Rep. Danielle Friel Otten

06/04/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟓 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚

As we head into a busy summer travel season, a new statewide safety law is about to take effect, and it is an important one. Beginning June 5, Pennsylvania will prohibit the use of hand-held devices while driving to help reduce distracted driving and keep our roads safer.

Here is what drivers need to know:
📜 What the law does: Prohibits the use of hand‑held devices behind the wheel.
📆 When it takes effect: June 5, 2026
🚫 What you cannot do: Use a hand‑held device while driving. This includes any hand‑held phone use even when stopped temporarily due to traffic, a red light, or other delays.
✅️ What is still allowed: Calling 911 in an emergency and using hands‑free technology for phone calls, GPS, and music.
💸 The fine: A $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees, for drivers convicted under the new law.

Distracted driving is preventable. This new law is an important step toward safer roads for everyone traveling across Pennsylvania this summer and throughout the year.

Shapiro Administration, PA Turnpike Commission Urge Drivers to Prioritize Safety During Summer Travel and Highlight Upcoming Law Change Targeting Hand-Held Devices

06/03/2026

Thank you to the ladies of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated-Iota Tau Omega ΙΤΩ Chapter for stopping by to chat all things Chester County this week! Thank you for your advocacy and engagement in state government 💚🩷

06/03/2026

Did you know you could have unclaimed property sitting in the PA Treasury? 💰

My office has a list of constituents in the district with unclaimed property, and we are working to get your rightful property back to you! The process to search & claim is simple & free and my office is here to help!

Join us TODAY at our district office where my staff will help you search & claim your unclaimed property.

If you are unable to join us, you can search at home by visiting: https://buff.ly/rDhdXwg

06/02/2026

The Chester County Solid Waste Authority is hosting several FREE household hazardous waste collection events for members of our community in the coming weeks and months. Registration is required (1 appointment slot per household).

📆 Friday, June 26, 2026 - Coatesville
📆 Saturday, August 29, 2026 - Oxford
📆 Sunday, October 4, 2026 - Downingtown

For a list of accepted items, click here ➡️ https://buff.ly/w3bJB7u

For more information and to register, click here ➡️ https://buff.ly/4T8yftC

06/01/2026

My office has heard from several constituents who are understandably concerned about the prospect of data center development in a residential area of East Brandywine Township, and we’ve seen a fair amount of confusion and misinformation on social media about what’s being proposed.

Please see the attached update and clarification posted by East Brandywine Township earlier today.

In plain language, here’s what it means:

• No data center has been proposed, designed, or applied for in East Brandywine. No permits have been requested.
• What's happening right now is that the landowner at 500 East Reeceville Road is challenging the township’s zoning code. By asking for a “curative amendment,” the landowner (“the applicant”) is saying, “I believe there is a legal flaw in your zoning ordinance, and I am proposing a fix.”
• The landowner’s proposed fix is to add a definition of "data center" to the existing zoning code and allow for data centers to be built in areas of the township zoned “R-2 Residential,” a designation typically reserved for residential neighborhoods with single-family detached dwellings.
• The township 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐱 through a public hearing process. This does not mean the township supports the applicant’s request.
• The next potential hearing date on this matter before the EBT Board of Supervisors is August 20, 2026. No hearing date has been scheduled by the Zoning Hearing Board.
• Again, no actual data center application exists. The landowner has not submitted building plans, a site development proposal, or permit requests of any kind. Right now, the landowner is making the argument that data centers should be allowed in R-2 Residential zones, and the township is taking the required legal steps to consider the applicant's argument.

05/29/2026

I was out in the district today and stopped by Acker Park, and it made my day to see one of the new AED units installed in the park. It is always meaningful to see community safety improvements in the exact places where families gather and kids play.

This AED is part of a larger effort made possible through the hard work and collaboration of Aidan's Heart Foundation, Uwchlan Township, and the Lionville Youth Association. I was proud to support this project by helping Aidan’s Heart secure state grant funding last fall, which allowed these partners to bring lifesaving equipment to parks across our community.

I am grateful for their leadership and dedication to protecting young people and strengthening emergency readiness here in Chester County. It is inspiring to see this partnership in action!

05/28/2026

𝑰𝑪𝒀𝑴𝑰 📰 𝑷𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒔𝒚𝒍𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒂 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍-𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓: 𝑷𝑨 𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒅

🗣️: “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝟒𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐝.”

🗣️: “𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝟑𝟓 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭.”

One thing the recent PennEnvironment report has made abundantly clear: our Commonwealth is falling behind in implementing renewable energy sources to the grid. While solar installations have doubled in the last two years, our overall growth remains far too slow for the needs of families, businesses, schools, and municipalities already facing rising electric costs.

For two decades, Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (APES) helped promote new and innovative forms of energy generation. But those standards are now outdated, and we are falling behind as energy demand surges and the tech economy continues to grow.

That is exactly why I introduced PRESS. This legislation will modernize and expand our energy portfolio by adding nuclear power and next generation technologies while incentivizing lower emissions for gas-fired power plants. Not only will this legislation diversify our energy portfolio, but it will deliver tens of thousands of jobs and position Pennsylvania as a leader in the energy arena for the next twenty years.

We cannot sit around and do nothing while other states pass us by in the race to diversify our energy sources and create clean, reliable, and affordable energy.

Pennsylvania only gets about 5 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, according to federal data.

05/28/2026

📢 Arizona Learned the Hard Way. Pennsylvania Still Has Time. 📢

Arizona spent years allowing large commercial users to pump groundwater from rural aquifers with no tracking and no limits. By the time the state closed the loophole, aquifer levels had already dropped in measurable and permanent ways. What happened there is a clear example of virtual water trade, where water leaves a community not through a pipeline but through the products created with it.

In Part 6 of my seven part series on water rights in Pennsylvania, I look at how the same dynamic can play out here. Data centers can draw millions of gallons from local aquifers, use that water for cooling, and send the economic value elsewhere while communities are left with the loss. I also examine how other states have strengthened protections around critical water infrastructure and why Pennsylvania’s current laws do not yet address these risks.

Pennsylvania is water rich, but so was the Southwest before a century of unmanaged extraction took its toll. We have the advantage of time, a constitutional right to pure water, and a planning framework that only needs to be finished. Now is the moment to build the protections that will keep our water secure for the long term.

Read my full post on Substack to learn how Arizona’s experience can guide Pennsylvania’s next steps and what we can do now to safeguard our aquifers and communities.

Your Water, Your Bill, Your Rights: Part 6 of 7

05/27/2026

Today, staff from our district office will be at the Downingtown Library for a mobile office. This is a great opportunity to learn about state services and to ask questions about issues that concern you.

Our staff can help you with SEPTA Key Senior ID Card sign ups (must be age 65+/bring your ID), Unclaimed Property searches, Property Tax/Rent Rebate forms, PA Yellow Dot Program, information on Real ID and other state related services.

Stop in to say hello and find out how we can help you! We look forward to meeting you!

05/26/2026

Families across Pennsylvania are feeling the strain of rising electricity prices, and I hear it every day here in central Chester County as a working mom and as your state representative.

Many of our neighbors are struggling with higher utility bills, and across Pennsylvania there are 2.1 million people who are either below the poverty line or classified as ALICE, working individuals and families who earn above the poverty level but still cannot keep up with the high cost of living. For many, rising utility bills mean choosing between keeping the lights on or paying for groceries and needed medication.

Higher energy costs also mean families are facing tough decisions. When bills go up, parents start weighing things like sports fees or the activities that keep their kids active and connected to their communities. These are the kinds of choices no family wants to make, but more and more people are being pushed into them.

And it is not just households feeling the pressure. School boards and municipal governments across our region are dealing with the same rising costs, and they are being pushed into difficult decisions about whether to cut services or raise taxes, decisions that cannot easily be taken back. Local businesses are feeling it too, facing higher energy costs that make it harder to plan, invest, and manage day to day expenses.

All of this is happening while utility companies continue to report record profits.

One of the most important steps we can take to help Pennsylvania consumers is ensuring that PJM updates its rules so renewable energy projects can connect to the grid more quickly. Getting affordable, clean energy online faster increases competition and helps bring down costs for families, schools, and businesses across our region.

PJM needs to do its job. Families across Pennsylvania cannot wait for a slow process to catch up to a crisis that is already here.

PJM, the regional grid operator whose 67 million electricity consumers include Lehigh Valley utility customers, held a recent annual meeting at which affordability was the word of the week, which could spell positive news for residents…