PA State Rep. John Schlegel

10/20/2026

Today, I supported legislation now on its way to the governor, which would improve school bus safety by increasing the stopping distance from a school bus when its lights are flashing.

10/19/2026

At this morning’s House Education Committee meeting, I expressed my support for House Resolution 650, which aims to raise awareness about the more than 25,000 students experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania. The resolution would designate the week of Nov. 16-20, 2026, as “Pennsylvania Education for Youth Experiencing Homelessness Awareness Week,” and Nov. 20, 2026, as “Red Shirt Day.” The resolution is timely and points to a growing homeless problem in our Commonwealth. In my remarks, I called attention to House Bill 1326, a bill I co-prime sponsored, which, among other things, would collect data in our school districts to determine the number of homeless students who are transported to our schools daily. The provision was recommended by school transportation officials to help inform future school funding decisions.

10/09/2026

Thank you to all the seniors, family members and caregivers who turned out for the Aging Your Way Festival at the Lebanon Valley Expo Center yesterday. My staff and I had the pleasure of meeting many of you at our booth. If you couldn't attend, you can always call or stop by my district office in the Lebanon Valley Mall to pick up information on programs and services available to seniors and receive assistance in locating resources in your community. We're here to help!

10/08/2026

10/08/2026

The Aging Your Way Festival is underway at the Lebanon Valley Expo Center! It runs from until 4 p.m. today. Please stop by our booth and learn how our office can assist you. We look forward to seeing you!

10/07/2026

In today’s House Children and Youth Committee voting meeting, we gave our unanimous approval to a bill that would help grandparents who are struggling to raise their grandchildren.

Today, many grandparents are retired and on fixed incomes. Most are unprepared for the financial burden of raising their grandchildren and find themselves deprived of the resources necessary to properly house, feed and clothe these children.

House Bill 2695 would remove barriers to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, a cash assistance program that helps low-income families with children achieve economic stability.

I have heard from many of my constituents who are now raising the children of another family member. This legislation would ease their burden and provide children with the resources they need.

10/07/2026

The House Children and Youth Committee held a public hearing this week on legislation that aims to protect expectant mothers and would be adoptive parents from unscrupulous and deceptive practices by unlicensed, third-party adoption intermediaries.

A panel of social workers and adoption advocates warned that Pennsylvania is one of only two states that allow unlicensed adoption intermediaries to operate here. They testified in support House Bill 2153, which would ban them. They said the peril in using unlicensed intermediaries is that they have no education or training requirements, and many prey on vulnerable expectant mothers and couples desperate to start a family, often charging exorbitant fees and depriving them of counseling, support, education, and knowledge of their legal rights.

Family Law Attorney, Liz Vaysman, testified about the prevalence of unlicensed adoption intermediaries and the risks involved in contracting with one, which led me to ask why anyone would.

To watch the entire hearing, visit https://pagopvideo.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/625742115.mp4.

10/06/2026

I joined several of my Republican colleagues at a Capitol news conference Monday that focused on affordability. Our 10-bill package addresses measures to address housing, energy and child care costs, and ways state government can ease those burdens. I am a cosponsor of House Bill 2660, which would help daycare centers increase staffing by permitting the PA Department of Human Services to certify staff already licensed by the state Department of Education.
The rest of the 10-bill package would:
• Reduce the personal income tax.
• Exempt sales tax on items used for home improvement and fitness projects.
• Eliminate the gross receipt tax on utilities.
• Family savings account to allow tax free money for childbirth, fertility treatment, adoption, childcare and parental leave, to be rolled into a PA 529 account or Roth IRA.
• Double the childcare and dependent enhancement tax credit.
• Remove the cap on PA 529 contributions and student loan interest to help families better manage educational cost.
• Eliminate the state portion of the realty transfer tax for residential homes.
• Reduce the corporate net income tax to 2.25. This would be the lowest rate in the nation.
• Allow small businesses to deduct net operating loss in future tax years.

This legislation would bring growing revenue to the Commonwealth through free market ideas and solutions that benefit families and job creators.

To see the entire news conference, visit https://pagopvideo.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/275038524.mp4

10/06/2026

Last week, I celebrated the grand opening of the new HealthWorks Lebanon practice, its members and its Lebanon County School District partners. The new facility, located at 1023 Poplar St., Lebanon, provides primary care, tailored health management, preventative services, and direct support for members, including school district employees. I presented a certificate of recognition to Matthew Parido, executive director of Corporate Partnerships at Penn Medicine, who delivered the keynote remarks. He spoke about the facility’s debut and emphasized the role of innovative, accessible primary care models in strengthening regional employer and community health networks.