Lt. Gov. Austin Davis highlights state budget's investments to make Pennsylvania communities safer

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis joined state and local leaders in Montgomery County to highlight how the newly signed bipartisan state budget will make Pennsylvania communities safer through more investments in violence intervention and prevention programs that are working, funding for afterschool programming and funding for an additional 400 state troopers.

“Gun violence isn’t simply a Philadelphia or Pittsburgh problem – it’s a statewide problem, including here in Montgomery County,” said Lt. Gov. Davis, who chairs the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).

“That’s why the Shapiro-Davis Administration proposed and secured investments in our state police, funding for afterschool programs to create safe spaces for our kids, and more resources for the programs we know are working to reduce violence. We can’t thrive as a Commonwealth if we aren’t delivering on the basic need for public safety in every neighborhood and in every community.”

Last week, Governor Josh Shapiro signed the 202425 state budget, which:

Invests $45 million in proven community-based programs to reduce violence through PCCD, including a $5 million increase for the successful Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program, which supports a wide range of models focused on reducing community violence and relies on community groups that are most in tune with specific local needs;