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In this Update:

• Senate Passes Bill to Fight Human Trafficking
• Standing Up For Taxpayers, PA Businesses
• Bill Targeting Dangerous Fentanyl Additive Passes Senate
• PA Guard Military Family Education Program
• Entries Accepted for PA Agriculture Photo Contest
• National Cancer Survivors Month

Senate Passes Bill to Fight Human Trafficking

Legislation to give investigators and prosecutors new tools to fight human trafficking in Pennsylvania was passed by the Senate.

Senate Bill 45 will help local law enforcement agencies and the state attorney general investigate and prosecute human trafficking by increasing penalties for several related crimes, including promoting prostitution, promoting prostitution of a minor, exploiting prostitutes and patronizing prostitutes.

The bill also consolidates crimes related to human trafficking within the Crimes Code, giving the attorney general concurrent jurisdiction so these crimes, which are frequently the basis for large-scale human trafficking organizations, can be prosecuted more effectively.

It now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. If you believe you may have information about a trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. 

Standing Up For Taxpayers, PA Businesses

This week, I voted against a bill that would limit the ability of hundreds of Pennsylvania small businesses to compete, while also substantially increasing public construction project costs paid by taxpayers, including state, county, municipal, school district and other projects funded by public dollars.  

I heard from many local businesses who would be impacted by Senate Bill 908. In response to their concerns, I proposed amendments to try to minimize the impact of prevailing wage changes and to these new compliance burdens. Ultimately, I voted against this bill because it takes our state in the wrong direction at a time when we are trying to make our state stronger and grow economically.

Our primary concern should be completing projects as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible while allowing our local businesses to compete fairly – not making projects more expensive and threatening all the work we’ve done to make Pennsylvania businesses more successful. An injunction was recently issued in federal court in New York for this same type of ridiculous overreach.

Bill Targeting Dangerous Fentanyl Additive Passes Senate

The Senate passed legislation to combat the increasing illicit use of the veterinary anesthesia medetomidine by regulating it as a Schedule III controlled substance.

Senate Bill 866 provides law enforcement and public health officials with another tool to combat dangerous drug adulterants while including clear exemptions to ensure veterinarians can continue using the medication in the care and treatment of animals.

Medetomidine has rapidly overtaken xylazine as a common adulterant in Pennsylvania’s illicit drug supply. While medetomidine was not detected in samples collected in early 2024, it was found in approximately 80% of adulterants sold as fentanyl in Pennsylvania by April 2026. The drug is estimated to be significantly more potent than xylazine and can cause severe cardiovascular complications, even after naloxone has been administered.

The General Assembly passed legislation to make xylazine a Schedule III drug in 2024. The bill now advances to the House of Representatives for consideration. Read more about the measure here.

PA Guard Military Family Education Program

As students begin preparing for the fall semester, Pennsylvania National Guard members are reminded their families could be eligible for assistance to offset the cost of higher education.

The Military Family Education Program is for Guard members who completed an initial service obligation on or after July 1, 2019, and is eligible to reenlist in the PA National Guard for a period of six years.

The grants can be used for a degree-granting or certificate-granting curriculum, course of study, or training program required for entrance into a specific career at an approved Pennsylvania institution of higher learning. Read more details and find applications here.

Entries Accepted for PA Agriculture Photo Contest

Pennsylvania residents have until June 30 to submit entries in the 2026 Pennsylvania Agriculture Photo Contest.

Submit up to four original photos highlighting the people, places, traditions and beauty of agriculture across our region or the commonwealth. Winning photos will be displayed in the Pennsylvania Capitol Complex during the first weeks of September.

The categories are On the Farm, PA Fair Season, Agritourism, and Conservation. Click here for rules and how to submit your photos.

National Cancer Survivors Month

There are more than 18.6 million people living with a history of cancer in the U.S. Each person diagnosed with cancer faces a unique set of challenges, but one in four survivors reports a poor physical quality of life, and many experience psychosocial challenges.

If you are a cancer survivor or caregiver, you can find resources from the National Cancer Institute here that may help you enhance your health and well-being after a cancer diagnosis. They address emotional concerns, nutrition and physical activity, support services, follow-up medical care and testing for cancer.

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