Pennsylvania Perspective for Thursday, July 31, 2025

July 31, 2025

Pennsylvania

PA State Budget a Month Past-due, SEPTA Service Cuts Weeks Away 

Democratic state legislators expressed frustration that a budget bill with funding for mass transit has yet to pass. With SEPTA anticipated to start implementing 45% service cuts in under a month, Pennsylvania Democratic leadership encourages residents who use SEPTA to pressure their Republican lawmakers to approve funding. The budget impasse has also jeopardized other services delivered via crucial state payments to school and county child welfare agencies. WESA has more.

PA Senate GOP, Pace-O-Matic Sparring in Public

Pace-O-Matic, once known as a staunch ally of Pennsylvania Senate Republicans, has accused chamber leadership of persuading lobbyists to drop engagements with the firm.  Tensions further erupted when Pace-O-Matic purportedly noticed its emails not reaching state senators. As a result, Pace-O-Matic accused the Senate GOP of blocking the company’s email domain. Senate Republicans have denied the allegations. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

PECO Announces $10M Customer Relief Fund

PECO will offer one-time $500 grants to low- and middle-income homeowners aimed at helping eligible households pay off overdue bills. The utility company anticipates the program to run from August 4th to December 31st, or until funds run out. WHYY has more.

Bipartisan Legislation Proposed to Safeguard PA Homes in Flood Plains

State Rep. Perry Warren (D-Bucks) has introduced a bill that will require home sellers to disclose all pertinent flood information about their properties to buyers. The bill’s language is inspired by recommendations from the Flood Insurance Premium Assistance Task Force. WESA has more.

PA AG Announces Charges Against Equitrans 

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office has filed criminal charges against Equitrans LP—a gas storage company based in Canonsburg—that allegedly failed to properly monitor and mitigate facility corrosion, ultimately causing one of the largest methane leaks in the country. The 2022 gas leak emitted one billion cubic-feet of natural gas into a field in Jackson Township, which likely led to residents experiencing exposure symptoms. WESA has more.

Philadelphia

Parker Admin’s Long-term Budget Plans Fully Approved

The Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority greenlit Mayor Cherelle Parker’s five-year financial plan, despite the body having aired concerns about President Donald Trump’s forewarned funding cuts on cities. The vote comes as the final step in the city’s official budget approval process. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

Mayor Parker Fills 10 Top Admin Positions

On Wednesday, Mayor Cherelle Parker filled ten vacancies in her administration. While some seats had been open for as long as 16 months, others became vacant less than a week ago. The city’s chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, immigration oversight positions, and behavioral health advocates are among the key roles Mayor Parker filled this week. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.  

Trump Admin Unfreezes $25M in Philly Public School Funding 

The U.S. Department of Education announced that it will release $5 billion of the $6.8 billion in K-12 funding it had initially vowed to withhold from public schools around the country. Philadelphia public schools will now receive $25 million for migrant education, English-language learning, and after-school programming. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

Made in America Will Not Happen for Third Year in a Row

Jay Z’s summer festival, which took place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 2012 to 2022, will not return for the third year in a row. Organizers of Made in America must submit a permit to operate the festival 90 days in advance and the City of Philadelphia indicated that it has yet to receive an application. The submission deadline has since passed. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

2026 World Cup Volunteer Center to Open in Philly’s Fashion District 

Expected to become the volunteer hub for the 2026 World Cup, an 18,000 square-foot space in the Market East mall will be occupied by 4,500 volunteers as Lincoln Financial Field hosts six World Cup matches between October and July 2026. Philadelphia Soccer 2026 announced the allocation of the space six months after the $1.3 billion 76ers stadium deal in Market East foundered. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh AI Czar Confident in City and Statewide AI Robotics Growth

Joanna Doven, Pittsburgh’s AI Strike Team Executive Director, said that she believes Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania possess the ideal intersection of academics, ingenuity, and healthcare—along with a reasonable cost of living—to promote a robotic AI hotbed. Doven’s comments come as the Keystone State and the Steel City have attracted increasing national attention in the AI data center space. The Pennsylvania Capital-Star has more.

Pittsburgh Eliminates $58M in Medical Debt From Thousands of Residents

Two years after Pittsburgh City Council approved a program to nix residents’ medical debt with pandemic relief funds, the city partnered with Undue Medical Debt to cancel 43,000 Pittsburghers’ medical liabilities. The city of Pittsburgh only spent less than $500,000 to cancel a total of $58 million in deficits. WESA has more.

Pittsburgh Water Customers Will Have the Chance to Voice Concerns About Price Hikes

Pittsburgh Water will hold public hearings, offering customers the opportunity to voice concerns about the water company’s proposed rate hikes. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is reviewing the water company’s request to raise rates by $84.4 million over the next two years, which would increase the average cost per household by more than $35 by 2027. WESA has more.

$20M Pittsburgh Trail Project Nears Final Planning Stages

The VOPP trail, slated to boast 14 miles of bike and pedestrian space, will connect Pittsburgh to its eastern suburbs. Nearing finalization of its official plan, the project is poised to cost $20 million. WESA has more.

Federal

Trump Attorney Confirmed for Lifetime Seat on Philly Appeals Court

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Emil Bove, to serve a lifetime judgeship on the bench of a Philadelphia-based federal appeals court. Voting 50-49, largely along party lines with two Republicans defecting, the Senate GOP secured Bove’s appointment despite significant public opposition from Democrats, judges, and prosecutors. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

PA Joins Lawsuit Against Trump Admin Over Cuts to Planned Parenthood

Governor Shapiro joined 22 other states in suing the Trump administration over a provision in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that will prevent Planned Parenthood clinics from receiving Medicaid funding. The lawsuit argues that the administration has unlawfully blocked the funds “in retribution” for abortion advocacy. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

Bipartisan Senate Housing Bill Mirrors PA Program

The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs unanimously voted to advance an omnibus housing policy bill—proposed by senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tim Scott (R-NC)—that ostensibly mirrors Pennsylvania’s Whole-Home Repairs program. PA Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) originally authored Pennsylvania’s version, which established a grant program aimed at providing renovation-related funds to small-scale landlords and income-qualifying property owners. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

Federal Cuts Put PA Public Health Departments, Advocates on Edge

With suicide prevention programs in Pennsylvania already lacking, a federal program that provides mental support to the LGBTQ+ community will shut down due to federal cuts. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA—the nation’s leading mental health organization—also faces an uncertain future as President Trump’s budget package slashed staffing and cut the office’s funds by $1 billion. The Pennsylvania Capital-Star has more.  

Federal-State Tension Erupts Over Slavery Exhibit at Philly National Park

The Trump administration asked the U.S. Department of the Interior to review several slavery-related displays at Independence National Park—citing concerns that they “inappropriately disparage Americans past or present.” While it’s unclear whether the department has the authority to remove such exhibits, Governor Josh Shapiro responded directly to the revelations, emphasizing the need to preserve even the most abhorrent stories of the nation’s history so Americans can learn from them. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

Mail Ballot Delivered Bucks County to President Trump 

Mail ballots in the 2024 presidential election handed Bucks County to Donald Trump, earning him 9,000 more votes than in 2020 and flipping this purple district red for the first time in 36 years. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.

Authors

About Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies

Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, an affiliate of the international law firm Cozen O’Connor, is a bipartisan government relations practice representing clients before the federal government and in cities and states throughout the country. With offices in Washington D.C., Richmond, Albany, New York City, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Chicago, and Santa Monica, the firm’s public strategies professionals offer a full complement of government affairs services, including legislative and executive branch advocacy, policy analysis, assistance with government procurement and funding programs, and crisis management. Its client base spans multiple industries, including healthcare, transportation, hospitality, education, construction, energy, real estate, entertainment, financial services, and insurance.

About Cozen O’Connor

Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 775 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle-market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 31 offices across two continents.

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