In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation aimed at strengthening transparency and protecting taxpayer dollars across the Commonwealth.

Following the tragic attack on the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence last year, substantial security enhancements and renovations were undertaken at this publicly owned property to better ensure the safety of Governor Josh Shapiro and his family. To date, taxpayers have invested approximately $32 million to reinforce the Governor’s Residence and reduce the risk of a similar attack to the one that occurred on April 13, 2025.

At the same time, an additional $1.1 million in taxpayer funds has been allocated for security improvements at Governor Shapiro’s privately owned residence in Montgomery County. There is broad agreement that publicly funded security measures are often necessary to protect elected officials—particularly the Commonwealth’s chief executive and their family. However, when public dollars are used to improve a private residence, taxpayers deserve transparency about those expenditures and assurance that the state will be reimbursed if the property is later sold.

My proposed legislation would require a lien to be placed on any private property that receives upgrades, renovations, or improvements funded with appropriated state dollars. The lien would reflect the total amount of public funds invested and would be payable only upon the sale or transfer of the property.

This approach protects the public interest by ensuring that a private property owner does not retain the full benefit of taxpayer-funded improvements without a fair mechanism to return those funds to the Commonwealth.

I ask you to join me as a cosponsor of this legislation, which seeks to balance the safety of our elected officials with accountability to the taxpayers who fund these necessary protections.