Rep. Jason Ortitay and Rep. Justin Fleming introduced House Bill 2541, the Keystone Literacy Investment Tax Credit, on May 27 as a bipartisan plan to fund Pennsylvania’s structured literacy law without raising taxes or impacting the General Fund.
House Bill 2541 would allow the state to raise up to $150 million for reading instruction by authorizing the sale of insurance premium tax credits through a competitive bidding process. The capital raised would be placed in a dedicated fund appropriated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for grants supporting evidence-based reading instruction in school districts. The credits cannot be used until 2029, are capped at $50 million per year, and expire after 2034.
“The hard part is done,” Ortitay said. “Last November we passed one of the most significant education reforms in Pennsylvania in years. Now we have to give schools the tools to actually make it happen.” He also said, “This is how you finish the job. We already made the decision to fix how Pennsylvania kids learn to read. This gives schools the resources to actually do it. Long-term return on kids who can read is one of the best investments government can make.”
Fleming said, “Making sure our kids know how to read well is a bipartisan issue, as reading is the foundation of every other subject in school from word problems in math to history and science. This is a smart, fiscally responsible way to make sure the reform we passed last year actually works. I’m proud to join Rep. Ortitay in getting this done.”
Ortitay expressed hope that House Bill 2541 will be included in this year’s budget negotiations: “Gov. Shapiro ran on a platform of getting things done,” he said. “This bill is exactly that. The law is passed. The framework is in place. The only thing missing is the money.”
Ortitay chairs the House Communications and Technology Committee and serves on the House Education Committee; he has also founded Jason’s Cheesecake Company supporting local schools and nonprofits, graduated from Avella High School before earning business degrees from Robert Morris University and Stetson University, resides with his family locally, and focuses legislative efforts on job creation, tax code reform, educational opportunities and local issues, according to the official website.
