This week, Gov. Josh Shapiro discussed the administration’s nationwide work to responsibly utilize artificial intelligence, strengthen Pennsylvania’s innovation economy and strengthen the federal workforce.
Shapiro joined over 900 technology, business and academic leaders at the 2nd AI Horizons Summit in Pittsburgh.
At the summit, Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania is currently offering qualified employees a cutting-edge suite of generative AI tools from every state in the country.
The announcement represents a major step in the effort to deploy AI responsibly, increase government efficiency and prepare Pennsylvania workers for future jobs.
“Pennsylvania is leading the way when it comes to embracing innovation and encouraging artificial intelligence to work for people,” Shapiro said. “We are responsible for having training and safeguards in place to protect our workers and the public.”
Since taking office, Shapiro said he has positioned Pennsylvania as a national leader in responsible AI governance and innovation.
Executive Order on AI: Establish the country’s strongest standards for AI use in state governments, leading to 10 core values including accuracy, privacy, fairness and transparency
• Generated AI Pilot Program: The first partnership with OpenAI will test ChatGpt Enterprise and ChatGpt Enterprise, saving workers an average of 95 minutes a day.
Responsible Training: Over 1,300 federal employees have completed Innovateus training on the use of safe and ethical AI, with an additional 3,200 registered
• Labor Management Collaboration: Creating a Generated AI Labor and Management Collaboration Group to ensure workers to shape how workers are deployed in government operations.
•National Recognition: Pennsylvania ranked in the top three states for AI preparation for the US 2025 Government AI Landscape Assessment Code
This week’s announcement will allow Commonwealth employees to access ChatGpt Enterprise in addition to Microsoft Copilot Chat.
Bresnahan votes for bipartisan FEMA reform
US Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. issued a TA statement this week after voting in favor of HR 4669 (An emergency management amended to the 2025 Americans (FEMA) Act).
“Northeast Pennsylvania knows a fair share of natural disasters,” said Bresnahan of R-Darras Township. “When our communities suffer from these disasters, they need to know that help is approaching and not stuck in the middle of an unnecessary and challenging bureaucratic process. The FEMA Act brings the necessary reforms to FEMA to put the nation in the driver’s seat for mitigation and response efforts.”
Among many improvements and FEMA reforms, Bresnahan’s bipartisan law, HR 4426, Research Mitigation and Reporting (Smart) ACT Research – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needs to research and report on the sacrificial activities of mitigation activities.
“Investing in disaster mitigation saves lives and taxpayer dollars,” Bresnahan said. “This will increase transparency and accountability to FEMA and ensure that you see the true return on your investment.”
Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District has experienced many flood events over the past 20 years. In May 2025, Honesdale District was hit by flash floods. In September 2023, Lucerne County was hit by flooding, causing $25 million in damage and destroying 459 properties.
During the September 2011 storm, the Susquehanna River climbed at a record 42.66 feet, nearly violating the Wilkesbale levee.
Furthermore, in 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused record-breaking rainfall and flooding in northeastern Pennsylvania. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses suffered an estimated $2 billion damage from Hurricane Agnes.
DMVA: Check out Veterans
September is the National Suicide Prevention Month, and the Military and Veterans Affairs Bureau (DMVA) reminds Pennsylvanians of the resources available to those in crisis or need additional support.
Veterans remain at high risk of suicide. And there are far too many suicides in one veteran.
From this month onwards, DMVA has encouraged everyone to reach out to veterans in their lives and let them know that someone cares.
If you are a veteran of crisis or you are worried about one, free confidential support is available 24/7. Dial 988 and press 1 to call the Veterans Crisis Line and send a text message to 838255 or chat online.
Major General John Pippy, vice-general of Pennsylvania and prime minister of DMVA, said: “We owe it to all the veterans they endured because of the unique challenges they faced in serving our country.”
Military veterans are 1.5 times more likely to die from suicide than Americans who have never worked in the military. For female veterans, risk factors are 2.2 times more likely.
In October, the DMVA will hold a special summit on veteran suicide, bringing together experts, leaders and families to talk about real solutions.
The summit is live streamed and allows the public to become part of the conversation. For more information, please visit www.dmva.pa.gov.
The Argall bill will boost long-term care
Two bills created by Senator Dave Argall to continue working on the state budget during this Senate session this week were passed with bipartisan support from Senator R-Pottsville, with the third moving forward with the committee.
“In addition to efforts to end this unnecessary budget crisis, I was pleased to see these common sense measures gained bipartisan support,” Argar said. “There is little more problem than the labor shortage affecting many segments of our economy. Our vote supports two labor forces that play an important role in our community: long-term care workers and the amendment officer.”
• Senate Bill 114 encourages more employees to participate in long-term care workers by expanding both the availability of long-term care training courses for nurse aides and the eligibility for individuals to take the nurse aides test. The bill was approved by a 31-18 vote and is now entering the House.
Senior advocates strongly support these changes and note that they will remove barriers for those seeking employment in long-term care centres while ensuring employee qualifications.
• Senate Bill 111 will provide true relief by eliminating the residency requirements for correctional officers and addressing staffing shortages to overworked state correctional officers in Pennsylvania. The bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee by a unanimous 13-0 vote and is currently entering the full Senate for consideration.
Argall introduced the law at the request of local corrections officers and their unions.
• Senate Bill 460 updates procedures in the event that the governor or lieutenant governor is unable to perform his duties. The bill was approved by a 35-14 vote and is now entering the House.
The bill was introduced after review by the Senate State Government Committee, which was then chaired by Argall, and then the Governor and Lieutenant Governor Disability Procedure Act, enacted in 1974, applied in a different way to all three cases, including references to telegrams, and included outdated languages.
Contact Bill O’Boyle on 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @tlbilloboyle.
