HARRISBURG, PA – Today, the Senate of Pennsylvania convened for session. Instead of advancing bills to bring the 2025-26 budget process to a close and to fully fund public transit, roads, and bridges, Senate Republicans chose to advance HB 257, a bill that would provide two years of funding to Pennsylvania’s transit systems by ransacking capital funds designated to repair roads, track, and other infrastructure.
In response to this missed opportunity, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Democratic Appropriations Chair Vince Hughes offer the following statement:
“Today, Senate Republicans had the opportunity to move the ball forward and take real steps towards solving some of Pennsylvania’s biggest problems. Instead, we got ridiculous, unserious schemes that fail to meet the scale, scope, and urgency of the transit crisis facing our commonwealth.
“While real people are scrambling to make plans to get to work, school, appointments, and more as drastic cuts to transit services loom, Senate Republicans are proposing that we raid capital funds for a two-year transit fix that will put us in this exact same position two years from now. Further, their plan includes mandated fare increases that put transit out of reach for many riders who rely on buses and trains to navigate their communities.
“This last-minute strategy is not agreed to by the House Democratic Caucus or the Governor, and fails to provide a long-term solution to delivering transit systems that work for every Pennsylvanian.
“Now is the time to bring this budget process to a close and fully fund our transit systems, our roads, and our bridges through a permanent, sustainable mechanism. We stand ready. Now is the time.”
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to every Pennsylvanian here.