Dear Neighbor,

One of the unique things about our area is the presence of a world-class research university nestled among towns and communities rooted in historic economies and traditions. “Town and Gown” is the meeting of these two worlds, and the benefits are countless. Students and faculty from around the world — and across the nation and the Commonwealth — bring fresh perspectives from their hometowns and are welcomed and assimilated into our community, fostering both continual renewal and a strong pride of place. Our families, businesses, and communities grow and thrive in this miniature melting pot known as Centre County.

Every day, I’m inspired by our dynamic and diverse community. I hear from folks with no direct connection to our area who recognize and appreciate the vital importance of Penn State to the growth and vitality of the region. Likewise, I hear from students, faculty, and staff about the need to invest in the things that make Centre County such a wonderful place to live — from our beautiful parks and trails to our local schools.

Centre County is truly a special place because of this coexistence, and I am honored to represent our community in Harrisburg. While there are many benefits to living in a vibrant and dynamic place like ours, it also means sometimes saying goodbye to cherished friends and even family members as they move on to new adventures. Though doing so can be difficult, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the many Penn State students graduating this weekend and heading out into the world to continue making their mark. From your neighbors, we wish you the very best and can’t wait to see what you do next. I hope you carry a little piece of Centre County with you wherever you go.

Meg has been on my team since my first day in office, and we wish her all the best as she says goodbye and makes her big move to Colorado.

It’s going to be hard to replace her positive attitude, social media savvy, and incredible baking skills! Thank you for all your contributions to our team and to those we serve, Meg!

I’m proud to share that my House Bill 2303 was unanimously advanced out of committee and passed the House with a strong bipartisan vote this week. Now, on to the Senate!

Private water wells are the primary source of drinking water for more than 3 million Pennsylvanians, particularly those living in rural areas. In addition, thousands of geotechnical, geothermal, and environmental wells are drilled annually into and through the water table. Despite this, Pennsylvania is one of just two states without statewide licensing requirements for such drillers and one of only three that does not enforce siting or construction standards. Establishing these standards is critical to safeguarding water quality, protecting public health, and ensuring consumer protection — especially in Pennsylvania, which has complex subsurface geology.

My legislation strengthens accountability and levels the playing field for reputable drillers without adding new regulations or burdensome permitting requirements.

Watch my remarks on the bill by clicking the photo above.

This week in Harrisburg, I was deeply honored to be recognized with a Good Neighbor Award as one of the 2026 Pennsylvania PBS Champions of Lifelong Learning. Public media plays a crucial role in delivering free, high-quality educational resources, as well as public safety and entertaining programming, to communities across Pennsylvania. Their work also helps strengthen democracy, hold elected officials accountable, and provide fact-based reporting throughout the Commonwealth.

High-quality journalism is essential to an engaged, well-informed citizenry and a strong democracy. That is one of the reasons I make it a priority to engage with both seasoned journalists and students from Penn State’s excellent Bellisario College of Communications and other student-run news outlets. Whether a reporter has spent three decades covering the Capitol or is a first-year student learning the foundations of ethical journalism, the work of bringing honest, accurate reporting to the public is essential to a healthy government and an informed electorate.

Last week, I had the honor of judging the National Civics Bee for the fourth consecutive year and was once again inspired by the many talented students who participated. I was truly impressed by their knowledge, hard work, and thoughtful ideas about how to contribute to and strengthen our local communities.

A big thank you to the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County for hosting, and to my fellow judges for helping to make this such a rewarding and inspiring event. Special congratulations to the three winners, who will go on to represent Centre County at the statewide competition, and to all the participating students from the Philipsburg-Osceola, Penns Valley, Bald Eagle, and State College Area School districts!

The America250PA Mobile Unit is a rolling celebration of our nation's 250th birthday and Pennsylvania's proud and preeminent place in the American story.

This mobile unit, powered by Penske, is a custom-built experience on wheels designed to bring the semiquincentennial celebration directly to you. They will be at the Boalsburg Memorial Day Festival on May 25th, from 11am to 4pm. If you or your organization would like to volunteer, please fill out the form here!

Future educators across Pennsylvania can apply for the 2026–2027 PA Student Teacher Support Program, including a $10,000 stipend to help support their student teaching experience. Student teaching is a full-time commitment, and too often it comes without pay.

This program helps ease that burden while strengthening our educator workforce and supporting those who are stepping up to lead the next generation.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently awarded $94,125 in grants to two Penn State projects that will help bring environmental education to life here in our Commonwealth.

The first strengthens Science-U’s Environmental Education Pipeline by delivering comprehensive, grade-aligned environmental learning for students in grades 2–12, including Earth Keepers, Eco Investigators, Middle School Ecology, and ArtLab. These programs offer hands-on field studies and citizen science investigations.

The second grant helps fund the Penn State K–12 Sustainability Summit, which brings together 50 educators from 25 school districts and Intermediate Units to foster K–12–university partnerships for sustainability over a multi-day summit.

I’m proud of these projects and the impact they will have on the next generation of students and teachers by bringing environmental education to life.

As always, thank you for your continued trust and support. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email us at RepTakac@pahouse.net or call our office at 814-308-0569. Please note that our office will be closed on May 19th to mark Election Day.

And please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky to find out more about what we’re up to and our upcoming events in the community!

District Office

216 W. Hamilton Ave.
State College, PA 16801

(814) 308-0569

Pennsylvania State Capitol

103-B East Wing
Harrisburg, PA 17120

(717) 772-0750