By Rep. Emily Kinkead

As 2024 comes to a close, it’s an important time for state lawmakers in Pennsylvania to reflect on the 2023-24 Legislative Session and begin preparing for the next two-year session. Throughout the 2023-24 Legislative Session, my colleagues and I passed 428 bills in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and delivered billions of taxpayer dollars to improve communities across the Commonwealth. While there will always be areas in which we could have gone further, I’m proud of everything we accomplished in the legislature over the last two years and am eager to dive into another term as a state representative.

A major highlight of this session for me was one of my bills being signed into law for the first time! My legislation to create more affordable pathways to higher education (H.B. 897) was signed into law as Act 69 of 2024 back in July. This new law is the most significant overhaul to our higher education system in over 50 years, requiring schools within the State System of Higher Education to apply credits earned at a Pennsylvania community college toward a parallel bachelor’s degree program. Additionally, it increases transparency around tuition and the many fees associated with attending a university and expands access to dual enrollment programs for high school students. The law also established a new state Board of Higher Education that will create a strategic plan for higher education in Pennsylvania and a process to require institutions of higher education to provide greater notice to their students and communities if they decide to cease operations.

After years of work on this bill, it’s so exciting to see it become law and benefit Pennsylvanians pursuing higher education! There are many other bills I have been working on throughout my time as a state lawmaker that didn’t make it across the finish line this session — but are gaining momentum. I’ve drafted legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis, implement a universal school meals program in our public schools, create a landslide insurance program for Pennsylvania homeowners, help people successfully transition out of incarceration, and more. At times, attempting to pass a bill through Pennsylvania’s divided legislature feels insurmountable. But H.B. 897 and the hundreds of bills signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro this year are proof that it can be done. I look forward to continuing to build bipartisan support around my bills and creating changes on the issues that matter most to Pennsylvanians in the 2024-25 Legislative Session.

On top of crafting new laws, I’ve also been working hard to drive state investments back to our local neighborhoods in the 20th Legislative District. Since my first day in office, I’m proud to have helped bring tens of millions of state dollars to our corner of Allegheny County. This includes more than $52 million to replace lead water lines, over $15 million for various community projects, nearly $5 million for school repairs, $2 million for our libraries, and so much more.

A lot of these funds were awarded to local projects through state grant programs, with communities across the state applying for programs that have limited dollars to dole out. The competition for state grant money can be quite fierce! If organizations and entities in our community don’t apply, that money will go somewhere else. Identifying grant opportunities and advocating for projects in the 20th Legislative District is one of the biggest ways I can help improve our region, and I’m pleased with the significant investments my team and I have secured.

If you want to learn more about state grant opportunities or the legislation I’m working on, please email me at Rep-Kinkead@pahouse.net, call my office at (412) 321-5523, or stop by to see us at 658 Lincoln Ave. in Bellevue. My staff and I are always eager to connect with more people in our community. I wish you and your loved ones a safe and warm holiday season. It is my honor to continue working for you in the new year!