Dear Neighbor,

The transition from summer to fall is always one of my favorite times of the year. The energy and excitement of back to school, the countless local festivals and celebrations, and the return of milder weather always seems to energize me. And as always, we have been very busy and hard at work – here’s a bit about what we’ve been up to lately!

Paul

Many of you have called and written to our office to share your concerns about the ongoing budget delay and I want you to know that I hear you and share your frustration. Here is where we are.

Back on February 4th, Governor Shapiro laid out his proposed 2025-26 state budget of just over $51 billion dollars, an 8.5% increase. It emphasized his priorities, including increased investments in education, public transportation and safety, housing, healthcare, economic development, and more, along with potential new revenue streams including adult-use cannabis and regulation of skill games.

In the months that followed, the PA House worked diligently to develop a compromise budget, including remaining in session for most of May and June. In early July, my colleagues and I in the House voted on a compromise budget that gained bipartisan support. And while it did not include everything the Governor wanted – nor everything that I wanted – it represented a commonsense, compromise budget. We recognized that we had a constitutional obligation to govern and that the people of Pennsylvania expected us to do our job. And we did.

Since then, the only response from the Senate has been a budget that includes none of the priorities of the House or the Shapiro Administration. Instead, their proposal flat-funds and even cuts vital programs that Pennsylvanians rely on, which would be especially devastating in light of the federal cuts for programs like SNAP and Medicaid recently passed by Congress and the Trump Administration.

The inability or unwillingness to compromise is starting to hurt. State funding for critical programs for schools, healthcare, childcare and early learning, and so much more is being held up and school districts, counties, and other organizations are having to take out loans to bridge the gap. That is a waste of taxpayer money that could go to better use.

I remain hopeful that we can get this done soon. We remain on a 24-hour recall back to Harrisburg waiting for the Senate to do their job. I encourage those of you who have reached out to my office to contact your State Senator and tell them what you told me: it’s time to get this done.

In light of recent events, both here and in Washington, Labor Day 2025 felt like a real watershed moment to reflect on how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to go to protect and secure the hard-won rights of working people in our country.

The effort by local university students and faculty to organize and propose forming a union stands in sharp contrast to the unprecedented action by the Trump Administration to unilaterally strip collective bargaining rights from over one million(!) federal workers across more than two dozen agencies.

I am the proud son of a union and owe so much to the support it gave me and my family when I was young. The effort to strip protections from workers and push so-called ‘right-to-work’ laws only benefits the wealthy and powerful at the expense of working people. 

As long as I serve as your State Representative, I will continue to fight to ensure a level playing field and stand with working people and families for fair pay, safe working conditions, and the opportunity for every worker to thrive. Strong unions benefit us all.

The beginning of a new school year is always filled with excitement and anticipation. My team and I would like to extend a warm welcome back to all students and teachers, including those at Penn State. We have already sponsored and attended numerous events, including our school supplies drive in partnership with the YMCA, tabling at LION Bash, and meeting with classes and student organizations.

Back to school is also a reminder that public education is one of the absolute best investments we can make in our future. Education is the foundation of a stronger, more vibrant community, and we must invest in it at every level. A well-funded public education was crucial in my life, and I am committed to helping ensure that every student has a meaningful chance to succeed and to give back. This is why I am proud to stand firm in support of a state budget that prioritizes funding for public education.

My wife and I are strong believers in the power and importance of public broadcasting and have been longtime supporters of WPSU. Unfortunately, the recent decision by the Trump Administration to cut already-approved funding for public radio and television dealt a serious blow to these broadcasts, which was only exacerbated by last week’s incredibly disappointing decision by the Penn State Board of Trustees to withdraw support for a takeover of WPSU’s operations by WHYY. 

Today, WPSU TV proudly serves over 515,000 households across 24 counties while WPSU-FM reaches more than 450,000 listeners with free high quality educational, news, and entertainment content. WPSU is a vital voice in our community and is in a word, irreplaceable. In many areas, there is no alternative.

I am inspired by the outpouring of community support for WPSU and am hopeful that there is still time to find a way to help ensure that WPSU can continue its crucial mission. Please tell us your WPSU story and what it means to you, and I will make sure to share them with the Penn State administration and Board members. I also encourage you to contact Penn State Board of Trustees and the Administration directly to share your thoughts.

Last week, I had the opportunity to tour Reinford Dairy Farm in Juniata County and learn more about their innovative effort to turn waste into renewable energy. Their anaerobic digestor system captures methane from manure and other food waste that would otherwise be lost into the atmosphere and turns it into energy. This not only has a significant economic impact but an environmental benefit as well, as methane is a roughly 28x more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.

This commonsense approach not only saves money but is an important revenue stream for the farm (selling excess energy back to the grid), increases domestic energy security, reduces excess nutrient runoff that can harm water supplies, and directly supports dozens of local jobs. It makes economic and environmental sense and supports an all-of-the-above energy strategy.

This is an example of why I championed PA's groundbreaking Agricultural Innovation Fund—signed into law last year with $10 million in support. Gov. Shapiro has proposed that we more than double that investment, and I couldn’t agree more.

I’m proud to support our farmers and the future of clean energy in Pennsylvania. Stay tuned to hear more about my efforts to grow our biofuels capacity in our next newsletter!

I had the honor of speaking at the annual Penn State 9/11 memorial, organized by the College Republicans and supported by College Democrats, the University Park Undergraduate Association, and other student organizations. I joined other elected officials and Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi in sharing our personal memories and experiences of that terrible day. And especially considering the intense polarization and increasing threat of political violence, I also shared some thoughts on what we might learn from our collective response to that tragic attack.

Despite our many differences, in tragedy we found a way to unite as Americans and recognize that there is so much more that unites us than divides us. I pray that today we can once again find a way to heed the words of Abraham Lincoln who, in his First Inaugural Address on the eve of the Civil War, said “We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies” and called on us to look to what he called “the better angels of our nature”.

It will not be easy, but it is up to each of us to make a difference as we build a future worthy of their memory and honor the 2,977 lives lost that day. As your Representative, I commit to doing everything in my power to bring people together across our community, refrain from using inflammatory language to fan the flames of division, and to speak and act with moral clarity. I urge everyone to implore all elected officials, at all levels, to do the same.

On Thursday morning, I participated in a sit-down radio interview with Scott Geesey and Jeff "Ironhead" Byers to talk about the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University the day before, the delayed PA budget, and of course, the latest on the proposed closures of Rockview and Quehanna.

And while as usual, we didn’t see eye to eye on everything, we did agree that political violence has no place in our country, and that political leaders should lead in this moment, not point fingers or stoke division. I always appreciate tough questions and enjoy Scott and Jeff keeping me on my toes. I look forward to the next time we sit down together!

Click here for our full conversation.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to host several community events – include two this week!

Free License Plate Restoration Event with the State College Police Department TOMORROW, Wednesday, September 17th, from 4 to 6 pm at the Pennsylvania Military Museum located at 51 Boal Ave, Boalsburg, PA 16827.

If you have a peeling, faded, or damaged license plate, make a plan to join us and we’ll help you get a new Pennsylvania plate. Sign up here for the express line! Or, if you’d rather do it over the phone, you can give my office a call at 814-308-0569.

On Saturday morning - September 20th from 9 am-12 pm - we are once again hosting a Free Paper Shredding Event & Pet Supply Drive with Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority benefitting Centre County PAWS at 253 Transfer Road, Bellefonte, PA 16823.

Shredding old documents with personal information helps protect you and your loved ones from identity theft. We will also be collecting pet supplies and food to donate to PAWS! The following items will be accepted: unopened dog/cat food, unopened dog/cat treats, toys, leashes, waste bag rolls, clean blankets. Sign up here!

Tele-Town Hall

Mark the date! Join us for a telephone town hall on October 16, from 7-8 pm to discuss community and state-level issues, or anything that’s on your mind.

We start by making a district wide phone call. Please call our office ahead of time to make sure that we have the correct number so that you can join in and ask questions.

People, PAWS, and PSU: A health clinic for dogs, cats, and their humans

Sunday, October 19th from 1-4pm, at the Howard United Methodist Church, 144 Main St, Howard, PA.

Bring your entire family (including pets!) for some “healthy” fun in Howard.

Centre County PAWS and Penn State’s LION Mobile Clinic will join us to offer free and low-cost health services, including FREE flu vaccines for people, and discounted pet vaccines and microchips for your pets. We ask that all cats be brought in a carrier of some sort, and all dogs must be on a fixed-length leash.

• Cat/Dog Rabies Vaccine - $10
• FVRCP (distemper for cats) - $12
• DHPP (distemper for dogs) - $12
• Bordetella (kennel cough for dogs) - $12
• Microchips - $25

Hosted by LION Mobile Clinic, PSU Health, PSU College of Nursing, PSU College of Ag Sciences, Centre County PAWS, and the Office of Rep. Paul Takac.

The last few weeks have been filled with wonderful events showcasing the best of our area, from Grange Fair and Ag Progress Days to tours of local manufacturers like Centroid CNC! Check out the gallery below to see what my team and I have been up to!

Touring Centroid CNC in Milesburg with the PA House Democratic Policy Committee 

Walking in the Grange Fair Parade!

Serving ice cream with the Centre County Commissioners at the Grange Fair 

Speaking with Penn State students about gun violence prevention 

As always, thank you for your continued trust and support. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns to RepTakac@pahouse.net or calling 814-308-0569.

And please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Bluesky to stay in touch and find out about our previous and upcoming events in the community!

Pennsylvania State Capitol

103-B East Wing
Harrisburg, PA 17120

(717) 772-0750

District Office

216 W. Hamilton Ave.
State College, PA 16801

(814) 308-0569