Harrisburg, PA — The Shapiro Administration is committed to ensuring Pennsylvania communities are safe and prepared for emergencies by making necessary investments in public safety in its recent budget.
The 2025-26 budget invests in three critical areas:
- Reauthorizes the $1.95 monthly phone surcharge for 911 services, through Jan. 31, 2029, to offset county costs needed to support the continued implementation of Next Generation 911.
- Doubles the amount of funding available from — $20 million to $40 million — to enable state agencies to respond to disasters in the Commonwealth.
- Provides an additional $5 million in funding to the Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Assistance Program to directly support Pennsylvanians to recover from disasters.
“Investing in 911 and disaster response strengthens the safety net every Pennsylvanian depends on when emergencies occur,” said Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield. “Modernizing our 911 communications system and supporting disaster response and recovery efforts ensures our communities can respond to crises quickly and rebuild stronger."
"These budget commitments are essential to keeping Pennsylvania safe and resilient as funding responsibilities shift from the federal government to the states.”
— Randy Padfield, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director
Investing in Public Safety through Next Generation 911
In 2023, Governor Shapiro signed Act 34, which extended the Commonwealth’s 911 program through Jan. 31, 2029.
The act increased the monthly phone surcharge from $1.65 to $1.95 on March 1, 2024, and the Commonwealth collected an additional $58 million over the first twelve months, a nearly 18 percent rise in revenue for the Next Generation 911 program.
The 2025-26 budget includes a reauthorization of this $1.95 fee through Jan. 31, 2029. Reauthorization of the fee takes the burden off county governments by reducing their share of costs to provide 911 services through county property tax dollars.
“The reauthorization of the surcharge ensures residents continue to have quick access to reliable and modern 911 service,” said PEMA 911 Deputy Greg Kline.
The $1.95 fee helps cover county costs associated with 911 service such as personnel, technology, training, facilities as well as statewide NG911system.
Since 2015, a portion of the surcharge has been dedicated to support the planning, coordinating, testing, and implementation of Next Generation 911 service across the Commonwealth.
In April 2025, a major milestone was achieved when the initial phase of the NG911 project was completed when all 911 centers were connected to the system. This initial phase modernized the infrastructure that delivers emergency calls to the 911 centers.
NG911 provides the backbone to deliver many of the services that callers expect from modern technologies, such as Text-to-911 and improved caller location data.
Plans to continue the improvement of 911 service in Pennsylvania include behind-the-scenes improvements and cost saving measures, such as regionalization of services used by individual county 911 centers, better Geographic Information System data, and building out redundant systems to ensure seamless information sharing.
Investing in Public Safety through Disaster Assistance Funding
With the federal government stepping away from financial support to states for disasters, the Shapiro Administration has stepped in to start filling this sudden gap.
By doubling the amount of funding available to support state agency response to disasters from $20 million to $40 million, the Commonwealth stands more prepared to quickly respond to assist Pennsylvanians when disaster strikes.
An additional $5 million will be added to the Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Assistance Program, or DRAP, which awards grants directly to eligible homeowners and renters after disaster strikes who meet lower income thresholds, are uninsured or underinsured, or have not received other local, state, federal, non-governmental, or private aid.
For those who qualify, grants can be used to repair their home, cover temporary housing and rental expenses, or replace essential personal property.
Since the program was established in 2023, it was activated eight times to deliver over $450,000 directly to families who needed assistance with housing and personal needs for from flooding and fires across the Commonwealth, including recent flooding in Somerset County and fires in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
“Programs like DRAP make an immediate and meaningful difference for our communities. After the May 13 flooding, many Somerset County residents were able to rely on DRAP to help begin their recovery when they needed it most. This support filled a critical gap for families who were facing unexpected losses,” said Joel Landis, Somerset County Emergency Management Agency Director.
Continued funding for DRAP is essential, and we strongly support efforts to explore additional public assistance options for municipalities and first responder agencies.
Local governments and emergency crews shoulder significant costs during severe weather events, and providing them with dependable financial support will strengthen our ability to respond, recover, and keep our communities safe.”
Additionally, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has been authorized to establish a new Commonwealth public assistance program to assist communities recovering from disasters.
As the infrastructure damage thresholds to request federal assistance rise, Pennsylvania will stand ready to help eligible municipalities make needed repairs to damaged critical infrastructure not covered by insurance or other funding sources.