Legislative Tracking Center
The YAC Legislative Tracking Center
The YAC works to keep young people and transit advocates in the Southeastern Pennsylvania region up to date on the latest news concerning transit. One major determinant of the future of transit in Pennsylvania is the legislation coming out of Harrisburg. To this end, our Government Affairs Committee has taken on the task of piloting this Legislative Tracking Center. Here, young people and transit advocates alike can find easy to understand descriptions of the transit-related bills currently working their way through our state capital.
Pennsylvania State Government is comprised of three branches. The executive branch is led by the Governor, the legislature is comprised of the Pennsylvania House and Senate, and the judiciary is comprised of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and many lower courts. Legislation that affects transit moves through the State Legislature and is signed into law by the Governor.
How Does State Government Work?
Transit Legislation
James Kemp
James KempJames Kemp, originally from Baltimore, Maryland, is a junior at St. Joseph’s University studying public policy and quantitative economics. He is the president of the student section 54th Airborne and involved on the orientation team and Phi Sigma Pi, an...
Gov. Shapiro’s Proposed Budget 26-27
YAC Reacts to the PA 25-26 Budget
Save SEPTA Committee Statement
September 10, 2025 Philadelphia, PA - The SEPTA Youth Advisory Council's Special Committee to Save SEPTA rejects Governor Josh Shapiro's call to end transit funding negotiations in lieu of SEPTA's receipt of ~$400m from Pennsylvania's Public Transportation Trust Fund,...
Jaylah Fitzgerald
Jaylah Fitzgerald, a junior class of 2026 at the Academy of Palumbo, is one of the many Philadelphia high school students that use SEPTA daily to commute to school. Fitzgerald’s 40 minute commute to school starts every morning by walking down the street to catch the...
SEPTA Youth Advisory Council Briefs New CEO, Showcases Milestones and Momentum in 2025
June 5, 2025 Philadelphia, PA – As SEPTA continues its critical push for funding in Harrisburg, Chair Thomas Pyle and the rest of the SEPTA YAC briefed newly appointed SEPTA CEO and General Manager Scott Sauer on their accomplishments in the first half of 2025. This...
Kids Save SEPTA
Harrisburg, PA - On June 4th, four members of the YAC traveled to Harrisburg PA to participate in Transit for All PA's rally to save public transit. Departing early in the morning from Amtrak's 30th street station, our members joined hundreds of Pennsylvanians in...
Larissa Jaffe Ward
Larissa Jaffe Ward- Every morning, Larissa Jaffe Ward began her day on the streets of Northeast Philadelphia. From her home near Bustleton and Devereaux, she walked to Bustleton and Magee to catch the 26 bus — her lifeline to La Salle University, where she recently...
Kayla Macrae
“Public transportation is like a mass carpool"Kayla McRae is a senior at La Salle University, majoring in Integrated Science, Business, and Technology (ISBT). She lives in North Philadelphia, near 3rd and Champlost, and SEPTA is a core part of how she gets through her...
Katherine Johnson
"Make A Plan For Delays"Katherine Johnson is an English Education major attending Haverford College. As a senior, she lives off campus and frequently relies on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to travel throughout the region. She has been...