- 2 months ago
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) highlighted recent fixes to the state's Unemployment Compensation program including reduced wait times and backlogs.
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00:00that work. Your commitment ensures that Pennsylvanians get what they need when they
00:04need it and perhaps one of the areas where that's most important and
00:08impactful is when families are facing financial hardship such as when someone
00:12loses a job through no fault of their own. When that happens they deserve to
00:16have an unemployment compensation system that meets their needs when they
00:21need it. Today I am proud to announce that we have a system that is working
00:25better than ever. Thank you to all of these amazing UC people that you see
00:30here and to UC service employee behind me. UC service center people across the
00:35stage and at career links but none of this would be possible without the
00:39leadership and the help and the good service of Deputy Secretary Maria
00:43Maccas to whom whom I am very very grateful and absolutely none of this
00:55would be possible without a governor who made fixing the things that we could
01:00fix in the UC service system a priority in fact one of his first priorities when
01:05he took office. So thank you to Governor Shapiro for everything he did now if I
01:14could walk everyone back in time for a moment to 2023 when we when Governor
01:19Shapiro came into office at that point in time we had 40,000 backlogged claims that
01:24needed adjudicating what that means is people who were looking for benefits 40,000
01:28of them were waiting for a decision. We also had 34,000 claims fraud claims that
01:33needed to be resolved 73,000 claims in all when we walked into office within seven
01:39months by July of that year all of those claims had been resolved in just seven
01:44months which is really extraordinary. That is one of the one of the many ways
01:48that we've been able to serve people under the leadership of Governor Shapiro.
01:51We've been able to start UC live chat which has given us the ability to chat
01:56with people live. We've done email services. We've been able to meet people where
02:00they are and serve them in ways that best meet their needs. We've also been able to
02:05make UC connect a permanent presence in our 67 career links across the state.
02:12Through that service and in-person ability for people to come in and talk to UC
02:18service people they've been able to resolve claims navigate eligibility issues
02:23connect with community-based services and we have been able through this UC
02:26connect program to serve over a hundred thousand people. Thanks to Governor
02:31Shapiro's bold investments we were able to add 380 new intake interviewers to our
02:38service center which has been really wonderful.
02:45That has given us the ability to boost and improve customer service and I'm here
02:50to announce today we have really improved customer service. Just last week we were able
02:55to hit a six-year average call wait time low of nine minutes. Nine minutes which is
03:04incredible.
03:09Again if we can roll back time when we came into office in January of 2023 people
03:14call sometimes a dozen times to get into the phone queue and when they
03:18finally got in they waited for over an hour sometimes as long as an hour and a
03:22half. So these are huge improvements. Governor Shapiro's comprehensive
03:26investment in UC has made a difference and this underscores his
03:31dedication and the department of industry labor and industry's dedication to
03:35making sure that we have a fair efficient and accept accessible
03:39unemployment system that meets the needs of people when they need it. So thank you
03:43to Governor Shapiro for all he has done to make sure that this has happened and I
03:47will turn the podium now over to Governor Shapiro. Thank you. Thank you. Good
03:52morning everybody.
03:55Let me begin by saying you have an outstanding leader in Secretary Nancy
04:00Walker. I have been privileged to work with her for nearly a decade. She lives, eats,
04:07and breathes the needs of workers. She is extraordinary as a leader and I'm
04:13grateful to have her as a partner in progress. Thank you Madam Secretary. Thank
04:17you.
04:18I want to apologize for being a little bit late. It's because I wanted the
04:25opportunity to not just be here with the Secretary and our outstanding Deputy
04:30Secretary. I wanted the chance to be with the folks who are doing this work on
04:35the front lines every day. So we just had a private gathering where I got the
04:39chance to thank them. And I wish the good people of Pennsylvania could see these
04:44wonderful, dedicated public servants who do this work every single day to make
04:51people's lives better. People like Mitchell Smith, our unemployment claims
04:56intake interviewer. I'm so grateful to him. I'm grateful to Nina Coffey, who is the
05:02Secretary Treasurer of SEIU Local 668 SE. These union members deserve great credit for the work
05:15that they've done to advance the process here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And I'm
05:20excited for you to get the chance to meet Barney Ausler. Barney is someone who is technically
05:26the co-founder and director of the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee. But I know him as someone
05:32who challenged me when I was campaigning for this office to fix our UC system. And Barney,
05:39that is exactly what we did with your help. Thank you, my friend. Appreciate you. Thank you.
05:45Here in Pennsylvania, we stand up for our workers. We stand up for the people that go fight for
05:53us every single day. The people who build our communities and the people who support our
05:59neighbors. Pennsylvanians work extremely hard. I think we got the best workforce in the entire
06:05country. And they deserve a government that works just as hard for them. You know my record
06:12as Attorney General, together with then Attorney, Deputy Attorney General Walker, we created the
06:18first ever fair labor section in the Office of Attorney General. Together we worked to stand
06:24up and protect worker rights and hold employers accountable. I'm proud of the fact that we
06:29prosecuted the largest Davis-Bacon prevailing wage theft case in the history of the United States
06:36of America. And we won and got every worker their money back who had been stolen from.
06:42But when Secretary Walker and I moved across the street, our commitment to workers didn't
06:52stop. We brought it and we brought that spirit right here to our administration. In just our
06:57first year working together, we launched a joint task force with our neighbors in the East,
07:03New Jersey, to fight back against employee misclassification. And it's working. Since then,
07:09the Department of Labor and Industry has investigated more than 12,000 complaints of violation to
07:15Pennsylvania labor laws. And we've returned over $12.5 million to workers in Pennsylvania
07:23who've been screwed. But our commitment to workers doesn't stop there. While our unemployment
07:29rate has been below the national average for 27 consecutive months, we need to be there for
07:37our workers not just in these good times, but also when they suffer bad times. When a worker
07:43loses their job, it's not only devastating for them, it's devastating for their family, for
07:48their entire network. And in the past, our Commonwealth, let's be frank, hasn't always done right by
07:54our workers when they're facing that moment of need. When the pandemic hit, our unemployment compensation
08:01system failed them. Before I took office, there was a backlog of 40,000 unaddressed unemployment claims
08:10from the peak of the pandemic, 40,000. And at the same time, when folks who were in need picked up the
08:17phone to call the unemployment compensation office, they had to reach out on average more than 12 times
08:25just to get someone on the phone. And then when they got someone on the phone, it often took more than an
08:30hour and a half in order to address their problem, if at all. So when I took office, I immediately,
08:37and Secretary Walker reminded me, it was literally the day after I got sworn in, directed the secretary
08:43and her team to fix the Commonwealth's unemployment compensation mess. And they got to work on day one.
08:50You all got to work on day one. And within our first seven months, we eliminated that backlog of 40,000
08:58cases. It took years for that to build up. And you got rid of it in just seven months. No more backlog.
09:06And then we began slashing wait times for Pennsylvanians who called for UC help. We hired, as the secretary
09:14noted, 380 dedicated intake interviewers to help answer those calls and process those claims. Folks like
09:23the incredible state employees who are standing behind me and others who are standing out there.
09:28I am so darn proud of these folks who were there for our fellow Pennsylvanians, there for our neighbors
09:36who were in need, and they did extraordinary work. They didn't let the backlog, they didn't let the long
09:41time make them feel like they couldn't do anything about it. They rolled up their shirt sleeves,
09:46they got to work, and they did something about it. You're going to hear from Mitch in a moment. He is
09:52one of those workers who did incredible work. We also expanded something known as UC Connect, an
09:59initiative to provide in-person help with the UC questions and claims at career link offices across
10:06the Commonwealth. We also did something innovative where we installed self-service identity verification
10:14kiosks at those career links to help applicants safely, securely, and quickly verify their identity
10:21so they could get what they were entitled to. And we just announced under the secretary's leadership
10:26major improvements to our secure live chat option that's available for Pennsylvanians to use 24-7 when
10:33they have a question. Listen, when folks are busy doing other things, tending to their kids or work or
10:39whatever, they shouldn't only be able to get answers when you guys are physically here at work. They
10:45should be able to get answers 24-7. And now, thanks to this innovative live chat option, they can do just
10:52that. And now, because of all of this hard work, we now have the lowest call wait time in more than six
11:01years. We should be incredibly proud of that, and I'm incredibly proud of all of you.
11:09We had the highest wait time ever recorded the day Secretary Walker and I took the oath of office.
11:18And now, standing here, we have one of the lowest. Now you can reach out and get an answer from someone
11:24at LNI in less than 10 minutes. We're responding to unemployment compensation emails within 24 hours.
11:31You're getting a next-day response. And more than 106,000 Pennsylvanians have gotten help directly
11:40through UC Connect. When Pennsylvanians are unexpectedly out of work, they don't need another roadblock.
11:47They need some help. And I believe you've heard me say this many times, there should be no wrong door
11:53for getting help here in Pennsylvania. That's what our administration is doing to deliver. And under the
11:59leadership of Secretary Walker, we've made real progress to cut these wait times and get people
12:04the help they need without having a backlog. And she'll be the first to tell you, it's not just
12:10the leadership of Secretary Walker and our deputy secretary. It's the entire UC team here at LNI.
12:17I got the chance to talk to Maria and Shama and their colleagues earlier. They have been at the forefront of
12:24this work. And we couldn't be more grateful to them for all that they do. All of you have worked hard
12:30to eliminate these backlogs, reduce these wait times, and get people the help they need. And we are
12:35incredibly thankful. And I hope you're proud of the work that you've been doing. You should be. And you've
12:41done incredible things on behalf of your fellow Pennsylvanians. Hear me on this. We value you. And we
12:48appreciate you. And I wish the people of Pennsylvania got the chance to know you personally or see your
12:54faces because I know they value and appreciate you as well. When you're facing tough times, it's hard to
13:01pick up the phone and make a call and ask for help. And to be greeted by a wonderful person like all of
13:07you who are here today, there to help folks, that is an extraordinary thing to do. That is a gift that you
13:13are giving these people, the gift of opportunity, the gift of hope. And you are doing that. And we
13:19are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you. Look, I know that folks get frustrated when
13:26government isn't working the way it should be. And by the way, they're right to be able to,
13:31they're right to get frustrated when they don't get the answers that they need. And I know that when they
13:36have frustrations, that leads to greater cynicism, greater division in our world, greater division
13:43in our politics, greater division in our neighborhoods. I believe a byproduct of good
13:49government is that it gives people a sense of feeling more hopeful, maybe a little less cynicism,
13:56a little more division in our society. That's a good thing. And it starts with the dedicated workers
14:02who are here at LNI, the dedicated crew at UC who do amazing work. And this data bears out just how
14:10extraordinary their work has been. Look, I'm so honored to serve with all of you as the 48th governor
14:17of the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania. You know, we live by three letters every single day, GSD.
14:22We focus on getting stuff done. This is a crew that knows how to get stuff done. And the good people
14:29of Pennsylvania are better off because of your public service. So I came here today to celebrate you,
14:35to thank you, and to tell you that we're going to continue to make great strides. I know under
14:40Secretary Walker, we're going to continue to be aggressive. We're going to continue to have a
14:44can-do attitude. We're going to continue to make state government work. We're going to continue to
14:48create a society with a little less cynicism and a lot more hope. And I think you are all key to doing
14:55just that. I want you now to meet Mitchell Smith, one of our UC claims intake interviewers, to hear
15:01more about the incredible work they do. You'll hear from some others who have been part of the progress
15:07we've made. And then I'll come back and take a few questions at the end. Thank you all very,
15:11very much. I appreciate you. Mitchell, where is you?
15:14Thank you, Governor Shapiro, and good morning, everyone. My name is Mitch, and I am a claims
15:24intake interviewer. In other words, there is a chance that I am one of the ones who answers the
15:30phone when you call into the Unemployment Service Center. I help people open their claims, answer
15:35questions, and help with additional issues that may arise. I also answer emails and chats. And as you heard,
15:43the Governor and Secretary mentioned moments ago, my colleagues and I have been working
15:47timelessly to improve the customer experience for Pennsylvanians when they call in. I am proud of
15:54the success that we have achieved. For many who call us, they have never interacted with the UC system
16:01before, and it can be overwhelming. But we are here to help and to reassure them that they have a
16:09supportive, helpful ally as they try to navigate after losing their jobs. I've been doing this job
16:17for almost two years and recently started working on the monetary team a few months ago, two days a week.
16:25And the monetary team is responsible for adding out-of-state wages, federal wages, military wages, and then
16:33researching any missing wages that claimants might have. And that's part of a determination process that
16:40all claims go through for eligibility. Because of the great improvements that we've made across the UC
16:47system, we get fewer calls. And when we have fewer calls, that gives me and my co-workers extra time to
16:53come off the phones and work on other processes like determinations that need to be completed on these claims.
17:00It leads to our ultimate goal of expedited completion times all around. I look forward to continued
17:08enhancements that will make our processes even more streamlined. And thank you all for being here today.
17:15I would now like to introduce you to Barney Auerzler, who is from the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee.
17:28The Mon Valley Unemployed Committee is really proud to stand today with the Governor, with Secretary Walker,
17:41and with the amazing staff that work to get unemployment benefits out to people in Pennsylvania.
17:48Today we're marking an important step in progress, but it has been now a very important two and a half years of progress
18:01that this administration has been able to make in getting unemployment benefits out to people.
18:07So this pandemic made it almost impossible for folks to get the benefits. At one point, near the end of the
18:15previous administration, there were 325,000 people who've waited more than six months to get their
18:21unemployment benefits. And so, of course, we went to the streets and many, many unemployed people joined us.
18:28As the Governor said, we approached him when he declared that he was going to run for Governor,
18:34to make sure that he understood how critical this was and how major the problem was.
18:39Of course, we had access to the Deputy Attorney General that the Governor assigned to help unemployed
18:47people because unemployed people called every office they could find in the state government,
18:52trying to find out how to get to the unemployment system. And so, we really do feel that
18:59that not just the Mount Valley Employee Committee, but Philadelphia Unemployment Project, the Philadelphia
19:05Legal Assistance, Community Legal Services, labor leaders, and community organizations really
19:13understand the struggle of people when they lose their jobs and really appreciate the leadership of this
19:20administration. When we brought the failing unemployment system to the Governor's administration,
19:26the Governor and his administration listened, and they responded with action, and today marks one of those results.
19:36They are making it happen. So, I just, I have a lot more stuff. I write too long.
19:43But, you know, the other things that Secretary Walker mentioned, for example, it has been decades since
19:51people who really can't convey their problems by even telephone, to say nothing of trying to work online.
20:00So many people couldn't get their benefits because they needed to talk to somebody. And the commitment to have in-person services available through every career link in the state has really been a remarkable change for people really challenged by technology, even including a telephone.
20:18They got to come in and they got to show somebody that piece of paper and under, try to understand what it means to them.
20:24So,
20:25Mongolia Employee Committee and our sister organization, the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, look forward to continuing our collaboration with this administration
20:36to make the UC system even more useful to unemployed Pennsylvanians.
20:41Thank you. And now I'd like to introduce someone from one of our favorite unions that represents many of the workers in the unemployment system.
20:52And in fact, we really do depend upon the leadership of the union to fight for you guys,
21:01because that helps our folks get what they need to remake their lives.
21:06So, I'd like to introduce Nina Coffey.
21:16All right, good afternoon.
21:18Good afternoon.
21:20On behalf of SCIU Local 668, I want to thank Governor Shapiro for your strong commitment to working with our union to ensure that we are delivering for the people of Pennsylvania while also improving the working conditions of our dedicated members.
21:35Over the years, our members have pressed forward through funding cuts, through furloughs, and through a pandemic.
21:44They remain committed today because they care.
21:47They are strong union workers who have never wavered in their service to Pennsylvanians,
21:53and they will continue to stand with Pennsylvania's workers through thick and thin in the years ahead.
21:57Knowing we have a governor like you who stands on the side of workers encourages all of us.
22:05Unlike many other states, Pennsylvania made a very different choice when it came to its unemployment compensation workforce.
22:13Rather than cutting jobs and salaries, the Commonwealth invested.
22:17And that investment led to proper training for UC workers, prioritizing securing the tools and the resources that they need to be able to actually effectively do their jobs.
22:29During the pandemic, we hired staff necessary to respond to an unprecedented crisis.
22:35But what is equally important is that those workers were retained.
22:40And today, their experience and their commitment continue to benefit Pennsylvania,
22:45and we see the results in a stronger and more efficient system.
22:50That partnership between the governor and our union has led directly to a better experience for claimants,
22:56a workforce that feels supported, and a state that is stronger because of it.
23:01This is what happens when we put people first and we invest in public service workers.
23:09So when we do that, y'all, everybody wins.
23:12I'm going to kick it back to the governor. Thank you.
23:17Thank you, Nina.
23:20Before I take some questions, I just want to make sure I put an exclamation point on what Nina said.
23:26This is what happens when you invest in a workforce.
23:29And then a workforce invest back into the good people of Pennsylvania.
23:35I couldn't be more proud of the sisters and brothers and SEIU Local 668 and all of our state employees.
23:42They do this work every single day to look out for their fellow Pennsylvanians.
23:47So I am grateful that you are here.
23:49I'm grateful that you spoke on behalf of your colleagues here.
23:53You all matter.
23:53We are proud to invest in you, and we're going to keep doing that.
23:56And we know you're going to keep investing in Pennsylvania.
23:59So thank you very, very much.
24:01We appreciate it for you.
24:05And with that, I know we're getting a little feedback.
24:07I apologize for that.
24:08But if you've got any questions in the media, let's start with things on topic.
24:11And then we'll move, I'm sure, to other things.
24:24We're going to get the money that they needed to pay for bills and rent or just whatever.
24:31What changed from here between administrations?
24:34Look, I think the Wolf administration was really well-intentioned.
24:38I don't think that they set out to have a backlog or to have these long wait times.
24:44We just were really purposeful in our work from literally the first week when I challenged Secretary
24:50Walker to fix this system. I went to lawmakers and Democrats and Republicans, both invested
24:57in a new system here so we could hire those nearly 400 new people.
25:01We gave them the technology that they needed to be able to work more efficiently.
25:05And we reported our results back to the legislature so they could see that
25:09the money they were investing was going to good cause here.
25:13So I think just our focus on it, we were determined to fix the problem.
25:17You've heard me talk whether it's on permitting where we went from the bottom of the pack in
25:21the country to now one of the leaders on permitting in the country.
25:25I think government needs to work effectively, efficiently, speedily, not just to solve an
25:30individual's problem or get a business up and running or get someone back up on their feet.
25:35But it's what I said before as well. It really helps take some of the cynicism out of the system.
25:41It takes some of the division and the divisiveness out of the system and instead
25:46allows people to see the humanity in one another and work better together.
25:50So I think for us, it was about being purposeful, making the investments,
25:54showing our work, holding L and I to a high standard.
25:57And every single person, not just the secretary and W secretary, but every single person
26:02standing behind me, sitting here, those who are working right now, answering those calls,
26:06doing what they needed to do to help their fellow Pennsylvanians.
26:09So I think we're going to do a little bit of a challenge.
26:11Lauren, go ahead.
26:13Hi. Hi, Governor.
26:15You are literally behind the light. I can't see.
26:17You're good, Lauren. Go ahead.
26:18No, it's okay. You know it's me.
26:19I do.
26:21I came here from Philadelphia and I'm sure you know why.
26:24There's a lot of concern about what is going to happen with SEPTA.
26:28I think you know what the situation is. The deadline has passed for securing funding,
26:32the deadline SEPTA set. Those cuts are set to be already into effect on Sunday.
26:37School starts on Monday. So what can you tell people about where you are in negotiations?
26:44Are you close or are those cuts going to be in effect by the time you can figure some sort of deal out?
26:52Look, I am deeply concerned about the 52,000 school children in Philadelphia
26:58who rely on SEPTA to get to school or to get to after school programs or to get home.
27:03I'm really worried about them. I'm worried about their parents who are going to struggle to get
27:08them where they need to go or their kids be able to get home safely to their parents because their
27:14bus isn't running. So they got to walk or they got to get a ride somehow or they've got to find
27:18some other mode of transportation. And that worry, that concern is what is keeping me at the table,
27:26trying to bridge the differences between the House and the Senate and find common ground so we can
27:32stop these cuts from going into effect. I've been on the phone or in person nearly every single day
27:39with the leaders of the House and Senate and the leaders at SEPTA. And I think we've successfully
27:45been able to bridge some of the divides that exist between the two sides. But now's a moment where both
27:52sides need to make some tough choices. Compromise is hard, especially in a polarized environment that
27:59we find ourselves in. And so the House and the Senate need to compromise. They got to make tough
28:04choices and they got to remember this isn't just some political game here in Harrisburg. This is about
28:10those 52,000 kids. It's about their parents. It's about the folks that need to get to work. And this is not
28:16just a problem in Philadelphia. This is a challenge all across Pennsylvania, wherever you're riding a
28:23bus, wherever senior is getting on a ride here, wherever someone's getting on a trolley or a train
28:28or a subway. It's a serious stuff. So for my part, I'm going to continue to try and bring the Republican
28:34leaders in the Senate, the Democratic leaders in the House together to come up with a solution here
28:40prior to these cuts going into effect. And I'm working like I'm working tirelessly to try and
28:46find that common ground and get this done.
28:52It did because what the the action last week by the Senate and the action five times prior by the
29:00House now has shown that both chambers believe that we've got to fund mass transit at the number
29:08that I proposed in my budget nearly 200 days ago. That number that number of nearly 300 million dollars
29:18in addition to what the Commonwealth has already invested to going to these mass transit agencies.
29:24So I would say that with the Senate action last week, although there are profound disagreements with
29:30the manner in which they want to fund SEPTA and SEPTA has made clear it won't help them in the long run.
29:38What they've acknowledged is there's a problem. What they've acknowledged is they've got to fund it
29:42with nearly 300 million dollars in new revenue. And now what we've got to do is continue to find ways
29:48to bridge the divide between the House and Senate. And that's the work that I'm doing. We were doing it
29:53over the weekend. We did it this morning late last night. I was on the phone with one of the leaders
29:57till 11 45 at night working on this. This is so incredibly important and I'm pouring everything
30:03I've got into this to finding common ground and bridging the differences between these two leaders
30:08and between these two chambers. Governor, now that we know the Amtrak is being threatened by these costs,
30:14does that change the dynamic at all of these talks knowing that the South Central area is now
30:20going to be potentially affected by this? I have made clear that mass transit is an issue that
30:25affects all 67 counties, including right here in South Central Pennsylvania. I think we were together
30:31a month or so ago when I was over at Rabbit Transit. This is an issue that affects every community
30:37in Pennsylvania. And that is why I was heartened to see bipartisan majorities in the House. And of course,
30:45the vote in the Senate last week say that this needs to get done. Voter, pardon me, members from rural,
30:52urban and suburban communities have now all voted to fund mass transit. So we've got to figure out ways
30:59to bridge the divides that exist and get a package done to support these communities. As it relates to
31:05Amtrak, I think there was some reporting that suggested that the line was going to be cut,
31:11the line that goes from Philly to Harrisburg and to New York. Amtrak, I think either has or is about
31:17to put out a statement today indicating that that's not actually the case. But if SEPTA is unable to make
31:23the payments that they need to make to Amtrak, what it could potentially do is slow down the maintenance
31:30that is needed along those lines, which could cause slowdowns in those routes or having more of those
31:38routes have to get stopped because of a maintenance issue. But the lines will not be canceled.
31:44They are going to be compromised if we don't get this funding in place.
31:47Governor, I'm curious about skill gains. It's the one revenue generator that everybody seems to agree with.
31:53It needs to be taxed and regulated. The Senate, as of last week, just threw yet another bill on it.
31:58What's the latest on where we are on skill gains? Is that mostly left to the Senate to figure it out?
32:03Or have you engaged in that? Again, nearly 200 days. I proposed taxing and regulating skill games
32:10at a rate of 52 percent. The legislature has had my proposal for 200 days. I think they've been in
32:16session about 26 days during that time. I'm not going to get into the specifics of our negotiating
32:23here, but I can tell you that that is an issue that we continue to discuss and continue to work to
32:28find common ground on. No, back over there, Sean. Go ahead. It's behind the light. Step up for us.
32:32You're behind Lauren and the light. Just speak up, Sean. Go ahead.
32:37Yesterday, President Donald Trump announced that he's going to be introducing the executive order
32:43on mail-in ballots and mail-in voting. Is that going to be an issue for voters here in Pennsylvania,
32:49given the work your administration has done with making that more accessible? Look, Donald Trump can
32:55sign whatever the hell executive orders he wants to sign and make a show out of whatever he wants,
33:00but he can't change the Constitution with an executive order. And the Constitution gives the authority
33:05to set our election rules to the states. Let me remind you that it was just about five years ago
33:12that a bipartisan majority in the House and in the Senate passed mail-in voting. And during that time,
33:20millions of people have voted by mail and we have had free and fair, safe and secure elections.
33:27Donald Trump has won some of those elections. He has lost some of those elections. Democrats have won
33:33some. Republicans have won some. For him to try and put more misinformation out there, to stoke more
33:41division and fear amongst people who want to exercise their constitutional right to pick the leaders in
33:48their communities and in their Commonwealth. That is just cynical and wrong. And Donald Trump can sign
33:54whatever executive order he wants. It will have absolutely no bearing on our elections here in
33:59Pennsylvania. And we will once again have free and fair, safe and secure elections led by Republican
34:05and Democratic clerks of elections in each of our 67 counties. People will be able to vote by mail or people
34:11will be able to vote in person. One more. I just want to see your reaction to-
34:17You want to see my reaction? My physical reaction? What are you about to ask?
34:24We are a visual business. Okay. Oh, your reaction to Treasurer's State
34:28Security entering the race. I mean, look, I said this before. I'll say it again. They're going to have
34:33their intramural fight. They'll send someone along to face me next year. We'll be ready. There'll be plenty of
34:37time to talk about politics. You know what I'm focused on right now? Those 52,000 kids and making
34:42sure they've got a bus to get to school. You know what I'm focused on? Making sure the good people
34:47here in this office continue to serve the good people of Pennsylvania. Continuing to invest in public
34:56education. We've hired 1,500 more cops across Pennsylvania. I want to hire more. Violent crime is
35:02down 42 percent in our commonwealth. We went from the bottom of the pack on permitting to the top of
35:08the pack. I want us to get even better. We just landed the largest economic development deal in the
35:14history of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And we're going to land more. I'm going to continue to
35:19work my heart out for the good people of Pennsylvania, not play political parlor games. There'll be time for
35:23that in the future. My job is to focus like a laser beam on meeting the needs of Pennsylvanians,
35:28bringing Republicans and Democrats together. And that's exactly what we're going to keep doing.
35:32Okay? Thank you all very much.
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