facilities in October 2023.
- Named Chair of the Local Government Committee’s Subcommittee on Townships in
April 2024.