What are your top three legislative priorities in 2022?
My legislative agenda is focused on creating new job opportunities for Pennsylvanians, improving education and empowering parents and protecting our communities. We made progress toward all these goals in 2021 by passing bills supporting educational choice and parental involvement, supporting businesses impacted by the pandemic, promoting new business development and strengthening services for crime victims.
What are the biggest concerns you hear from your constituents?
Many of the concerns I hear from community residents are focused on the problems people experience every day: rising costs for basic necessities, concerns about potential tax increases and issues pertaining to schools or other branches of government. That’s why these issues drive my legislative agenda in Harrisburg.
Where do you shop locally for food?
We primarily shop at our local Weis or at the Wegmans in State College if we need something specific. Centre County is also lucky to have many farm markets that feature some of the best products our local agriculture industry has to offer.
What is your favorite vacation destination?
For me, the destination really doesn’t matter so long as I get to spend time with my family. Having that time to relax and reconnect with the people I love is what matters most.
What are the biggest challenges for grocers in your district?
Inflation and supply chain issues have created new burdens on grocers locally and statewide. These are concerns that were unimaginable a few years ago, but now need to be confronted to prevent disruptions in the lives of all Pennsylvanians.
What are your biggest challenges and successes as a legislator?
Partisanship always creates challenges because it often impedes the ability of lawmakers to work together toward meaningful solutions.
However, despite those challenges, I am proud to have worked to address some of the biggest problems our state has faced over the past 20-plus years, including historic reforms to our state’s pension system and our transportation infrastructure funding.
One of our biggest and most recent successes was the creation of a tax credit program that brought a $6 billion investment into Pennsylvania. A new lower carbon gasoline manufacturing facility will create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent positions to our commonwealth.
What is your favorite snack on a long session day?
I am not much of a snacker, but if I need something quick, I usually grab pretzels.
What do you like to do for fun?
I am never happier than when I’m spending time with my wife and kids. I love watching my kids play sports, and as a family, we have many talks about what is going on in each other’s lives. This allows us to always stay connected.
