Economic Competitiveness in PA Moves Us Forward

Rep. Paul Friel October 3, 2025 | 4:13 PM

PA Representative Paul Friel's banner image

FOLLOW ME:

Dear Neighbor,

This week I was back in Harrisburg for House session. I am happy to report that one of my Food Processing Residual bills – H.B. 587 – moved through with an amendment on the House floor – unanimously – and is scheduled for final passage next week. This legislation would establish guardrails on the importation and transportation of food waste products in Pennsylvania, a real concern in some parts of Chester County. An additional related bill, H.B. 586, has been making progress and is tentatively scheduled for consideration next week, as well.

The Pa. General Assembly's bipartisan and bicameral Competitiveness Caucus.

PA Economic Competitiveness is a Bipartisan Goal

The bipartisan, bicameral Competitiveness Caucus, which I co-chair, met last week with life-science and technology companies in southeastern PA, and I am happy to report that we not only had a good discussion, but work began on a bipartisan bill to remove red tape slowing the distribution of life-saving drugs here in the commonwealth. Despite a challenging political climate, we can work productively to advance common-sense solutions to problems.

We cannot let an impasse in one area prevent us from working together in another area to make progress. This is the hard work of government, and I remain committed to finding common ground while standing up for the values that protect our community and its members.

Working to find solutions to promote economic prosperity in our commonwealth and our local communities and supporting our hard-working families in the 26th Legislative District are two of the main reasons I am a co-founder of the PA Competitiveness Caucus.

St. Peters Road Closures Begin Oct. 20

I’m happy to report that St. Peters Road is getting fixed. Both lanes will be closed between Route 23 and School Road starting Oct. 20. The southbound section of the road already is closed. The scheduled reopening for both sides is currently set for June 22, 2026. Over the next nine months the road will be rebuilt to fix the collapse that has been taking place for the last number of years.

The project, which is something I started pushing for immediately upon election in 2022, and secured funding for in fall of 2023, has been accelerated to its fastest possible pace via an emergency proclamation. This led to PennDOT being able to pursue a design-build solution using existing contractors.

Thank you to Secretary Mike Carroll and everyone at PennDOT and Loftus Construction who are moving this job along.

State Budget Remains Stalled

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is still without a state budget because the Senate has yet to act. Schools, local governments and vital social services continue to struggle without the funding they need to operate in this new fiscal year. Add to it a federal shutdown, and we are in uncharted territory.

Pennsylvania is now entering a fourth month without a budget. That delay is putting real strain on our communities – forcing counties to consider painful cuts or even shutting down some services altogether. It’s past time for Senate majority leadership to do their job and pass a responsible budget that ensures fair funding for all Pennsylvanians.

In the meantime, the House has continued its work. This week, we passed bills to protect consumers by requiring disclosure of flood-related risk factors during the homebuying process (HB 1704); require companies that collect personal information electronically to take steps to protect that data from breaches (HB 997); establish the Landslide and Sinkhole Insurance Program (HB 589); and give consumers rights over their personal data and require certain businesses to protect consumer privacy and limit the collection of consumer data (HB 78).

As we move forward in a challenging time, it’s important to me that you know I will always put people over politics. If you’d like to discuss or learn more about state services, programs, the budget or legislation, please contact my office.

Sincerely,

Joint Town Hall is Wednesday, Oct. 15

Please mark your calendars for a joint Town Hall with me and State Rep. Joe Ciresi of Montgomery County on Oct. 15.

My 2025 Senior Fair is Thursday, Oct. 16

Join me, my staff, and state, county and community vendors for our 3rd annual Senior Fair at the Phoenixville Rec Center. There will be flu shots available, plus pizza, dozens of senior-living resource tables, and my team and I will be there to greet you! As always, everything is free.

Free Paper Shredding Event and Food Drive is Sunday, Oct. 26

Protect your identity from theft and fraud by bringing up to three boxes of personal documents to our FREE Community Shredding Event and Food Drive, co-hosted with Sen. Katie Muth! Shredding is a great way to destroy sensitive documents, recycle and protect your personal information. For more information, call Sen. Muth’s office at (610) 792-2137.

PSA Contest Open to PA High School Students

Calling all Pennsylvania high schoolers! The PA Office of Mental Health Substance Abuse Services is partnering with Prevent Suicide PA to hold the 2026 PSA contest for Youth Suicide Prevention.

Students are encouraged to create and share a poster or video Public Service Announcement drawing attention to suicide prevention. Winners in each contest category will receive a $500 reward, with an additional reward of $500 for the winning schools. For more information, visit www.psa.preventsuicidepa.org.

If you have questions about the contest, please reach out to Claire Bonesteel at claire.bonesteel@jefferson.edu

Fall 2025 Newsletter Mailed

My Fall 2025 Newsletter was mailed to the district last week. In case you missed it, check it out here, complete with legislative updates, information about upcoming events and highlights from the last few months.