Ciresi highlights focus on safeguards and protections for AI use, correcting a legacy of education underfunding and upgrading transit infrastructure in Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus February 4, 2026 | 2:32 PM
HARRISBURG, Feb. 4 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, reacted to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2026-27 budget unveiled Tuesday before a joint session of the General Assembly.
“As Majority Chair of the House Communications & Technology Committee, I was very impressed and pleased to hear the Governor’s plan to position Pennsylvania as a leader in the race for AI supremacy in a way that puts Pennsylvanians first and protects our environment. The Governor is clear about setting strong guardrails and protections, especially for the most vulnerable users, reinforcing the critical role of human judgement in the operation of AI, and expanding digital and AI literacy in the commonwealth. I look forward to our committee’s important work on these issues in the months ahead.
“The budget will continue to make historic investments in our schools, with $8.31 billion (a $50 million increase) for Basic Education Funding, $1.58 billion (a $50 million increase) for Special Education Funding and $1.95 billion (a $565 million increase) to fulfill the court-mandated third installment to close the funding gap between wealthy and underfunded districts.
“As a longtime advocate of cyber charter reform, I was pleased to hear that the necessary reforms we still need to make, which will save school districts and taxpayers another $75 million each year, remains a priority. This would build on the $178 million in estimated savings from the 2025-2026 budget package that we’ve already achieved for a total of $253 million in savings over the past two years.
“While Pennsylvania may be leading the way on the information highway, our roadways, bridges and transportation systems need reoccurring funding to be first-class, and I am glad to see the Governor has made that a part of this year’s budget.
“The governor has an aggressive plan to deal with the housing shortage in Pennsylvania, which is driving the high cost of rent. He supports introduce legislation to limit rent increases on manufactured homes; statewide caps on rental application fees; and $1 billion, supported by the issuing of bonds, to pay for large, transformative infrastructure projects across the commonwealth, including building and preserving housing, upgrading school and municipal facilities, and bringing new energy generation onto the grid.
“As you know, I’ve been appalled by the rapaciousness of utility companies who are shamelessly trying to fleece our residents. Standard & Poor’s has ranked our state as one of the most lucrative places to earn a profit. Governor Shapiro is doing the right thing to call on the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to scrutinize utility spending and create a new watchdog in his office for energy affordability, which will push utility companies such as PECO to:
- Eliminate “junk fees” on the restoration of utility service for low-income customers.
- Work with the Legislature to ban deceptive products.
- Force utilities to set prices in a transparent fashion (ending the “black box” settlements).
“We can build more housing and lower utility rates, but that won’t be enough for millions of Pennsylvanians if we don’t raise the minimum wage. People shouldn’t be working 3 to 4 jobs to pay for a roof over their heads due to the high cost of living. The money that the state is “saving” in low wages, it is paying for to the amount of $300 million per year in entitlement funding for programs like Medicaid.
My fellow Democrats and I strongly support the Governor’s call to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour (tied to inflation for regular increases). The House has already passed legislation to raise the minimum wage twice, only to watch the bills die in the Senate (Just like the bill limiting manufactured homes rent increases – HB 1250).
“We’re losing businesses and talent and straining social services due to the fact we haven’t raised the minimum wage since 2009. It’s long past time to do right by Pennsylvania’s workers.
“I am impressed by how this budget both builds on the significant progress that the Shapiro Administration has made and charts a way ahead for all Pennsylvanians.”