More than $2M in grants awarded to our community; Plus, holiday hours and legislative updates

Rep. Danielle Friel Otten December 19, 2025 | 4:17 PM

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Dear Neighbor,

As 2025 draws to a close, I want to wish each of you the peace and love of the season and hope for the new year ahead. As we look toward the beginning of a new year and a new legislative session, I am grateful for the work our community continues to do together for the collective good of all.

My office will be open for normal business hours on Monday, December 22 and Tuesday, December 23 and closed for the remainder of the week. The following week, we will offer constituent services by email and phone but will be closed for walk-in visits. We will return to in-person on January 5 to assist with SEPTA passes, PennDOT forms, unclaimed property, and other state-related services. We will continue to monitor email and voicemail throughout the holidays, so if you require assistance, please call 484-200-8259 or email RepOtten@pahouse.net.

Our newsletter will take a break over the holidays and return on January 9.

If you need emergency access to resources during this time, please call 211 for access to free assistance with housing needs, confidential crisis and emergency counseling, food assistance, utilities payment assistance, and other urgent health and human services needs.

From my family and my office team, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, best wishes for a safe and fun winter break, and a happy and healthy New Year to you and yours!

Successful Holiday Toy Drive

Throughout the month of December, our office collected donations to support Marine Toys for Tots - Chester and Montgomery Counties, PA. We were incredibly grateful for the support from our community and their generous donations. Toys for Tots does an incredible job at making the holidays special for families across Chester County, supporting over 40 organizations that supply gifts for more than 5,000 children.

We’re proud to play a small part in spreading joy this season, and we’re thankful for everyone who helped make it possible.

Click here to watch our Holiday Toy Drive recap and the impact our community made.

New Grants Awarded

I am proud to announce that $2,150,966 in state funding has been awarded to benefit multiple projects and local organizations in our community.

These grant awards prioritize public health and safety, emergency services, and outdoor recreation. Specifically, these investments will support flood mitigation efforts, sewer repairs, traffic safety, emergency response, and improvements to parks and trails in our district. I’m grateful to our municipalities for all the hard work they are doing to meet the challenges of population growth, higher operating costs, and increasingly severe weather events, and I’m pleased to have helped secure this critical funding for our local communities.

Read more here.

PA House Advances Reproductive Rights Amendment with Bipartisan Support

On Wednesday, with bipartisan support, the PA House of Representatives advanced my legislation with Rep. Liz Hanbidge & Rep. La'Tasha D. Mayes that would allow Pennsylvania residents to add a Reproductive Rights Amendment to the state constitution.

Specifically, this legislation proposes an amendment to the Pennsylvania constitution that would reaffirm and protect every Pennsylvanians’ right to privacy and ensure that the state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate personal decisions, including decisions related to pregnancy, contraception, and fertility care.

Wednesday’s action represents a significant step toward advancing the legislation, which could ultimately appear on a future ballot for Pennsylvania voters to decide whether fundamental reproductive rights should be explicitly protected in the state constitution.

For the first time in recent legislative history, Pennsylvania is taking proactive steps to protect and enshrine personal reproductive liberty rather than merely responding to proposals that would criminalize, restrict, or endanger the lives of women. This action represents a turning point: instead of reacting to attacks, the General Assembly is advancing a vision that secures lasting protections for Pennsylvanians and ensures that future generations inherit a commonwealth where reproductive freedom is guaranteed.

During floor debate, House Minority Leader Jesse Topper argued that this amendment was “not urgent.” But that claim ignores both the national landscape and Pennsylvania’s own recent history.

In the months leading up to the Dobbs decision, Pennsylvania’s legislative leaders held closed-door meetings to prepare for a post-Roe world, and in 2022, just days after the Dobbs decision ended federal protections, both chambers advanced a late-night constitutional amendment declaring there is “no right to abortion” in Pennsylvania. Those actions made clear that our existing protections are vulnerable and can be targeted without warning. That is precisely why advancing HB 1957 is urgent: Pennsylvanians cannot afford to wait until another attempt to restrict reproductive freedom is already underway. Moving this amendment forward would ensure that voters—not politicians—are empowered to determine the future of reproductive healthcare in our commonwealth.

Pennsylvanians deserve the opportunity to decide whether personal reproductive rights should be explicitly protected in our state constitution, and the Senate must act to make that possible. The House has taken an important step forward, but this amendment cannot advance without the Senate’s consideration. Ultimately, this is not a decision for politicians alone; it is a question that belongs to the people of Pennsylvania. Across the country, voters have made their voices heard at the ballot box to safeguard reproductive rights, and our commonwealth must follow their example.

Read more about the bill and the next legislative steps here.

Last Chance to Submit Public Comment on PUC Model Tariff for Large Load Customers

Electric bills are rising in Pennsylvania and beyond, thanks to a huge increase in demand driven by the actual and projected energy needs of data centers.

Just one large-scale data center can consume as much power as tens of thousands of homes. As data centers’ demand on our electric grid grows, it is critical that residential ratepayers and the stability and reliability of our energy grid are protected. Pennsylvania families and taxpayers should not be left footing the bill for the massive power needs of data centers or bearing the environmental or public health impacts of data center development.

Now through this coming Monday, December 22, the PUC is accepting public comments on its tentative order proposing a model tariff for Large Load Customers like data centers. (A “tariff” in this case is the official document that spells out how the electric utilities will structure their rates, charges, and terms of service for large, high-energy-use customers.)

If you are concerned about the financial, environmental, and public health impacts of data center development, contact the PUC and make your voice heard!

See my December 5 newsletter for suggested talking points to include.

Read more about the PUC proposal.

Get step-by-step instructions for submitting your comment to the PUC.

If you have questions or would like to provide feedback on any legislative or state-related issue, please contact my district office at repotten@pahouse.net.

Last Chance to file Property Tax/Rent Rebate Applications

The deadline to file Property Tax/Rent Rebate applications, for rebates on property taxes or rent paid in 2024, is December 31, 2025. If you haven’t yet filed, time is running out!

Please call or stop by my office to find out if you’re eligible and get assistance applying for your rebate. We will be available Monday, December 22 and Tuesday, December 23 to answer any questions and help you complete your application online.

Thanks to changes passed in 2023, more people are eligible, with income limits adjusted to keep pace with Social Security cost-of-living adjustments. The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program has made it easier for seniors in Chester County to stay in their homes and afford groceries, medicine, and so much more.

The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians ages 65 and older, widows and widowers ages 50 and older, and people with disabilities age 18 and older.

LIHEAP Application Window Now Open

The 2025–26 LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) season officially opened on December 3. LIHEAP is a federally funded DHS program that helps eligible households pay their heating bills by sending payments directly to their utility company or fuel provider. Grants of up to $1,000 are available to income-qualified households.

Eligible families are encouraged to apply early. Assistance is available while funds last and is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. LIHEAP also provides support in crisis situations and weatherization services, ensuring no one has to choose between staying warm and meeting other essential needs.

SEPTA Senior Key Cards and Card Renewals

If you have a SEPTA Senior Key Card that has expired or will expire within the next month, we can renew it in our district office. To renew your card before it expires, please stop by my district office, or call us to make an appointment.

My office can also process applications and take photos for new SEPTA Senior Key ID Cards, which allow seniors 65 and older to travel for free on all SEPTA Regional Rail and transit routes within Pennsylvania. Just stop by my district office and bring a form of ID with your date of birth on it, such as a PA driver’s license or non-driver ID, U.S. passport, or birth certificate. We’ll enter your information into SEPTA’s online system, take a quick photo, and then SEPTA will mail your new card to you directly.

2-1-1 Southeastern Pennsylvania: Health and Human Services

211 SEPA is part of the national 211 Call Centers initiative that seeks to provide health and human services for everyday needs and those in crisis situations.

2-1-1 works with county governments and provider agencies to ensure important local program information is easily accessible.

Visit 211sepa.org for more information.

Mental Health Resources: Call 9-8-8

The holidays can be a difficult time for many struggling with mental health issues, addiction recovery, or grief and loss. If you are having a hard time this holiday season, please know that you are not alone. There are people who care and who are here to help. If you are struggling this holiday season, or any time of the year, there are resources available to you. Please reach out for help.

Chester County residents experiencing mental-health-related crisis or distress can dial 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.?This system is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people in crisis to a trained mental health professional.

Chester County offers additional resources for those in crisis, including Chester County’s warm line, 1-866-846-2722, operated by Certified Peer Specialists, who are individuals in recovery with a lived experience of mental health challenges.

Chester County’s Teen Talk Line ensures seamless referral to Mobile Crisis for youth in need of immediate or higher-level support. The call line is 855-852-TEEN (8336), and the text line is 484-362-9515.

Visit the?Department of Human Services website for more information about the 988 system and other state and local mental health resources.

If you or someone you love is in crisis, please don’t give up hope, and please know that you do not need to walk this path alone. We are here and we will do whatever we can to help.

My staff and I are here to help make state government work better for you! For assistance with the above programs or any other state-related services, please email?repotten@pahouse.net, call 484-200-8259, contact us through my website, or visit my district office in Exton and let us know how we can help!

Sincerely,