Pennsylvania Perspective for Monday, April 13, 2026

Pennsylvania

PA Legislators Respond to Data Centers

As data centers are under construction and planned throughout Pennsylvania, state legislators have aimed to address these rapid developments through legislation. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed HB1834, a bill that would require data centers to pay for their own grid upgrades and secure 10% of their power from clean energy sources by 2027. The bill still needs to pass the Republican-controlled Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-41-Armstrong/Indiana/Jefferson/Westmoreland) stated that legislation on data centers should balance economic opportunity and community impacts. The Data Center Coalition also argues that these mandates should apply to all large-scale energy users rather than targeting a single industry. Other bills on data centers address tracking and limiting data centers’ water use, walking back tax incentives and providing homeowner tax relief, encouraging local noise limits and setback requirements, and speeding up data center permitting.

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Philadelphia

City Council Votes on ICE Bill Package

Philadelphia City Council met to consider a legislative package of a half-dozen bills and resolutions that would restrict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The hearing was held before the Council’s Committee of the Whole, where all legislation in the package was approved, and will require another vote during a regular Council session. The legislative package would also require Mayor Cherelle Parker’s approval, where she said that she wouldn’t oppose legislation restricting ICE, but warns that some language is “legally problematic.” The Philadelphia Police Department also formalized a written policy this month explicitly prohibiting officers from assisting ICE with civil immigration enforcement. The proposed legislative package would require all law enforcement to display badges and avoid masks or unmarked vehicles, codify the city’s refusal to participate in 287(g) collaboration agreements, prohibit city agencies from assisting federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant, and ban the collection or sharing of personal immigration data with ICE, while simultaneously prohibiting status-based discrimination in housing and employment, barring ICE raids on city property, and denying the agency warrantless access to public spaces like libraries and health centers.

Federal

PA Republicans Defend Trump’s Agenda

At the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in Camp Hill, GOP leaders rallied behind President Trump’s second-term record while preparing for a challenging 2026 midterm cycle. U.S. Representative Scott Perry (R-PA-10) and Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) expressed their support for the administration’s military action in Iran. Speakers also targeted Governor Josh Shapiro, criticizing his refusal to opt into a federal $1,700 K-12 tax credit program, where U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Harrisburg to push for the new tax credit. Speakers and conservative activists also warned that the 2026 election cycle was going to be “extremely difficult,” and that the GOP should be prepared to challenge Democratic momentum according to polling. 

Senators McCormick and Fetterman on Iran War

In response to President Trump’s military actions in Iran, U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) agreed with the president’s strategy to force Iran to give up its uranium stockpile, but stopped short of endorsing his rhetoric, stating he wouldn’t “call balls and strikes on his communication.” Senator McCormick also stated that he would not be supportive of “large deployment of boots on the ground.” Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) also downplayed rising gas prices amidst the war with Iran during a TV appearance with Fox News, claiming that there is not an energy crisis like the media suggests. These comments come after a weekend of unsuccessful negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan and a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. 

Cozen Corner

In-Conversation w/ Howard Schweitzer: Global Leader & Fmr. Druze-Israeli Knesset Member Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh on Bridging Divides in a Fragmented World

Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh—the first Druze woman elected to the Israeli Knesset and the first non-Jewish anchorwoman to broadcast Israel’s main evening news in Hebrew and Arabic—joins Howard Schweitzer, CEO of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, for a conversation on cross-cultural leadership and shared humanity in a divided world. Drawing on her experience across media, politics, and diplomacy, Gadeer shares insights on bridging divides and leading in complex environments. Together, they discuss geopolitics, the current conflict in the Middle East, rising polarization, and the leadership traits required to build trust, foster dialogue, and drive progress across cultural divides. To watch click here or to listen click here.

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