On funding everyone's transportation needs, from SEPTA to your home street
Rep. Lisa Borowski August 14, 2025 | 12:41 PM
Looking at the Senate GOP’s "funding plan" for SEPTA, I see no indication it came from the party known for fiscal conservatism. They’re telling us their new “short-term solution” will avert crisis for SEPTA and other transit agencies as we come up with a better plan… but we know better.
What would you think of a plumber you call on to fix a broken pipe, but he shows up late and offers to plug it up for now with chewing gum and come back in a week to see how things are going and try something else? Remember, he’s charging you for every visit — and the damage is accumulating!
SEPTA’s structural shortfall isn’t a one-off crisis, and robbing Peter to pay Paul isn’t going to solve it. The budget shortfalls faced by mass transit agencies across PA reflect an ongoing mismatch between operational costs and revenue. Relying on stop-gap measures is simply guaranteeing future budget crises, fare hikes, and service instability.
To delve even further into the details…
The Senate GOP bill relies on distraction. It calls for fare increases that SEPTA already has built into their plans. It steals money from the transit capital fund – meant for new projects to grow our transportation infrastructure -- to pay for delayed road and bridges projects that should’ve been funded as part of a regular budget but again, were kicked down the road by, you guessed it… Senate GOP leadership.
Their bill calls for accountability measures that were already in the bill we passed in the House (H.B. 1788) and attempts to lampoon SEPTA as inefficient – but that’s not the truth! SEPTA has consistently implemented accountability measures on its own, and as a result, it’s one of the most admired public transit systems in the country, with lower costs per rider than cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston. But instead of accepting these laurels and being proud of what Pennsylvanians have accomplished, Senate leaders are trying to convince you this innovative agency that gets a million people where they need to go every day is inherently flawed.
Finally, there’s the overarching moral perspective behind this friction. I disagree with Senate leaders who say public transit agencies don’t deserve our attention because they don’t generate a profit. Of course they don’t; they’re infrastructure. What profit are roads generating? Why the desire to strip working people, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, students — a million daily riders — of the only transportation they can rely on?
I’m also disappointed to see Senate leaders pitting rural communities against suburban and urban communities, under the false pretense that funding the needs of one means the others must go without. We are one commonwealth! The House’s plan reflects this by proposing solutions that work in favor of all 67 PA counties: it would increase the existing allocation of Sales and Use Tax to the PTTF from 4.4% to 6.15% to provide approximately $292.5 million for public transit agencies, while authorizing the bonding of $325 million for PennDOT to maintain roads and bridges.
(If I had more room*, I’d talk about all the legislation we’ve passed in the House to address issues plaguing rural communities, like lack of healthcare access and deteriorating public schools, but remains untouched by those same Senate GOP leaders.)
When I made the decision to represent you, I came to Harrisburg believing it’s the legislature’s responsibility to make sure your hard-earned tax dollars go toward efforts to make Pennsylvania a place where people of all abilities and walks of life can make a home. The availability of mass transit is what makes these vibrant communities possible.
You never know what might happen in your own life to result in you needing to rely on public transit, and I want to be sure it’s there for you. If we follow the Senate GOP plan, it won’t be.
*Take a glance at some of the legislation we’ve passed in the House so far this session to specifically benefit rural communities. Senate GOP leadership is preventing this support from reaching rural Pennsylvanians, too – just like they are transportation funding:
H.B. 157 (Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Crawford, Forest, & Warren) – Rural Healthcare Grant Program: Would address the chronic shuttering of hospitals in rural regions by incentivizing licensed nurses and physicians to live and work in rural communities, thereby investing not only in the future of rural healthcare, but also in the communities they serve.
H.B. 500 (Rep. John Inglis, D-Allegheny) – Improve the EDGE Tax Credit: Would update the existing PA EDGE tax credit program to reflect our latest energy, fuel, and dairy industry needs and make more entities eligible for the tax credit.
H.B. 1096 (Rep. Eddie Pashinski, D-Luzerne) – Food Bucks Program: Would help families stretch their SNAP dollars by adding up to 40 cents to their benefits for every dollar of SNAP funding they spend on targeted healthy food items, like fruits and vegetables.