CAPITOL ROUNDUP: DCED highlights proposed investment in state's innovation economy
Apr. 27—WILKES-BARRE — Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger this week highlighted the Shapiro Administration's commitment to fostering Pennsylvania's innovation economy.
Building on that commitment, Gov. Josh Shapiro's 2025-2026 proposed budget creates a new, $50 million PA Innovation program, which includes a one-time $30 million initiative to spur life sciences job growth and $20 million to provide annual funding to support large-scale innovation.
"From our world-class research institutions to our skilled workforce, Pennsylvania has the resources to be an innovation leader," said Secretary Siger.
Gov. Shapiro and his Administration have been committed to making Pennsylvania a leader in economic development, job creation, and innovation. The 2024-25 enacted budget made significant investments aligned with the overall 10-year Economic Development Strategy.
Life sciences is one of the five key industries of the economic development strategy, and a major focus of the Shapiro Administration.
The Shapiro Administration also recently helped break ground on GSK's expansion in Marietta. The global biopharma company is investing $800 million into the project, which will create more than 200, new high paying jobs and retain 4,622 employees. The Commonwealth invested $21 million towards the expansion.
Gov. Shapiro's 2025-26 budget proposal calls for more than $160 million in total new and expanded investments to implement the Economic Development Strategy and increase our competitiveness, strengthen communities, and address critical housing needs.
Fostering innovation is a key component of Gov. Shapiro's 2025-26 budget proposal, which includes:
—$50 million for the new PA Innovation program, including a one-time $30 million initiative to spur life sciences job growth and $20 million to provide annual funding to support large-scale innovation.
—$10 million for AdvancePA tax credits to create high-quality jobs across Pennsylvania.
—$12.5 million dedicated to WEDnetPA to expand our workforce and close critical workforce gaps.
—$2 million for the creation of Career Connect to build internships at Pennsylvania companies.
Rep. Meuser co-sponsors bill to block Social Security payments to illegal immigrants
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, recently co-sponsored H.R. 1172 — the No Social Security for Illegal Aliens Act of 2025 — legislation that will ensure individuals in the United States illegally cannot collect benefits from Social Security programs.
Rep. Meuser said the legislation amends the Social Security Act to ensure that wages earned through unauthorized employment by illegal immigrants do not count toward eligibility for Social Security benefits. This means individuals who worked in the U.S. without legal status would be barred from collecting benefits based on those earnings. The policy would apply to income earned before, during, or after the bill becomes law.
Rep. Meuser said the legislation is in line with President Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to prevent illegal immigrants from accessing Social Security programs and to strengthen fraud enforcement. He said recent audits by the Social Security Administration's Inspector General identified major gaps in death records and benefit tracking systems, creating a heightened risk of improper payments — in fact, the Social Security Administration's Inspector General identified $72 billion in improper payments made over the past decade.
Further, Rep. Meuser said the White House reports that more than 2 million illegal immigrants were assigned Social Security Numbers in fiscal year 2024 alone.
Rep. Meuser has also introduced the Payment Information Integrity Reform Act — legislation aimed at reducing the more than $230 billion in improper federal payments reported last year.
That bill would strengthen oversight, require stricter financial controls at federal agencies, and impose penalties for repeated noncompliance — helping prevent taxpayer dollars from being sent to ineligible recipients, including illegal immigrants, Meuser said.
"Hardworking Americans pay into Social Security expecting those benefits to be there when they retire — not to be paid out to people here illegally," said Rep. Meuser. "This legislation builds on President Trump's leadership and takes a necessary step to stop abuse, restore integrity to the system, and protect the future of Social Security for Americans who have earned it and rely on it."
The No Social Security for Illegal Aliens Act has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.
PUC invites public comments following hearing on grid impacts of high-demand energy growth
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) this week announced the opening of a formal public comment period following the Commission's April 24 en banc hearing examining the impact of hyper-scale data centers and other large-load energy users on Pennsylvania's electric grid.
"This issue represents both a challenge and an opportunity for our state," said PUC Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank. "We are entering a time of extraordinary electricity demand growth, driven by AI, cloud computing, and other evolving technologies. As we move forward, the Commission is committed to thoughtful, transparent policy-making — and we look forward to reviewing the post-hearing comments and input from the public as we continue this important process."
The hearing featured three expert panels representing electric distribution companies, major energy users, and public and consumer advocates, focusing on the need for clear and fair rules to ensure grid reliability, manage infrastructure needs, and safeguard ratepayers.
Public comment period and instructions
The PUC is now accepting public comments on the issues raised during the hearing through Tuesday, May 27, 2025. A 15-day reply comment period will follow, with reply comments due by Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
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