Ensuring the State Police are Equipped to Protect Our Communities: This budget continues to support PSP’s mission to protect the safety of Pennsylvania communities by supporting four additional cadet classes. Beginning in 2025-26, this funding will allow for the training of at least 250 more new State Troopers to provide critical policing services to Pennsylvania’s residents. Since he took office, Governor Shapiro has secured funding for twelve cadet classes to train over 1,000 new Pennsylvania State Troopers and secured funding to help municipal police departments recruit and retain nearly 700 municipal police officers across the Commonwealth. To date, more than 500 cadets have graduated and joined the ranks of PSP under Governor Shapiro’s leadership.
Supporting the City of Harrisburg Fire Department: Pennsylvania’s career and volunteer firefighters and first responders bravely put themselves in harm’s way to protect their neighbors and serve an essential role in ensuring the safety of their communities – and the Governor and his family are grateful to the first responders who responded to the arson attack at the Governor’s residence in Harrisburg and quickly extinguished the fire.
Firefighters are being stretched thin right now, responding to more and more calls each year as the number of firefighters across the Commonwealth shrinks. The Governor’s budget increases state support for the City of Harrisburg Fire Department by an additional $2 million each year, bringing the total state funding to $7 million per year.
Reducing Crime and Gun Violence: Over the past two years, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) has provided more than $600 million in funding for over 3,500 grants across Pennsylvania to address and prevent violence in our communities. In the most recent round of BOOST, VIP, and CCVI grant funding, PCCD received an overwhelming response with 478 applications requesting more than $174 million — more than three times the current allocation of $56.5 million in funding. The 2025-26 budget increases investments in PCCD to ensure community organizations have the resources to continue doing critical violence prevention work, including:
A $5.65 million increase for the successful Violence Intervention and Prevention program, reducing community violence by relying on community groups that are most in tune with specific local needs. Under Governor Shapiro, state funding for the VIP program has increased from $30M to $62M – an increase of 107%. Over the past two years, PCCD has awarded $85 million in VIP funding to reduce gun violence and make Pennsylvania communities safer.
$11.5 million in continued funding for the Building Opportunity through Out of School Time (BOOST) Grant Program. BOOST was created in the 2024-25 budget and provides funding for after-school programs that provide enrichment opportunities for our kids, address the root causes of violence, and make our communities safer.
Supporting First Responders Responding to Emergencies and Supporting Pennsylvanians Impacted by Natural Disasters: The federal government is hurting Pennsylvanians by walking away from vital disaster response funding. That’s why Democrats and Republicans came together to double funding for emergency preparedness here in Pennsylvania, from $20 million to $40 million. This funding is sorely needed — the Commonwealth has seen historic flooding over the last two years, touching nearly every region in Pennsylvania, including Tioga, Bucks, and Somerset Counties.
Supporting Victims of Violent Crime: PCCD’s Victim’s Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP) provides financial assistance to crime victims for expenses like relocation, medical bills, counseling, funeral costs, and lost wages. In the past, funding for the program has not kept up with the increased demand for help – putting this vital lifeline for crime victims at risk. As a temporary fix until a long-term solution can be addressed with the General Assembly, this budget provides flexibility to the funds currently transferred to PCCD from the Medical Marijuana Program Fund, which would allow PCCD to utilize current uncommitted funds to support VCAP-related expenses.