Pa. lawmakers, Shapiro finally wrap up budget items. Here are 5 things to know.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg have at last wrapped up some critical components of the Pennsylvania budget they adopted in August.

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday night signed both the fiscal and school codes into law. The measures — House Bills 1300 and 301, respectively — will affect 911 units, state police rosters, mental health services and public education in the commonwealth in several ways.

“I ran for governor to deliver real, tangible solutions to the most pressing issues folks are facing every day, and the bipartisan bills I am signing ... include more big wins for Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said in a news release.

Phone fee increase

To help pay for county 911 systems and dispatchers, House Bill 1300 includes a fee increase on the monthly surcharge for all Pennsylvania phone lines.

The fee has been $1.65 per month. It's being raised to $1.95 from March of this year to Feburary 2026.

It's still less than half of the 65-cent increase requested by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

Lisa Schaefer, the association's executive director, said the surcharge increase prevents a worst-case scenario, but still "kicks the can down the road." Counties are already tasked with paying for approximately 35% of their 911 costs.

"We're disappointed by the very small increase that's not going to take much of the burden off our property taxpayers," Schaefer told the USA TODAY Network.

House Democrats unanimously supported House Bill 1300, which advanced through the chamber by a vote of 154-49. It passed the Senate 45-5, with state Sen. Katie Muth (D-Montgomery) joining a handful of Republicans to oppose.

Pennsylvania State Police recruiting

House Bill 1300 includes money for an additional 100 Pennsylvania State Police troopers.

This push to recruit and hire additional law enforcement personnel aligns with one of Shapiro's budget pledges. The governor has called for $16.4 million in new funding to provide four trooper cadet classes in 2023-24.

In August, Shapiro acted to bolster state police ranks by ending the requirement for prospective troopers to have 60 college credits.

State Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster), Senate Appropriations Committee chair, celebrated the bill as well. He said it reflects several GOP priorities first identified in March.

“Completing the final components of the state budget will ensure key funding is delivered to safeguard the health and safety of Pennsylvanians, while at the same time spending less money than was originally budgeted in June,” Martin wrote in a public statement.

Teacher stipends

House Bill 301, meanwhile, addressed some unanswered questions about public education.

The passage of this school code bill ensures $261 million for community colleges, $70.5 million for libraries and $175 million in upgrades and environmental repairs to schools. An additional $10 million has been allocated for student-teacher stipend program designed to attract more people to the profession.

Each stipend pays student-teachers a base of $10,000, according to Pennsylvania State Education Association spokesperson Chris Lilienthal. They can receive up to $15,000 if they agree to work at an understaffed district.

Instructors who supervise these student-teachers are also to receive a $2,500 stipend under this program, Lilienthal said.

House Bill 301 passed 175-28 in the House, with every Democrat voting in favor. State senators advanced it by a vote of 43-7, with a few members of both parties dissenting.

Mental health funding

The school code bill also provides $100 million for mental health resources in schools.

This reflects another Shapiro priority. The governor had called for $500 million for school-based mental health initiatives over the next five years in his budget address.

These funds are to help pay for counseling and other services.

"We were strong advocates for that mental health funding," Lilienthal told the USA TODAY Network. "We certainly agree with the governor."

Earned Income Tax Credit expansion

Another component of the school code bill was a $150 million increase for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs.

Stephen Bloom, vice president at the Commonwealth Foundation, characterized this as a win for fellow school choice advocates. He called it the "biggest-ever expansion of Pennsylvania's tax credit scholarships" and thanked both chambers for ensuring its passage.

"It will mean thousands more kids can access the education that fits their academic needs,” Bloom said in a statement.

School choice has been among the more contentious topics in Harrisburg amid the budget process. State Sen. Lindsey Williams, minority chair of the Senate Education Committee, was among the "no" votes on House Bill 301, which passed 43-7.

"As in past years, this year’s school code contains bills that are a huge priority to me — including bills that I’ve sponsored," Williams wrote to explain her decision. "But I stand in strong opposition to any program — EITC, OSTC, or any future voucher programs like PASS (Pennsylvania Award for Student Success) or Lifeline Scholarships — that discriminate against kids and siphon your tax dollars into the pockets of billionaires who seek to defund, destabilize, and destroy public education.”

Bruce Siwy is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Pennsylvania state capital bureau. He can be reached at bsiwy@gannett.com or on X at @BruceSiwy.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: PA fiscal code, school code bills approved by Gov. Josh Shapiro