Progress on my heart health bills

Rep. Tim Brennan May 16, 2025 | 5:34 PM

PA Representative Tim Brennan banner image

Dear Neighbor,

My big news this week: my two proposals aimed at saving the lives of people in cardiac arrest by making automated external defibrillators (AEDs) more publicly accessible have both advanced in the state House of Representatives.

An AED tremendously increases the survival rate of someone in cardiac arrest, including those who undergo commotio cordis, as a well-known Pennsylvania resident and NFL football player, Damar Hamlin, famously did in 2023 after a blow to the chest on Monday Night Football. I first introduced both measures shortly after watching that situation unfold:

House Bill 193 would require an obviously displayed and regularly maintained AED in every state building; it passed the House on May 5 with strong bipartisan support.

House Bill 191 would require schools to provide an AED at all interscholastic athletic events; it advanced out of the House Education Committee last week (click here or tap the image to watch my testimony) and is now eligible for consideration by the full House. The bill would also require schools to provide CPR and AED instruction to employees and volunteers, and to create a cardiac emergency response plan to follow.

The chance of a person surviving untreated cardiac arrest outside of a hospital is only about 10%. But if a bystander uses an AED on them before emergency help arrives, their chance of surviving significantly increases – some medical experts even say it goes up to 90% with use of an AED within one minute. It also reduces the chance they’ll suffer permanent brain damage from lack of oxygen.

But despite this success, AEDs are used outside of hospitals in only about 6% of cardiac arrests. These measures would get those numbers up by getting AEDs into spaces frequented by the public and taking into account that about 2/3 of young people who undergo cardiac arrest do so on the athletic field.

Spencer Davis is a young man from Pittsburgh who survived cardiac arrest on the football field thanks to his school having an AED on location and the athletic director trained on how to use it. He's now helping us (and the NFL!) advocate for AED awareness.

The American Heart Association invited me to speak at their recent news conference that called on lawmakers to support H.B. 191 and a similar bill proposed in the state Senate. We were joined by representatives of the NFL and former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Vince Williams – you may watch here:

As I seek ways to protect the health, safety and welfare of Pennsylvanians, being strategic about making lifesavers like AEDs more accessible is, to me, an obvious step for the legislature to take. Still, this is my second attempt to get these bills to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk – my colleagues in the House passed them last year with bipartisan support, but the Senate let both expire without considering them. I hope they’ll choose differently this year.

Sincerely,

Harrisburg Update

The urgent need for solutions to election concerns

The increasingly pessimistic narratives around our elections indicate we are playing with fire in this country.

Now is the time to address election concerns here in Pennsylvania, which I spoke about recently during a State Government Committee meeting -- here's the clip!

On Tuesday, we voted in the House to pass H.B. 1396, the Voting Rights Protection Act of 2025, introduced by Speaker Joanna McClinton. It passed on a party-line vote, 102-101. The legislation takes steps to address 5 key issues plaguing elections in Pennsylvania:

Early Voting: In-person voting would be available up to 11 days before an election.

Ballot drop boxes: Every county would be required to have at least 2 drop boxes at convenient locations, with additional drop boxes required for every 50,000 voters.

Electronic poll books: PA would join the growing list of states requiring all county election boards to transition to electronic poll books by 2027.

Security & integrity: The bill would increase accountability by implementing Post-Election Ballot Audits after every election and require anyone alleging voter fraud to provide specific details about their claim. It would also require logic & accuracy testing for electronic voting systems before each election and authorize cooperation with other states to maintain accurate voter rolls.

Absentee & mail-in ballots: Counties would be required to provide prepaid postage for return ballots. The bill would also end the requirement for voters to write the date on the outer return envelope and allow ballots to be corrected in-person at the county election office.

Pennsylvania ought to be among the states where it’s easy and safe for all citizens to vote. These are changes local election workers and the public told us they want and encourage even more people to participate in their local elections – a crucial need at this moment in our democracy.

Governor Shapiro's ?Lightning Plan?

We passed two key components of Governor Shapiro’s energy plan, known as the Lightning Plan, with bipartisan support in the House over the past 2 weeks:

H.B. 500 - Pennsylvania Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) Tax Credit – Established in 2022 but not yet used, this tax credit has left billions in potential economic development untapped. The bill would change the EDGE program’s conditions and funding, including tax credits for upgrading baseload power plants, hydrogen power projects, semiconductor manufacturing, dairy production, and sustainable aviation fuel.

H.B. 504 - Community Energy Act – Would improve the ability of agriculture producers and low-income Pennsylvanians to jointly share energy resources to lower their costs.

Supported by a broad coalition of labor and industry leaders, environmental advocates, and consumer groups, the Lightning Plan aims to create jobs, lower costs for consumers, speed up permitting, and protect Pennsylvania from global instability by building more energy generation in Pennsylvania and positioning us as a continued national energy leader.

Calling for more state investment in water safety

In recognition of Water Safety Month, I spoke about how we must continue investing in efforts to protect people who enjoy recreation on our waterways, especially around known popular but danger zones like areas of the Delaware River Basin. This is an issue that hits close to home, as the 29th District is full of river towns, natural and artificial lakes and swimming facilities.

Dozens of people have lost their lives over the past decade on the span of the river between NJ and PA, including at the low head dam south of New Hope; the state must do more to protect the public from these areas known as “drowning machines.” Over the past year I've worked with state Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Allegheny, to finally require DCNR to place signage for those using the river in New Hope to warn them of the risk on the approach to the low head dam on the south side.

Recognizing Public Works Week

Local public works department employees are the backbone of a strong local government, jumping in to solve problems and manage critical infrastructure.

I’ve caught them in action plenty of times around our district, working around the clock to our benefit, which motivated me to introduce a resolution to honor these typically unsung heroes by recognizing May 18-24 of this year as Public Works Week. It passed the House unanimously!

Big thanks to Borough of Doylestown Public Works Director Dave Burger (who began his career with the borough as a summer laborer) for inspiring the effort!

I deeply appreciate public works employees for the vital services they provide to the commonwealth, from being first on the scene to clear debris after a natural disaster to ensure the everyday functionality of our critical infrastructure.

30th Annual FOP Memorial Service

The annual Memorial Service held at the state Capitol in honor of the lives of the brave PA State Police officers who died in the line of duty is a powerful reminder of the cost of our freedoms and the good lives we lead. It is an event that I have never missed as a state representative.

On Sept. 10, 2024, Pennsylvania lost Officer Jaime Roman of the Philadelphia Police Department in the line of duty. This year’s event was dedicated to his memory and the memory of all law enforcement members who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow neighbors in PA.

We owe it to those who keep our communities safe to remember these brave men and women, and I’m grateful for their service.

A visit from the Lombardi Trophy

We had a bipartisan moment last week where Republicans and Democrats and more importantly, Steelers fans and Eagles fans, came together on the House floor with the Lombardi Trophy (x2) to celebrate the Eagles Super Bowl win. Not coincidently, it was mostly "green buttons" for the resolution honoring the Eagles...it passed 201-2.

We also took the opportunity to bring together the Southeast Delegation for a group photo.

P.S. -- Here are some flashback photos to our Eagles Super Bowl celebration and parade in February that I didn't get the chance to share. As you can see, we ran into Joe Khan (former Bucks County Solicitor) and family!

Meeting with mental health advocates

I met in Harrisburg last week with members of the Community Support Program of Bucks County, a group of people who get mental health help, their families, mental health workers, and others from this community. CSP works with the Bucks County Department of Health to support people with mental health challenges and improve the services available to them. They also find ways people who are recovering from mental health issues can help make their community better.

The group came to Harrisburg to advocate for solutions to several issues the community deals with. I am in total agreement that the state needs to do more to fund mental health care and reduce stigma. I have spearheaded several initiatives to provide better mental health care, particularly to first responders.

We also agreed that Bucks County government does exceptional work, particularly with its efforts to provide crisis intervention and management. I appreciate the visit, the advocacy work and the partnership with the county in helping folks in this community.

In the District

College Prep Night

It's always a pleasure to work with Sen. Santarsiero to bring useful programs to our constituents.

As the parent of a young person, I know how busy parents are and how important these years are for young people. This year’s College Prep Night was a lively event; I left with pages of notes and passed on a great amount of valuable information to my son who is just starting this process. You may watch some of the highlights here.

Earth Day celebrations

Environmental conservation is important to Bucks County residents, and the number of related events my staff and I have attended so far this month really illustrates the hard work residents and local officials are taking on.

We had a wonderful Earth Day thanks to the Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollow. The society consistently does a wonderful job to inspire and educate Bucks County’s children and adults about our natural world, with a focus on conservation and stewardship.

As usual, this year we had many great vendors and exhibits to check out, animals to pet, and native flora & fauna guides to take home.

In addition to their annual Earth Day festivities, Kelly from my office took up the Audubon’s opportunity to tour their rooftop solar installation at their Honey Hollow headquarters, at an event co-hosted by PennEnvironment. She learned the array cost $55,000 to install, and since then, has generated 178 megawatt hours of electricity – a $33,286 value – and is expected to generate a profit for the organization over the next 30 years.

Solebury Township supervisor John Francis was there to talk about the township’s efforts to reduce the local impacts of climate change, such as improving the energy efficiency of township buildings, adding electric and hybrid vehicles to the township police department, and promoting residential installation of alternative energy projects.

I also recently got to support the New Hope-Solebury High School Environmental Club by attending the EV Car Show they put on for Earth Day; we learned about the latest green technologies and sampled food grown by sustainable farming methods. Kudos to their science teacher, Leo MacDonald, for guiding them in their efforts!

Since joining the legislature, I have a career 100% voting record with Sierra Club PA, Conservation Voters of PA, Clean Water Action and Clean Air Action. I have sponsored and co-sponsored legislation that would hold polluters more accountable, that would protect our natural environment, and that would prioritize and invest in clean energy statewide, including the Solar for Schools program putting tens of millions of dollars into making our schools engines of clean renewable energy -- a budget priority and concession in a divided legislature born out of the last budget cycle.

This year I'm co-sponsoring much of our legislation to build Governor Shapiro’s Lightning Plan, aiming to increase clean energy use in Pennsylvania as we make the environment a priority in the 2025-26 budget cycle.

Support for The Next Steps

Sen. Santarsiero and I stopped by The Next Step Programs’ office recently to present them with the $65,000 state grant we helped them procure.

The organization will use the money to support their program that helps transitional and disabled young adult students find employment and practice activities that are part of functioning in everyday society, like using public transportation and buying goods at the store.

Meghan, TNS office manager, and Abby, one of their Community Ambassadors, gave us the biggest warm welcome!

Support for Buckingham Twp Police Dept.

Sen. Santarsiero and I also helped the Buckingham Township Police Department earn a $170,000 grant from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development to expand their use of cutting-edge technology, including the purchase of Axon body-worn camera systems.

Police Chief David Scirrotto said the initiative is part of a broader strategy that includes enhanced officer training and new community policing programs, all aimed at creating a stronger relationship with the community.

Concerts at the Commons

Broad Commons’ new series, Concerts at the Commons, has officially kicked off in Doylestown Borough! During the planning of the “new” park, music was always an imagined use, so it was wonderful to see well over 500 people on a beautiful Spring night enjoying the first show earlier this month. It was also a pleasure to see all the local food, beer, and crafts displayed.

Special thanks to Joe Montone and Stage United for pulling this series together and putting music on the map at the Commons. The next show will be on May 29, 2025!

Recognizing our newest local Eagle Scout

Congratulations to Jacob P. Strader for earning his rank of Eagle Scout! I was grateful to attend his Court of Honor and offer a few words about his outstanding achievement.

Eagle is the highest rank in Scouting – only about 4% of Scouts earn it! If you check the biographies of some of our greatest Americans in science, government and business, you often see they were Eagle Scouts.

In the process, Jacob earned 63 merit badges, did 341 hours of community service, hiked 155 miles, camped 79 nights, and installed a golf putting green at a local senior living community as his capstone service project.

Congratulations to Jacob and his proud parents as well, Jerry and Adrienne Strader!

FYI

Apply Now for 2025 Wild Resource Conservation Grants

The PA Dept. of Conservation & Natural Resources’ Wild Resource Conservation Program distributes grants to support conservation research and projects focused on protecting the state’s native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems.

This unique program targets non-game animals, native plants and fungi, and critical invertebrates like insects — species often overlooked but essential to Pennsylvania’s biodiversity. Grant priorities this year include surveys of at-risk species like the Allegheny woodrat and green salamander, genetic studies on native grapes and mountain mint, and habitat work for vulnerable birds such as the wood thrush.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. on July 7, through DCNR’s online grant portal. Projects aligned with the state’s Wildlife Action Plan are especially encouraged.

2025 Gene Capaldi Lens on Litter Photo Contest

Now in its 40th year, the Pennsylvania Resources Council’s annual Gene Capaldi Lens on Litter Photo Contest brings attention to the litter problem in communities across Pennsylvania. Exposure leads to prevention! Amateur photographers are invited to submit a photo that would help bring awareness to how litter threatens public health and safety, scenic beauty, property values, the environment, pets and wildlife.

Photos will be judged on six criteria: anti-litter message, originality, photographic technique, quality of photo, originality of title and severity of the litter. Contestants are eligible for monetary prizes of $500 for 1st, $250 for 2nd & $100 for 3rd place in both adult & student (through 12th grade) categories. Keep PA Beautiful sponsors an additional category, Before & After, with the winning adult & student eligible for an additional $500 prize. Click here for guidelines & the online submission form. Entries are due by October 31.