E-news Updates - June 27, 2025

In this Update:

Recognizing 2025 Graduates
Pro Life Rally
Soldier Story – Lieutenant Sam Woodfill
SB381, Beagle Bill Passes Unanimously
SR131 is Adopted.
SB89 Passes Unanimously!
SB 129 Heads to the Governor’s Desk!
June 24^th VAEP Committee Meeting
Lifesaving Bill to Eliminate Cost Barriers to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Approved by Senate
Senate Targets PA Opioid Crisis with Expanded Reporting Tool
Measure to Prevent Eminent Domain Abuse Approved by Senate
School Bus Safety Grant Program Applications Accepted
Celebrating Great Outdoors Month

Recognizing 2025 Graduates

It was my honor to speak at the Homeschool Graduation on Saturday! Graduates of 2025, I hope you remember one thing: What you do in life matters, it echoes across the generations and into eternity.

Congratulations class of 2025!

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine… to Him be glory.” — Ephesians 3:20–21

Pro Life Rally

On Tuesday, I stood proudly in the Capitol to defend the most fundamental right of all — the right to life. Thank you, Representative Stephanie Borowicz, for hosting this event!

Every life is sacred. Every child is a gift. And every heartbeat matters.

As your Senator, I will continue to be a voice for the voiceless and fight for policies that protect the unborn, support mothers, and uphold the dignity of human life at every stage.

Soldier Story – Lieutenant Sam Woodfill

October 12, 1918.
In the fog-filled Meuse Valley near Cunel, France… Lieutenant Sam Woodfill prepared to lead his men into hell.

A farm boy. A veteran of the Philippines, Alaska, and the Mexican border.
Woodfill was a marksman, a quiet man of faith—and one of the few regular Army soldiers in the A.E.F.

He wasn’t flashy. He didn’t boast.
But when the bullets started flying… he became a force of nature.

That morning, as machine gun fire and German artillery tore through his men—
Woodfill scribbled a goodbye note on the back of his wife’s photo…
and prepared to die.

But he didn’t.

Instead—he charged alone.
Diving through shell holes. Crawling through mustard gas.
Dodging bullets so close… he could feel the heat on his face.

He picked off snipers in a church steeple.
Silenced another in a barn.
Then turned toward a deadly German machine gun nest.

Charging across open ground—he gunned down five Germans.
A sixth leapt at him. Woodfill drew his Colt .45 and dropped him cold.

Moments later, in a trench fight—his pistol jammed.
A German charged with a rifle.
Woodfill grabbed a pick mattock and struck him down.

Another German raised his pistol—
Woodfill turned and finished him off.

By day’s end, Sam Woodfill had cleared three machine gun nests,
killed over a dozen enemy soldiers, captured others,
and shattered a key section of the Kriemhilde Line—alone.For his courage, skill, and raw determination—
Lieutenant Sam Woodfill was awarded the Medal of Honor.

We remember the heroism of Woodfill.

Respectfully, Senator Doug Mastriano, PhD, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)

SB381, Beagle Bill Passes Unanimously

Senate Bill 381, known as the Beagle Bill, passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, marking a significant step forward for animal welfare in Pennsylvania. The bipartisan support reflects growing momentum to end painful taxpayer-funded experiments on dogs and cats, promote adoption of retired research animals, and increase transparency and accountability in animal research practices across the Commonwealth.

To watch my remarks on this bill, please click the video above.

To see the legislation, use the link below:

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb381

To see the committee vote, use the link below

Senate Committee Roll Call Vote List | 2025-2026 Session | – PA State Senate

SR131 is Adopted

Senate Resolution 131 designates September 12 as “The Day of the Bible” in Pennsylvania, commemorating the approval of the first English-language Bible printed in America—the Aitken Bible—by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1782. This resolution honors the Bible’s profound cultural, moral, and spiritual influence on our Commonwealth and the nation, and encourages schools, civic groups, and faith-based organizations to observe the day with educational, historical, and cultural programs that reinforce our shared heritage of liberty, equality, and justice.

To watch my remarks on this bill, please click the video above.

To see the Legislation, use the link below:

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sr131

To see the committee vote, use the link below:

Senate Committee Roll Call Vote List | 2025-2026 Session | – PA State Senate

SB89 Passes Unanimously!

I’m proud to share that SB 89—my bill to enhance overdose reporting and response coordination—has passed both the PA House and Senate unanimously and is now on its way to the Governor’s desk for signature.

This legislation ensures EMS providers are fully integrated into our overdose tracking systems, helping save lives through faster, more accurate data sharing. It’s a big step forward in our fight against the overdose epidemic—and a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together.

For more information, please click on the link below:

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb89

To see the Floor vote, follow the link below:

Senate Roll Call Vote Summary #172 | 2025-2026 Regular Session – PA State Senate

SB 129 Heads to the Governor’s Desk!

I’m proud to announce that my bill, SB 129, has passed both the Pennsylvania House and Senate unanimously and is now on its way to the Governor’s desk for signature.

This important legislation strengthens accountability and transparency in our state veterans’ homes by expanding and modernizing the advisory councils that oversee them. It ensures that veterans, their families, and local communities have a voice in the care and oversight of those who served our nation.

This is a win for our heroes and for good governance.

For more information, please click on the link below:

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb129

To see the Floor vote, follow the link below:

Senate Roll Call Vote Summary #173 | 2025-2026 Regular Session – PA State Senate

June 24^th VAEP Committee Meeting

Please enjoy watching Tuesday’s VAEP Committee Meeting to consider SR 116; and HB 304 HB 797, HB 799 and HB 865.

Lifesaving Bill to Eliminate Cost Barriers to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Approved by Senate

Patients who receive abnormal results from supplemental breast cancer screenings will be able to access the necessary follow-up diagnostic imaging at no cost under bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate. This ensures critical continuum of care.

Senate Bill 88 builds on the success of Act 1 of 2023, which provided no-cost preventive screenings for individuals at high risk. Senate Bill 88 takes the next step with no-cost follow-up diagnostic imaging and expands eligibility to include individuals at average risk.

While 26 other states have followed Pennsylvania’s lead in offering no-cost supplemental breast screening since the passage of Act 1, Pennsylvania remains the only state without guaranteed coverage for diagnostic imaging. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.

Senate Targets PA Opioid Crisis with Expanded Reporting Tool

The Senate voted to incorporate overdose reporting by EMS providers into the statewide Overdose Information Network to make sure first responders, treatment providers and other key parties have the information they need to save lives.

My bill, Senate Bill 89 would require the Pennsylvania Department of Health to coordinate with the Pennsylvania State Police to ensure real-time overdose reporting by EMS providers is incorporated into the statewide mapping system. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.

EMS providers would report information including the date and time of the overdose, location, substances used by the victim and more. In other action to prevent opioid deaths, Senate Republicans led passage of a measure giving EMS personnel permanent authority to leave behind a dose of lifesaving naloxone at non-fatal overdose scenes.

Measure to Prevent Eminent Domain Abuse Approved by Senate

Legislation to protect property owners against eminent domain abuse and ensure they are fully compensated when their property is taken by government was approved by the Senate.

Senate Bill 225 would ensure business owners and farmers whose properties are seized through eminent domain are compensated for loss of “goodwill,” which goes beyond the assessed value.

For farms, the land may possess characteristics that make it particularly special, such as fertile soil. In the case of another business, goodwill may be because of location, access to utilities and other factors.

Farmers, employers and homeowners testified before a Senate committee last year about eminent domain abuse. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

School Bus Safety Grant Program Applications Accepted

School districts, school bus companies and municipalities have until July 3 to apply for state grants to improve school bus safety and pay for training and other costs associated with attracting much-needed school bus drivers.

Legislation passed by the General Assembly allows school districts to install automated camera systems to enforce the state School Bus Stopping Law and increase safety for school children. A portion of the fines paid by violators are used for the School Bus Safety Grant Program.

Details and the online application are available here.

Celebrating Great Outdoors Month

The arrival of summer means plenty of opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy what nature has to offer locally and across our commonwealth.

Pennsylvania is home to cool, green forests, thousands of pristine lakes and streams, hiking trails and state parks. Find plenty of ways to explore the great outdoors of our region and the state here.

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