HARRISBURG, PA – July 12, 2026 – Senator Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) releases the following statement regarding today’s passage of the state budget:
“Today we passed a fiscally responsible $50.8 billion budget that puts Pennsylvania families first,” he said Senator Miller. “This budget represents historic investments in public education, strengthens community safety, supports family-sustaining jobs, and provides significant assistance to working families. From improving local roads and bridges to supporting small businesses, expanding violence prevention programs, and providing more than $200 million in tax credits, these investments will have a real impact on families in the Lehigh Valley and across the Commonwealth.”
Investment in public education
As a former member of the 2023 Basic Education Financing Committee (BEFC), Senator Miller helped develop the bipartisan funding for adequacy formula that continues to guide Pennsylvania’s historic investments in public education.
This year’s budget provides $565 million under the bipartisan adequacy formula, as well as $154 million for career and technical education, $125 million for school facility improvements, $100 million for school safety and mental health supports in schools, $330 million for Pre-K Counts and $91.9 million for Head Start.
These investments fulfill Pennsylvania’s constitutional obligation to adequately fund public education while strengthening early learning, career readiness, student well-being and a sheltered learning environment.
“Every child deserves access to a high-quality education, regardless of zip code,” said Senator Miller. “This budget builds on bipartisan work to fund our schools equitably while investing in safer classrooms, better career and technical education, early childhood education and student mental health. These investments create more opportunities for students today and a stronger Pennsylvania for generations to come.”
Help for working families and retirees
The budget provides more than $200 million in tax relief for Pennsylvanians through the Pennsylvania Workers’ Tax Credit, expands the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by increasing the Pennsylvania Supplement from 30% to 100% of the federal credit amount and increases the maximum benefit from $630 to $2,100 per family, and establishes a tax credit for employer child care premiums to assist companies offset the costs of employee child care.
“Working families deserve a tax system that helps them get ahead, not just survive,” said Senator Miller. “These tax credits will put more money back into the pockets of hard-working Pennsylvanians, make child care more affordable and help parents stay in the workforce.”
Additionally, relief will be much needed in the form of a long-awaited cost-of-living adjustment for retired teachers, police officers, and firefighters who left service before July 2, 2001. This adjustment will ultimately provide COLA to more than 40,000 retired teachers and support professionals who have not received a pension boost since 2002.
Supporting childcare workers
The budget allocated $30 million in child care worker retention bonuses, an boost of $5 million over last year, to assist recruit and retain the workers families depend on. The funds are expected to provide bonuses of approximately $540 to more than 55,000 child care workers across Pennsylvania, helping strengthen the child care system and support working parents.
“By investing in the professionals who care for our children, we enable parents to stay in the workforce and support their families,” said Senator Miller. “It simply keeps our working parents working and gives our caregivers the extra support they need. These retention bonuses recognize the critical role child care workers play every day in helping providers recruit and retain the dedicated teachers our communities depend on.”
Performing tasks that provide for the family
The budget includes strategic investments to strengthen Pennsylvania’s economy, including $775 million for local roads and bridges, $125 million for the Innovate in PA 2.0 program to accelerate entrepreneurial and life sciences innovation, and $23.7 million to support historically disadvantaged businesses, an boost of $3.75 million over last year. These investments will improve infrastructure, expand access to capital and create opportunities for businesses and workers across the Commonwealth.
“Pennsylvania’s future depends on smart investments that create jobs, support entrepreneurs, and improve the infrastructure our communities rely on,” said Senator Miller. “This investment strengthens our workforce, grows our economy and allows Pennsylvania to compete for the industries of tomorrow.”
Preventing EBT card theft
The budget includes $7 million to implement chip-based EBT cards, strengthening protections against theft of SNAP benefits. Unlike magnetic stripe cards, chip technology generates a unique code for each transaction, making it much more arduous for criminals to steal benefits through card skimming. Nationwide, benefit theft has affected an estimated 3.5 million SNAP recipients.
“Too many families in our communities have had their EBT benefits stolen, leaving them deprived of the resources they rely on to put food on the table,” said Senator Miller. “No one should have to lose their grocery money to fraud. Investing in chip-enabled EBT cards is a commonsense step that protects vulnerable Pennsylvanians, strengthens the integrity of the SNAP program, and gives families greater peace of mind when they need it most.”
Supporting student teachers
The budget is investing $40 million in student bursaries, an boost of $10 million on last year, to assist aspiring teachers complete unpaid, full-time studies without facing unnecessary financial hardship.
The investment helps strengthen Pennsylvania’s teaching base, making access to the profession more affordable for future teachers.
“Pennsylvania’s future depends on the teachers we prepare today and the support we give them from the beginning,” said Senator Miller. “For too long, aspiring teachers have been expected to work full-time in the classroom without pay, creating a financial barrier that discourages talented people from entering the profession.”
Strengthening Public Security
The budget makes significant investments to improve public safety across Pennsylvania, including $62.15 million for violence intervention and prevention programs, $10 million for the nonprofit Security Grant Program to protect organizations from hate crimes, funding for four novel Pennsylvania State Police cadet classes with a total of 480 cadets, and increased loan maximums for fire and EMS companies to strengthen emergency response capabilities.
“Strong public safety requires investing in prevention, preparedness and the people who protect our communities every day,” said Senator Miller. “These investments will strengthen violence prevention programs, increase security for organizations at risk of hate crimes, support the recruitment of new State Police cadets, and ensure firefighters and EMS companies have the resources they need to respond when Pennsylvanians need them most. This is a comprehensive investment in safer and stronger communities across the Commonwealth.”
Nursing Home Budget Adjustment (BAF)
The Nursing Home Budget Adjustment Factor (BAF) will receive $81 million in additional funding for nursing homes, as well as an extension of the Department of Human Services’ authority to apply the Budget Adjustment Factor for the next two years, providing much-needed stability for healthcare providers.
This investment builds on Senator Miller’s leadership as Senate Democratic Policy Chair, where he convened a policy hearing that examined the long-term sustainability of Pennsylvania’s nursing homes, the state’s rapidly aging population and workforce shortages, as well as the urgent steps needed to ensure older adults continue to have access to high-quality long-term care.
“Pennsylvania’s nursing homes face significant financial pressures, and failure to act will prevent access to high-quality long-term care for seniors,” said Senator Miller. “Nearly 70 percent of nursing home residents are on Medicaid, making a sustainable reimbursement system essential to keeping these facilities open and providing the care families rely on, while ensuring our seniors continue to receive the care and dignity they deserve.”
Additional budget investments
The budget also includes several key investments that will strengthen communities across Pennsylvania, including:
- $2.5 million for the Nursing Shortage Assistance Program to address the nursing shortage in Pennsylvania.
- $16.3 million for apprenticeship and workforce training programs through the Department of Labor and Industry.
- $24.1 million for rape crisis centers.
- $979 million for mental health services.
- $42.5 million for Grow PA scholarships to assist recruit and retain students in high-demand fields.
In the coming weeks, Senator Miller will share how these investments will directly benefit the Lehigh Valley and the communities of the 14th Senatorial District.
“This budget invests in families, strengthens our workforce, improves public safety, and creates more opportunities across Pennsylvania,” said Senator Miller. “While there is still more work ahead, these investments point our Commonwealth in the right direction and will have a significant impact on communities throughout the Lehigh Valley and throughout Pennsylvania.”
