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The latest news from the State Capitol |
In this Edition:
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Keystone STARS Shine in House |
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Sunday Hunting Ban Lifted |
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New Law Targets ‘Deepfake’ Scams |
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Human Trafficking Prevention Bill Passes House |
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Grant Opportunities for Pedestrian, Cyclist Safety Projects |
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PGC Seeks Help Counting Turkeys |
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Keystone STARS Shine in House
Legislation passed by the House this week would update the existing Keystone STARS system to benefit child care providers and families seeking services. I sponsored House Bill 1600 with Rep. Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia).
House Bill 1600 would encourage early learning programs to place their rating (STAR1 to STAR4) on their entrance doors and websites. It also would help individual providers be recognized for years of on-the-job experience as they are evaluated for the Keystone STARS program.
Rep. Solomon and I have long championed modernizations and updates to Keystone STARS, which was established in Pennsylvania in 2002. The program established performance standards that are built around research-based practices related to staff education, learning environment, leadership/management, and family and community partnerships.
We encourage families to inquire about any child care program’s Keystone STARS scores when evaluating potential day cares and early learning centers for their children.
House Bill 1600 passed the House on a 176-to-27 vote. The bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
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Sunday Hunting Ban Lifted
Gov. Josh Shapiro this week signed House Bill 1431 (I voted “yes”) to repeal Pennsylvania’s longstanding ban on Sunday hunting. He signed the bill at the Blue Ridge Sportsman Club near Piketown in Dauphin County.
For the past few years, Pennsylvania hunters have been able to hunt on three designated Sundays each year. They will now have extended access under the bipartisan measure.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has been given authority to decide which hunting seasons can include Sundays.
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New Law Targets ‘Deepfake’ Scams
While we work on policies to help the Commonwealth benefit from the positive opportunities created by artificial intelligence (AI), we must also protect our citizens from the dangers it can present.
I recently voted in support of Act 35 of 2025, a law that will classify deepfakes and other forms of digital impersonation as digital forgeries. Under the new law, if someone creates a digital representation of a real person without their consent and distributes it as genuine, with the intent to defraud or injure, they would be subject to penalties. The law targets harmful impersonations while safeguarding legitimate artistic, journalistic and expressive works.
AI has made it increasingly easy to create convincing images, audio and video of others that are nearly indistinguishable from reality. These digital forgeries have been used to commit financial scams, injure personal reputations and disrupt the political process. The scams target teenagers, senior citizens, small businesses and other victims. We must do all we can to protect our citizens from these bad actors.
The law takes effect in early September.
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Human Trafficking Prevention Bill Passes House
Recognizing human trafficking as one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation, I recently joined my fellow lawmakers in approving a bill that would direct higher education institutions to provide exploitation prevention and education programs to their students.
House Bill 538 would allow these institutions to partner with nonprofit organizations to provide first-year students with an opportunity to attend a series of in-depth prevention and education programs regarding sex trafficking and exploitation. Program materials would be provided at no cost to students.
Under the bill, students would learn about federal and state laws relating to human trafficking, facts and statistics about the crime, methods used to coerce victims, risk factors that make an individual more vulnerable to human trafficking, and how to identify victims and what to do to help them.
The bill is awaiting Senate consideration.
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Grant Opportunities for Pedestrian, Cyclist Safety Projects
PennDOT has announced $80 million in grant funding is available to help expand access to a range of transportation options and improve safe access to schools in communities across the Commonwealth.
The grants come from the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) program, which provides funds to construct pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to public transportation, create safe routes to school, create trail projects that serve a transportation purpose and more.
Funding is available to municipalities; regional transportation authorities; transit agencies; public land agencies; and school districts, local education agencies or schools.
Applications will be accepted starting July 14. Draft applications must be submitted to the appropriate PennDOT district office by Sept. 5, and final applications are due by Oct. 31. Learn more here.
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PGC Seeks Help Counting Turkeys
The Pennsylvania Game Commission again is seeking input from the public in surveying wild turkeys this summer. The Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Sighting Survey is open now through Aug. 31.
Participation is important for turkey population management. Survey data allow the agency to determine total wild turkey productivity and compare long-term reproductive success within Pennsylvania and across states, as this is a standard methodology used across the country. Data also are used in the turkey population model to track population trends.
Turkey sightings can be reported through the Game Commission’s website here. Participants are asked to record the number of wild turkeys they see, along with the county, township, wildlife management unit (WMU), date and contact information if agency biologists have any questions. Participants may also simply drop a “pin” on the map for the location data to automatically populate. Location data are used only for the survey, not for law enforcement and are not shared.
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