CAPITOL ROUNDUP: State spends record $1.5B with small businesses, creating more opportunity
Oct. 24—WILKES-BARRE — The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) this week announced that the Shapiro-Davis Administration spent nearly $1.5 billion with small, small diverse, and veteran-owned businesses during FY 2025-26 — a 24% increase over the last fiscal year.
The Office of Business Inclusion and Supplier Development (BISD)'s FY 2025 — 26 Annual Report marks the second year under Gov. Josh Shapiro's leadership that the Commonwealth has reached a new record high for small business procurement reporting.
"Small businesses employ 2.5 million people in Pennsylvania — about half of our state's private workforce — and they are the heart and soul of our communities," said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, chair of the Pennsylvania Advisory Council for Inclusive Procurement (PACIP).
The executive order established the Pennsylvania Advisory Council for Inclusive Procurement (PACIP) to advise Commonwealth agencies on making contracting more accessible.
DGS raised the annual revenue limit for small business eligibility from $38.5 million to $47 million, reduced certification turnaround times by 33%, and implemented a prompt-payment policy requiring prime contractors on qualifying non-construction contracts to pay their small diverse and veteran-owned business subcontractors within 10 days of receiving payment from the Commonwealth.
BISD engaged more than 3,000 entrepreneurs and business advocates through 45 outreach events across the Commonwealth.
Pa. Senate adopts Baker's measure to examine financial burdens facing victims of vehicle-related crimes
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, to examine the financial burdens victims of vehicle-related crimes face was approved by the Senate this week.
The review was requested by the Office of Victim Advocate, who brought a serious issue to Baker's attention. Baker said when police recover a stolen vehicle, it is routinely towed to a secured storage facility, where it is stored until the criminal investigation has concluded.
After that point, the facility will frequently require that the towing and storage bill be paid before they release the vehicle to the victim, which often results in them being forced to pay exorbitant fees before they can get their car back or even retrieve personal items, such as car seats.
Baker said Senate Resolution 377 would direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) to examine costs to victims, law enforcement agencies and municipalities, as well as potential alternatives and best practices to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for victims.
"This study will help us better understand the costs victims are facing and help identify practices to reduce or eliminate these expenses," said Baker, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which approved the bill last week. "We must ensure we are doing everything we can to support victims as they navigate an already difficult experience. By examining what is working in Pennsylvania and in other states, we can identify practical solutions that put victims first."
As adopted, the resolution requires a report examining the following to be produced by April 2027:
—The costs incurred by law enforcement agencies and municipalities to impound or hold a vehicle or other property as part of a criminal investigation.
—Feasible alternatives to the impoundment and holding of a victim's property, including current municipal practices.
—County-level best practices to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for victims when their vehicles or other property are taken as part of a criminal investigation.
—Costs a crime victim may incur to have a vehicle or other property returned.
—Best practices in other states for eliminating or reducing out-of-pocket costs for crime victims.
Rep. Meuser co-sponsors resolution supporting crackdown on fentanyl trafficking
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas Township, this week co-sponsored H.Res. 959 — a resolution supporting President Donald Trump's Executive Order Designating Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction.
Meuser said drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 44, with fentanyl being the leading contributor to the overdose crisis.
Meuser said deaths caused by fentanyl dramatically increased during the Biden Administration, claiming more than 70,000 lives each year between 2021 and 2023, according to the CDC. Meuser said overseas interference continues to drive much of America's opioid epidemic, with China remaining a significant source of materials used to make fentanyl.
Meuser said President Trump is addressing the opioid crisis by stopping the flow of drugs across the U.S. — Mexico border, pressuring China to stop the shipment of fentanyl precursors, and providing Americans with clear leadership to address this public health crisis.
Under the Trump Administration, Meuser said fentanyl trafficking at the southern border collapsed by 56% in a single year compared to the same period in 2024 under Biden, while fentanyl-linked deaths plunged by 22% in a single year.
"The fentanyl crisis remains one of the most devastating tragedies in American history since the Civil War," Meuser said. "Unfortunately, it was also completely preventable with good leadership and a commonsense border security policy that acknowledges America's sovereignty. President Trump and Republicans have saved countless American lives by securing our borders and refusing to turn a blind eye to those who are trafficking this deadly substance into our communities. By designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, we are providing law enforcement with the tools and authority needed to protect our communities from this deadly poison."
Meuser said H.Res. 959 would recognize the fentanyl crisis as a public health emergency, and identify the groups who facilitate fentanyl trafficking to the United States.
The resolution was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
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Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
