Newsletter 2022

Summer Newsletter – Cover

Dear SD44 Residents:

My team and I have remained busy, both in the community and in Harrisburg, so please continue reading this newsletter to learn about policy updates, issues in the state legislature and local events, including our upcoming Veterans Expo on September 30, across our district.


After prolonged negotiations, a $45.2 billion state budget for 2022-23 was signed into law by the Governor more than a week past the constitutional deadline of June 30.  Someday, I hope to write a book describing my experiences battling the powers that be and how decisions are made by those in power.  One newsletter doesn’t provide enough space to adequately describe the madness and partisan hoopla.  While it’s important to provide information about the positive components of the final budget, equally important is breaking through the smoke and mirrors and shining light on the fiscal failures and the devil in the details – exposing the harmful influence of corporate special interests and extremist agendas, once again overpowering the needs and best interests of Pennsylvanians. Icing on the cake: the Majority party passed a constitutional amendment (SB106) seeking to ban abortion healthcare in Pennsylvania- more on that later.

Despite a $10 billion surplus heading into budget negotiations, the Majority party once again prioritized corporate special interests, including increasing the bottom line of for-profit private schools and greedy corporations, over the needs of Pennsylvania families, our public education system, and our small businesses, with the Administration eventually agreeing to some of these “deals” in order to get a budget passed.  Here’s a brief recap of how and why I voted for the various budget bills:


I voted in favor of SB1100, the General Appropriations bill, which dictates the amount of dollars spent for all of the state budget components. For example, this bill states the amount of dollars spent on education, human services, and other state departments and programs. I supported components of the School Code (HB1642), such as the $1.8 billion increase in school funding, including a long overdue $100M increase to special education, $100M allocation specifically for student mental health support and enhancing career and technical school programs, but this bill also dramatically increases the amount of public dollars diverted from state funds ($125 million) to non-public schools, some of which have abysmal graduation rates and fail to ensure all students succeed and thrive.  Further, this bill failed to fix private charter and cyber charter school funding inequities  – which is the main driver in forcing school districts to raise property taxes.  In order to get the $1.8B increase agreed to by the Majority Party, the Administration agreed to abolish the commonsense charter reform regulations approved in March by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC). The regulations were a modest step toward transparency and accountability in the for-profit, private charter and cyber charter school system. While an increase in public school funding is a win, especially after decades of divestment in our public school system and attempts to privatize our schools, this School Code bill shows that the Majority party cares more about revenue increases for charter and cyber charter schools than ensuring students in every community receive the high-quality education they are entitled to under our state Constitution.


I voted against the Tax Code (HB1342) because it fails to ensure that multi-state corporations pay their fair share in taxes for using our roads and resources while doing business in our Commonwealth.  I agree that our current Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) rate paid by in-state corporations should be lowered, which is why I have offered amendments on the Senate floor that would have reduced our CNIT gradually and would have also established a system of combined reporting to ensure all corporations that do business in Pennsylvania are paying their fair share. The failure to require combined reporting still allows 70% of multi-state businesses to utilize tax loopholes that enable big wealthy corporations to avoid paying their share of the taxes even though they do business in PA and leaves our state with a looming budget deficit from lost revenue.

This is just a brief overview of the budget – there are hundreds of pages in these bills. Click the links below for summaries on all of the different parts of the 2022-23 state budget:

2022-23 Enacted Budget

Summer 2022 Newsletter – Page 2

Policy Committee Updates

Since becoming the Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee in January of 2021, I have traveled the state and hosted more than 40 public hearings on so many important topics that are critical to the health, safety, education, and economic security of Pennsylvania families. This September, we have three more Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearings scheduled.

First, on Tuesday, September 6, I joined Senator Judy Schwank, Representative Bridget Kosierowski and Representative Melissa Shusterman to host a joint House and Senate Policy Committee hearing on the Deceptive Practices of Anti-Abortion Centers. This hearing took place at 1 p.m. in the North Office Building of the State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg.

On September 13, I will join Senator Art Haywood for a virtual public hearing on enhancing mobile and community clinics in Pennsylvania. The hearing will take place at 11 a.m. and will stream live on my website and you can also register to participate on Zoom.

Then on September 23, I will join House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton to host a joint House and Senate Policy Committee hearing our our legislation that would establish a statewide rape kit tracking system in Pennsylvania. Click here to read more about our legislation and to watch the video from the press conference we held at the Capitol in April with advocates and survivors about the importance of this bill. The hearing will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Upper Providence Township Building in Phoenixville.

Senator Katie Muth

For more information on upcoming Policy Committee hearings and to watch full video from all of our previous hearings, visit www.SenatorMuth.com/Policy.

Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee Update

Legislation to Support our Veterans

In addition to my legislation that increased the minimum daily pay for members of the Pennsylvania National Guard that was signed into law in July, I am working on various other proposals to help our veterans and their families.

Senate Bill 853: Recent Veterans Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program

  • My bill would establish the recent veteran property tax and rent rebate program. This program will be modeled after the Pennsylvania property tax and rent rebate program for seniors and it would be for service members ending active status and entering civilian life or honorably discharged within the past three years. This rebate program, modeled after the property tax and rent rebate program for seniors, would help recent veterans with household incomes up to $35,000, when they transition out of active duty. This request was brought to my office by the Veterans Leadership Program, an organization that has served veterans in Pennsylvania since 1982.

Senate Bill 677: Addressing Veterans’ Homelessness

  • Senate Bill 677 would bring the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) together to provide assistance to veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness. The DMVA would implement a program to identify these veterans, while the PHFA would establish a housing ombudsman to advocate for homeless veterans in the housing market. Under this legislation, eligible applicants would receive a maximum of $1,000 per month in the form of a rental voucher for a period of 12 months. The DMVA would be authorized to require veterans to participate in mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, job training, or other supportive programs as a condition of participation in its program.

We are always looking for legislation that would improve the lives of our veterans and their families. If you have any ideas for veteran-related bills, email us at SenatorMuth@pasenate.com

Addressing EMS Issues

Our EMS agencies play a critical role in our communities and knowing that they will always answer the call is invaluable. Our mission is to fight that fight in Harrisburg and to ensure that our EMS agencies have adequate funding, appropriate reimbursement rates, access to mental health services, and the tools they need to recruit and retain EMTs.

In June, I joined my co-chair on the Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee, Senator Pat Stefano, Senator Lindsey Williams, other legislators and dozens of EMS personnel from across the Commonwealth at a press conference to highlight the various issues facing our EMS agencies.

EMTs, paramedics, and others who serve in the emergency medical services play an important role in our community and are there to help provide life-saving care when we need them most. We as a state legislature must ensure that we are repaying their community service by supporting these organizations. Click here to watch video of my remarks from the press conference.

And in April, I joined my colleagues for a roundtable discussion on various issues facing Pennsylvania’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies held at CCAC, Allegheny Campus in Pittsburgh, PA. During our visit, we had the opportunity to visit with students at CCAC who are currently learning the skills and knowledge to become part of the EMS profession.

Click here to watch the full roundtable discussion.

Summer 2022 Newsletter – Page 3

Harmful National Agenda Continues to Pollute Harrisburg

The Majority in Harrisburg continues to prioritize a far-right, radical national agenda that is designed to dismantle voting rights, women’s freedom, and LGBTQ+ equality. This is most apparent in their attempt to legislate by constitutional amendment when they cannot enact their extreme partisan agenda due to the Governor’s veto. For comparison’s sake, the US constitution has been in place since 1789 and includes 27 total amendments – this legislative session alone, Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced more than 70 amendments to our state constitution. Senate Bill 106, originally drafted as a single constitutional amendment regarding the selection of our state’s Lieutenant Governor, was amended during the legislative process and packed full with an array of unrelated amendments to our state constitution. With little notice, my colleagues and I were forced to vote on the final version of this legislation in early July after 11:00 PM.

SB 106

SB 106 Timeline

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January 27, 2021

Passed the Senate State Government Committee by a vote of 10-1 (I voted NO)

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February 23, 2021

Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee by a vote of 23-1

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April 27, 2021

Passed the full Senate by a vote of 43-4 (I voted NO)

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May 25, 2021

Passed the House State Government Committee by a vote of 14-11

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December 14, 2021

Amended on the House floor to add provisions to reduce the power of the Governor and executive agencies, require identification to vote, and audit elections.

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December 15, 2021

Passed the House Appropriations Committee by a vote of 21-15

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December 15, 2021

Passed the full House by a vote of 113-87

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July 7, 2022

Resurrected in the middle of the night and amended in the Senate Rules Committee to add anti-abortion language by a vote of 11-6 (I voted NO)

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July 8, 2022

Passed the full Senate by a vote of 28-22 (I voted NO)

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July 8, 2022

Passed the House Rules Committee by a vote of 18-15

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July 8, 2022

Passed the full House by a vote of 107-92

As a proposed constitutional amendment, SB 106 must pass the legislature again in the next legislative session and be publicly advertised before it goes to voters in the form of a ballot question. If the Majority party has its way, this question could appear on the ballot as soon as the May 2023 primary election. The final version that passed this legislative session includes the following proposed constitutional amendments:

  • Requires each party’s nominee for governor to select their running mate for Lieutenant Governor. Currently, voters select their party’s nominee for Lieutenant Governor in the primary election. (Click here to read my op-ed on why it is important to allow voters to choose the candidate for Lieutenant Governor)
  • Requires all voters to show identification prior to voting in each election.
  • Requires the Auditor General to audit elections and election results.
  • Removes the ability for the governor to consider, and potentially veto, the legislature’s disapproval of a regulation.
  • Provides that the constitution prohibits taxpayer funding abortion and does not grant “any other right relating to abortion”.

All of these provisions are deeply concerning, but the middle-of-the-night action on abortion is a direct attack on reproductive justice, on our rights, and on our bodies. Women and our allies will not stand for this, and we will continue to fight for our freedoms and our reproductive healthcare. The opponents of reproductive freedom support funneling taxpayer dollars to anti-abortion centers, or so called “crisis pregnancy centers”, even though the centers do not employ licensed healthcare professionals nor adhere to patient privacy regulations, like HIPAA.

Throughout this summer, our Senate Democratic Policy Committee joined the House Democratic Policy Committee, the Women’s Health Caucus and Legislative Black Caucus Committee on Women and Girls in hosting public hearings across the Commonwealth on the future of women’s reproductive healthcare in Pennsylvania following the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the protections offered by Roe v. Wade. The hearings were a forum to discuss the current state and future of reproductive healthcare in Pennsylvania and can be watched on-demand with recordings and all of the written testimony submitted by experts and testifiers:

Also, my colleagues and I in the Senate are currently working on legislation to update our existing abortion laws and to expand access by removing barriers to reproductive healthcare in Pennsylvania. While abortion is still safe and legal in Pennsylvania, our fight is only just beginning, but we must fight back against harmful, partisan agendas that attempt to strip away our rights – our right to healthcare, including reproductive healthcare, our right to make decisions about our one bodies, health, and well-being with healthcare professionals (not government officials), our right to vote, our right to marry who we love, and our right to representative democracy.  I will continue to relentlessly defend our rights in Harrisburg and call out those who are actively working to take away our basic freedoms.

Fighting for the LGBTQ+ Community

The Majority also continues to push hateful legislation targeted at the LGBTQ+ community.


Legislation like Senate Bill 1278, often called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, is part of an extremist national partisan agenda and is an assault on hardfought progress in equality can lead to dire consequences, especially for children. According to the Trevor Project National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 45 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, but those who found their school to be LGBTQ-affirming reported lower rates of attempting suicide.

In Pennsylvania, a diverse coalition of more than 50 leading organizations oppose SB 1278 due to its harmful effects on schools, students, and teachers. First, this bill conflates sexual orientation and gender identity with sex education and would effectively prohibit the acknowledgement of students who are gay or transgender and LGBTQ families until 6th grade. The bill also restricts students’ First Amendment rights and threatens their protection from sex-based discrimination. Under this legislation, individual teachers could be sued for simply answering students’ questions or pleas for help, which deprives students of the counsel of trusted adults, including school nurses and counselors. Click here for an article explaining why legislation like this is so dangerous. 

I voted against SB 1278, but the bill still passed the Senate on a party-line vote of 29-21. Link to Floor Remarks


The Majority also forced a vote on a book ban bill – Senate Bill 1277.  This bill is based on the false premise that school libraries are filled with sexually explicit materials and that parents have no rights with respect to children’s access to these books.

School districts already have policies that govern content and purchase of books and instructional material and rely on trained librarians to select age-appropriate materials.

A third bill prioritized by the Majority was Senate Bill 1191 – banning transgender students from participating in sports. Even a Republican Governor from Utah vetoed this bill because it is such a specific and hateful attack on so few people.

When are we going to legislate on the real issues facing our communities – gun violence, poverty, affordable housing, access to quality, affordable education – and when are we going to stop prioritizing hate speech, fear mongering, voter suppression and other extremely partisan initiatives?


These hate-filled legislative initiatives do nothing to keep girls safe; nothing to protect our families, our communities and our schools from gun violence; nothing to support rape and domestic violence victims; and nothing to ensure the reproductive health of women.

It is time the Majority Party stops pushing legislation that bans books featuring transgender characters from our schools and restricts the rights of transgender people in regards to sports participation.

Legislation like the bills mentioned above makes it even more difficult for these groups Pennsylvanians to live their lives. Link to floor remarks

There is no place for extremism and hate in our government – Pennsylvanians deserve better and members of our LGBTQ community deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect as anyone else.

Legislative Solutions to Stop Corporate Greed from Driving Inflation

In June, I joined my colleague Senator Lindsey M. Williams to introduce legislation that offers real solutions for working families facing rising prices everywhere from the gas pump to the grocery store shelves. We proposed two pieces of legislation that address the roots of the economic challenges facing our families today: protecting our small businesses and stopping greedy corporations from price fixing and gouging to jack up their profits off the backs of consumers.  

The Pennsylvania Small Business and Consumer Protection Act will help to rebalance the current economy, which only benefits the rich and powerful. The Stop Price Gouging Act will strengthen the Attorney General’s ability to prosecute individuals and businesses that collude to artificially and unfairly raise prices on goods bought or sold in Pennsylvania.

 Click here to read our full news release on these initiatives.

Similar legislation was introduced in the State House of Representatives as House Bill 2677 and House Bill 2641 by Rep. Nick Pisciottano (D-Allegheny) and Rep. Sara Innamorato (D-Allegheny). 

GREEDY CORPORATIONS MAKING RECORD PROFITS WHILE CONSUMERS PAY THE PRICE!

Q1 Profits Made by Oil and Gas Companies

Oil and gas corporations continue to add to their already stuffed bank accounts, while they continue to gouge Americans in every way imaginable.  Utility rate increases and gas prices at record highs all the while energy companies are raking in big bucks, hitting record rates in profits, despite PA politicians stating we need to “drill baby drill” to move our state into the number one spot for fracked gas production.  Pennsylvania is already #2 and fracked to high hell and back – but yet there are never decreases in utility and energy prices for Pennsylvanians.

Make no mistake about it: oil & gas lobbyists are hard at work contributing to political candidates who refuse to hold them accountable, while they spend boatloads of money to fuel a propaganda machine, instead of providing relief to hard working Americans. 

Pennsylvania provides billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to the fossil fuel industry annually. Year after year, annual budgets put corporate profits over people. Is this the year when the politicians bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry stand up for their constituents? We can (and should) close the hazardous waste loopholes (I introduced SB644, SB645, and SB646 but these bills are collecting dust in the Senate ERE committee) and discontinue petrochemical tax credits (aka taxpayer money subsidies for corporate looters and polluters) and strategically invest in green energy while divesting from fossil fuel companies who are prioritizing profits over the American people and our planet.  Please contact the Senate Majority Chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and urge him to run these bills to protect Pennsylvanians from toxic exposures caused by corporate polluters as well as ensuring Pennsylvanians have access to renewable energy such as residential solar.  I am the prime sponsor of SB826 which would ensure all homeowners can access solar energy.

Energy Transfer Convicted of Environmental Crimes

The hard work of community watchdogs and impacted residents whose persistence, consistent documentation, and reporting of issues related to the construction of the Mariner East Pipeline led to the conviction of Energy Transfer for environmental crimes in early August.

The conviction was announced by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who announced that Energy Transfer (Sunoco) pleaded no contest – meaning the company will be convicted of charges brought against the company in October 2021 regarding their unlawful impacts on water quality as a result of pipeline construction.

As part of the plea, Energy Transfer is required to fully fund a review of the water of any resident who believes their drinking water was impacted by the construction of the Mariner East 2 Pipeline and any recommended water quality testing that will be conducted by independent, professional geologists. If the testing determines that pipeline construction has damaged a resident’s water supply, Energy Transfer is obligated to fully restore safe water.

In addition to residential drinking water, the plea agreement also requires Energy Transfer to pay $10 million to make the water sources most damaged by construction cleaner and safer. This funding will be directed through existing Commonwealth programs such as DCNR’s Grant Program, Growing Greener Plus, the Coldwater Heritage Partnership, and others.

In October 2021, the Attorney General charged Energy Transfer with 48 environmental crimes associated with the construction of the Mariner East Pipeline for repeatedly contaminating lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater with drilling fluid from 21 drill sites across the Commonwealth. Additional charges included Energy Transfer’s failure to report environmental damage and criminal use of unapproved additives in drilling fluid.

Click here for the full news release from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General on the Energy Transfer conviction. A fact sheet detailing the plea agreement is available HERE.

Also in July, Sunoco/Energy Transfer missed the agreed upon deadline to complete dredging, the removal of the dredged material to an approved disposal facility, and the restoration of the access and staging areas. Energy Transfer (Sunoco) continues to prove that they cannot operate responsibly in our Commonwealth. After spilling over 20,000 gallons of industrial waste into Marsh Creek Lake, a drinking water supply for thousands of families, they have also failed to remediate and restore the lake and aquatic habitats by the required deadline of July 1. It is boldly clear that Energy Transfer doesn’t care and has never cared about anything other than ensuring their own profits even if it means harming our waterways and communities. The powers that be in Harrisburg, on both sides of the aisle, have allowed corporate polluters to make our communities into sacrifice zones for the sake of shareholder wealth. If an entity can’t be an honest, respectful partner, they shouldn’t be allowed to do business in our Commonwealth. Click here to read a news release that I sent out with Rep. Danielle Friel Otten on the cleanup deadline.

Visit SenatorMuth.com/Environment for more articles and information.

Senate Democratic Policy Committee Hearings on Environmental Issues

Senate Dems Discuss Shale Gas Policies and Public Health Impacts

Policy Committee Hears Support for Closing Hazardous Waste Loopholes


Summer 2022 Newsletter – Page 4

Senate District 44 Grant Highlights

Here are a look at some recent news releases on grant announcements in Senate District 44:

Grant Resource Directory Available

Grant Directory 2021-22Each session, the Commonwealth provides a resource that will help you find grants and other state government resources.

From the Department of Aging, to the state Treasury, to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority, the Pennsylvania Grant Directory is a great starting point for constituents and organizations seeking financial support for their work and ideas. Some of these state grant programs are open only to certain groups, such as municipalities or school districts, while others are open to nonprofit organizations and others, so please make sure you check the requirements of each program carefully. It is important to note that some grant, loan, and assistance programs change each fiscal year, so it’s best to check the appropriate agency website or contact my office to learn about the current status of any program.

Please reach out to my office with any questions that you may have. We look forward to working with you to support the amazing work that our communities and neighborhoods are performing!

PSERS Update

Since last year, I have served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) – serving over 500,000 annuitants and current members of the pension system and ensuring the over $75 billion in pension assets is responsibly managed. The Board, consisting of fifteen members, is an independent administrative board of the Commonwealth. The members of the Board stand in a fiduciary relationship to the members of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System regarding the investments and disbursements of monies of the Fund. The members of the Board, as trustees of the Fund, have exclusive control and management of the Fund and full power to invest the Fund.

The Board also performs other functions as are required for the administration and execution of the Public School Employees’ Retirement Code such as certifying contribution rates, authorizing the actuarial valuation and independent audit of the System, and publishing an annual financial statement of the condition of the Retirement Fund. In addition, the Board reviews the activities performed by the System’s Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer.​

If you would like to watch an upcoming Board meeting or participate in our public comment period, click here.

Click here to read about the March ruling where the Commonwealth Court unanimously overruled all seven of the preliminary objections filed by PSERS in their continued fight to prevent access to fund records and documents to allow me to perform my fiduciary duties as a member of the PSERS Board of Trustees.

Click here for a feature story by Bloomberg News on my fight for transparency and access to information.

And in February, I hosted a virtual press conference to discuss a number of issues related to public pensions and transparency. Click here to watch the video.

For more information and articles about my work on the PSERS Board of Trustees, visit SenatorMuth.com/PSERS.

 

Summer 2022 Newsletter – Page 6

Pennsylvania’s 44th Senatorial District

As a result of the constitutionally-mandated redistricting of all Senate districts, Pennsylvania’s 44th Senatorial District has changed and will go in effect this November.  Below you will find the current and the new district map!