Bills we moved this week, grant for American Legion Post 210 & more

Rep. Tim Brennan October 5, 2026 | 3:19 PM

PA Representative Tim Brennan banner image

Dear Neighbor,

In the previous edition of this e-newsletter, I told you about 13 projects to serve the public in our district that were just awarded state funding support. Today, I want to bring a greater focus to the $100,000 grant going to the American Legion Post 210 in Doylestown – funding that will allow Post 210 to modernize its kitchen and remain a welcome, active gathering place for local servicemembers.

For example, Post 210’s annual Day of Remembrance is a meaningful tradition honoring the veterans who served and sacrificed to protect our freedoms.

I am honored to be invited each year to participate and to stand alongside veterans, families and friends as we remember those who served.

The Path of Honor is the Legion’s beautiful way to keep alive the legacy and memories of veterans who are no longer with us. The Path of Honor shows the names of the veterans, the branch they served in, and their time served across the path that leads to the front of the Legion doors, serving as a reminder that will last for generations.

Sen. Santarsiero and I have hosted our Veterans Luncheon at Post 210, and we’re always grateful for the hospitality they show us when we borrow their space to connect with local veterans.

This is the second time that Sen. Santarsiero and I have worked together to secure funding for Post 210. Two years ago, we got to show our appreciation by helping with Post 210’s effort to receive a $100,000 state grant, giving them the means to improve the facility and transform the basement into a modern gathering space – like any building constructed in 1933, it needed plenty of renovations.

I will always take every opportunity to thank and support our veterans, so many of whom continue to serve our communities through volunteership with American Legion Post 210 and other local posts.

Sincerely,

Harrisburg Update

Back in Harrisburg for session days

This week, my House colleagues and I passed legislation to help you and improve our communities, taking steps to accomplish priorities such as protecting you from harmful impacts of AI, price gouging by utility companies, and more:

When it comes to regulating artificial intelligence, HB 1925 would require medical practices to inform you when AI is used during treatment or insurance decisions, and ensure that any final decisions on patient care or coverage are made by humans.

And HB 2006 would require companies to ensure that “AI companions” cannot encourage or assist in the planning of suicide, self-harm or violence; instead it would direct users to crisis resources such as the 988 Lifeline when appropriate.

The bill would also require AI companions to clearly disclose that users are interacting with AI rather than a human; and to protect kids from sexually explicit content and interactions designed to isolate them.

HB 2649 would require health insurers to cover fertility preservation services if a medically necessary treatment, such as cancer treatment, could cause infertility.

HB 2378 would not just help protect you and your family’s vaccine access, it would strengthen it by expanding the age groups who are offered the vaccines for flu, pneumonia, and RSV after a hospital stay or as part of their ongoing care.

Two of the bills we passed have to do with protecting you as a consumer. HB 2184 would require the Public Utility Commission to explicitly consider the public interest – including affordability and service reliability – when making decisions on utility rates.

And HB 2645 would set statewide standards for the licensing and registration of home inspectors (including those in training).

HB 2219 would help law enforcement maintain traffic safety by prohibiting the use of any device that hides a license plate from view, either manually or electronically (such as blackout plates and plate covers), or changes its appearance to be unreadable by toll collection and traffic cameras.

Technology is moving quickly, and our protections need to keep pace. I’m particularly glad we were able to pass legislation that would put common-sense guardrails around AI companions to protect both children and adults; Governor Shapiro has called on the Senate to quickly vote on the bill and get it to his desk.

Lastly, I want to highlight legislation I co-sponsored and voted in support of on Tuesday. HB 280 would open PA's primary elections to voters registered as Independent – who, here in Bucks County, comprise 18% of registered voters.

We’ve seen a steady decline in civic engagement over the last few years, paired with an increase in entertainment culture in politics; both are contributing to alarming polarization among Americans.

I believe that lawmakers are here to work for the people, not for political parties. Voting rights are a hallmark of citizenship, so we must secure this right for Independent voters by allowing them to participate in primary elections. You may watch my remarks on the bill in the video below.

Pod for nursing mothers opens at Capitol

Nursing mothers visiting the PA Capitol complex can now breastfeed or pump in a clean, safe, and accessible nursing station. It opened this week!

Our caucus began the effort to install the nursing pod to make visiting the state Capitol a welcoming experience for all. I know it’s often difficult for nursing moms to find an adequate place to breastfeed or pump in a public building. We want them to be able to visit our beautiful, historic building without that worry.

The wheelchair-accessible pod features the amenities needed to nurse or pump with as much ease as possible, including comfortable seating, an electrical outlet and USB charging port, and shelves. It’s also open to Capitol employees who need a place to pump when they return to work.

The pod was also made possible with the help of the Department of General Services and the Shapiro Administration.

In the District

Our recent events: Senior Fair and Shredding Day + Food Drive

Senior Fair

Last Thursday, Sen. Santarsiero and I hosted our 4th annual Senior Fair at the Bucks County Senior Activity Center. With over 35 vendors, this was the largest Senior Fair we’ve had so far!

Many thanks go to our sponsors and the vendors who came out to help educate our neighbors about local resources available to them. We could not have done it without your generous support and engagement with our senior constituents.

We hope that everyone who attended walked away feeling more informed of the many different state and local services that are available to seniors and their families and caregivers.

Shredding Event & Food Drive

Saturday was a blustery, rainy day, but hundreds of you still came out for our shredding event and food drive.

Sen. Steve Santarsiero and I, along with our hardworking staff and some dedicated student volunteers from CB West and CB East, spent the morning unloading bags and boxes of food and helping with stacks of paper for shredding. It was great to see so many of you willing to brave the weather to take care of some paperwork and, more importantly, help neighbors in need.

Together, we shredded three tons of paper, which will save approximately 51 trees and 21,158 gallons of water by being recycled. We also collected 1,238 pounds of food for the Bucks County Opportunity Council. Thank you to all who donated!

A special thank you to CB East and Buckingham Township and Titan Mobile Shredding for helping make the event possible, and to all of our staff and student volunteers who kept things moving throughout the day.

GUEST POST: Special Session Day - Ethan's Report

Hi, my name is Ethan Bolanos, and I’m an intern at Rep. Brennan’s office. On September 9, 2026, I was honored to be selected as a winner of the America250PA Student Contest, allowing me to accompany him to a special session of the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania.

Throughout the day, each student participated in a civic learning initiative, commemorating the history of our country along with the history of our commonwealth.

We visited various historical landmarks and museums, but my personal favorite part of the day was getting to know all of the other amazing students who were present. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I’m grateful to Rep. Brennan for the great opportunity and for bringing me along to such a historic session of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

DART bus anniversary & expansion

Congratulations to the DART — Doylestown Area Rapid Transit — on 25 years of connecting our community! And thank you to Valley Square for hosting last week’s celebration with local officials and community partners.

For 25 years, the DART has helped workers, seniors, students and neighbors get to jobs, medical appointments, shopping and more — increasing accessibility, independence and connectedness across our Central Bucks communities.

Thank you, Jim Raymond, CEO of BCT; Lou White, chair of the DART Bus Committee; and especially to the drivers and workers at Bucks County Transport who keep DART moving every day.

The celebration also included a ribbon cutting for DART East, which expands service to Warminster, including the Jacksonville Road shops and Warminster SEPTA station. A tremendous community benefit and a wonderful next chapter!

Buckingham Night Market

Finally got a chance to check out the Buckingham Night Market last week, and what a great time!

A new initiative from Buckingham Township Parks & Recreation, the Night Market was an immediate hit. It was the Brennans’ first visit, and we’re already looking forward to next year.

Congratulations to Buckingham Township for hosting this impressive community event, and thanks to all the volunteers and Parks and Public Works staff who made it such a success!

Concerts on the Commons

Trish and I had a great time checking out the September installment of Concerts at the Commons in Doylestown a couple of weeks ago.

It was a beautiful evening with great music and lots of neighbors out enjoying Broad Commons Park. We were glad to provide producer Stage United with a state grant to support this popular community event.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the series a success. We’re already looking forward to seeing what next year brings!

FYI

Vote by mail reminder

You can be confident that if you’re a registered voter in PA, you can vote by mail safely and securely. You may return your completed mail ballot in the mail, at a designated drop box, or in person at one of Bucks County’s ballot drop-off locations.

Completed mail-in and absentee ballots must be received by the Bucks County Board of Elections by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

PennDOT contest asks high school students to develop solutions for bridge strikes

Applications are open for the tenth edition of PennDOT Innovations Challenge, in which high school students from around the state are invited to use their problem-solving, creative and strategic-thinking abilities to solve real-world transportation challenges in a competition among their peers. The Innovations Challenge is open to all Pennsylvania students in grades 9-12. Details are at the link above. The submission deadline is January 29, 2027.