Dear Neighbor & Estimado Vecino,

I hope you are well. I want to share important information about my ongoing work. As always, please feel free to reach out to my office for help with any state-related issues. To stay informed, ?visit my official page. You can also check your?preferences?to make sure you're signed up for?my emails.?

Espero que estén bien. Me gustaría compartir información importante sobre mi trabajo en curso. Y no olvides?visitar mi página oficial?para mantenerte informado.?También puede verificar sus?preferencias?para asegurarse de que está registrado para recibir mis correos electrónicos.   

This week, the House unanimously passed HB 306, my legislation to provide greater transparency in the release of Public Utility Commission records.

After the 2023 explosion at the R.M. Palmer chocolate factory in West Reading, the PUC, under Act 156 of 2006, was unable to give inspection reports with confidential security information to federal investigators who were seeking to find out the cause of the accident.

House Bill 306 would authorize the PUC to share records containing such confidential information with federal agencies investigating safety issues.

This bill, and three other natural gas safety bills I have introduced, now await consideration in the Senate. You can urge the Senate Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee to act on these bills here.

It is always an honor to serve as Speaker Pro Temp and lead our deliberations over the legislative process.

This week, my House colleagues and I passed important bills that will help our neighbors and improve communities:

We’re ensuring access to affordable housing by providing transparency and protections for homeowners when entering shared appreciation agreements, also sometimes called home equity sharing agreements, which allow homeowners to receive a lump sum of money by selling a percentage of their home equity (HB 2120) and requiring municipalities to allow accessory dwelling units on residential properties (HB 2186).

We’re protecting students by passing a bell-to-bell mobile device ban in schools (HB 1814), requiring school personnel to complete training every two years on how to recognize and manage students who are having a seizure (HB 1045) and allowing schools to maintain a supply of short-acting asthma medications, which can be administered by a school nurse or trained school employee (HB 2117).

We’re protecting people by directing the Attorney General to conduct a public education campaign on artificial intelligence to educate the general public on various topics, including identifying AI-generated content, avoiding AI-enabled scams, understanding responsible behavior when engaging with AI chatbots, protecting personal data when using AI, awareness of bias and misinformation ingrained in AI programs and protecting children from AI misuse (HB 2314).  

We’re increasing access to care by requiring facilities to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in non-smokable, non-vapable forms, ensuring patients have access to effective symptom relief while maintaining safety and compliance within care settings (HB 2254). 

You can stay up to date with my work, both in committee and on the floor, on the House's website, which includes details on legislation and livestreams of our deliberations.

I had the chance to join several of my colleagues and Transit for All PA to stand up for shared ride services in Pennsylvania.

Shared ride and paratransit services are the only transportation option for many of our neighbors. We must keep fighting to ensure these services are properly funded. In Berks County, public transit is not a luxury, it is a lifeline.

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) help so many of small businesses stay open and thrive - something that I have experienced firsthand as a former small business owner.

One of our local CDFIs, Finanta, saw opportunity in my business where other lenders saw risks, and invested in not just my business, but our community and future. I am proud to support CDFIs and the transformations they make to our Commonwealth.

This week, I had the chance to welcome several young leaders to Harrisburg as they learned more about the legislative process and advocated for actions on issues that matter to them.

I was joined by my niece, Amalia Tejeda, who shadowed me at work this week. A senior at Royal Palm Beach Community High School, she had the opportunity to learn more about the legislative process here in Harrisburg.

I also had the chance to meet with student leaders from the Northwest Collective, who are working to make powerful changes in the lives of youth and their families across Pennsylvania through education, psychotherapy and social skills.

Applications for Property Tax/Rent Rebates are available, and the deadline to apply has now been extended to Dec. 31! This program gives money back to PA renters and homeowners for the taxes they paid in 2025 - including seniors, widows and widowers, and those with disabilities.

You can learn more here and contact my office for support with your application.

Many Pennsylvanians have unclaimed property -- money from dormant bank accounts, insurance payments, and uncashed checks --  and you may be one of them!

My office can help you receive this unclaimed property. Contact us or go to PATreasury.gov/unclaimed-property to see if there is anything available in your name.

Holcomb Crisis Intervention in West Reading offers a free crisis program to support our neighbors experiencing varying levels of crisis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in both English and Spanish.

You can learn more about their work here, and if you or someone you know needs help, you can walk in, call 610-379-2007, or text 484-816-7865 for support.

If you or someone you know needs food assistance, please reach out to my office to find out where you can find help. You can also click here to go to Helping Harvest's website, which has a map of over 350 charitable food program partners in our area.

Helping Harvest will also be collecting non-perishable food items throughout the year at their programs and events. You can learn more about those and how to ensure our neighbors are fed here.

Routine mammograms are important to find the first signs of breast cancer. Tower Health has started its Mobile Mammography stops for 2026, with stops across our community. You can find locations and days here.

As always, my team and I are here to help you navigate state programs and services. Please reach out with any questions, concerns, or ideas. If you can't make it into my district office, you can visit one of my satellite offices! Find my office information below:

Centro Hispano Casa Senior Center

25 N. 2nd St., Reading, PA, 19601

Every Thursday from 9 a.m. to Noon

Spring Township Municipal Building

2850 Windmill Road, Sinking Spring, PA, 19608

2nd and 4th Fridays of each month from 9 a.m. to Noon

We also host DAV Services (Disabled American Veterans) in my office.

1111 Penn Ave., Wyomissing, PA 19610

Every other Monday from 9 a.m. to Noon

Pennsylvania State Capitol

104-A East Wing Main Capitol
Harrisburg, PA 17120

(717) 772-1858

District Office

1111 Penn Ave.
Wyomissing, PA 19610

(484) 577-2756

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