What are your top three legislative priorities in 2024?
My top four legislative priorities will always remain the same:
- Create pro-growth policies to advance the economy of the Commonwealth.
- Improve the financial management of the Commonwealth.
- Improve the transparency of government.
- Weed out and eliminate fraud, waste and abuse wherever it resides in state government.
What are the important issues facing your district?
The top issues facing my district mirror Pennsylvania’s challenges: the economy and taxes. While York County is enjoying economic growth, the reality is inflation continues to slow progress.
What is your favorite vacation destination?
I don’t have a favorite vacation destination per say, but we are a beach vacation family. Personally, I love traveling and immersing myself in local culture.
What are the biggest challenges for grocers in your district?
The rising cost of doing business through inflation is a significant issue for my grocers. All businesses continually tell me they want to keep prices low, but with their low profit margins, they have no choice but to increase costs.
What are your biggest challenges and successes as a legislator?
My biggest challenge as a legislator is how long it can take to make changes. I go to work with big ideas, but the process moves intentionally slowly. I am very proud of the changes I have been able to make in transparency for Pennsylvania, from the forming of the Government Oversight Committee to my work on the State Government and Appropriations Committees.
What is your favorite food or meal to cook?
Grilling. It doesn’t matter what meat product and maybe some fruits and vegetables. Also, bacon.
What do you like to do for fun?
Fun for me is taxiing and watching my kids at their various sporting events and being the fiscal watchdog for the House Republican Caucus.
What is your greatest success as a legislator over the past few years?
As the Majority Chairman of the House State Government last session, I had two important tasks: managing the post-2020 election and Congressional Redistricting.
After the 2020 election, we held ten hearings to determine how our elections operate and a review of the laws that govern them. Through these hearings, the committee developed a comprehensive solution that increased voter access, provided election security throughout the process, and updated a system predicated on a 1937 law. While Gov. Wolf vetoed the legislation without reading it, it offered the solutions we still need today.
For the first time in the history of the Commonwealth, the State Government Committee provided a public and transparent process for redistricting, leading to the adoption of a citizen-drawn map by the General Assembly. While Gov. Wolf vetoed this historic citizen-drawn congressional map, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court selected a map drawn by a Democrat dark money group. The process created should be the standard process for all future Congressional Maps.
