Kelly Merrick

This bill expands the state's child care assistance and grant programs, deepening government involvement in family decisions and shifting more child care costs onto taxpayers instead of encouraging private, faith-based, and community solutions. CPAC opposes growing dependency on government programs and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-05 by a vote of 16-3. The bill later became law.

This resolution urges the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, entrenching Obamacare's subsidy-driven model instead of pursuing market-based reforms that lower costs through competition and choice. CPAC opposes propping up Obamacare with extended tax subsidies and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-13 by a vote of 15-5. The bill later became law.

This resolution supports the use of international teacher visas to fill classroom positions, papering over systemic failures in education policy and workforce development by increasing dependence on imported labor. CPAC prefers local solutions and education reform over increased reliance on foreign labor and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-19 by a vote of 20-0. The bill later became law.

This bill makes sweeping changes to elections, voter registration, administration, campaign rules, and synthetic media in electioneering, a grab bag of provisions that risks complicating voting, empowering bureaucrats, and distracting from core safeguards like voter ID and secure ballots. CPAC opposes sprawling election overhauls that do not prioritize strong voter ID and ballot integrity and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-12 by a vote of 14-6. The bill did not become law.

This bill raises the minimum age for purchasing, possessing, or exchanging tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, and imposes new taxes on electronic smoking products. It also allocates funds for government-led tobacco cessation programs. CPAC opposed this bill because it expands government overreach, infringes on personal freedoms, and imposes burdensome tax increases on consumers. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-12 by a vote of 15-5. The bill did not become law.

This bill mandates that first and second class boroughs include housing policies in their comprehensive plans, potentially imposing top-down regulations on municipalities and infringing on local decision-making authority. CPAC opposed this bill The Senate passed this bill on 2025-03-17 by a vote of 17-0. The bill later became law.

This bill increases regulatory oversight on loans under $25,000, including payday loans, by imposing stricter requirements on financial institutions and lenders. It also expands licensing regulations through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry. CPAC opposed this bill because it burdens small lenders with excessive regulation, stifles free-market solutions, and limits financial options for hardworking Americans. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-04-15 by a vote of 14-6. The Governor vetoed this bill.

This bill imposes new requirements on health care insurers for processing prior authorization requests, mandates an application programming interface for such authorizations, and regulates step therapy protocols. These measures increase government interference in private insurance and medical decision-making. CPAC opposed this bill The Senate passed this bill on 2025-05-12 by a vote of 19-0. The bill later became law.

This bill requires businesses selling alcoholic beverages to display government-mandated warning signs regarding the risks of alcohol consumption. It imposes additional regulatory burdens on private businesses and limits their operational flexibility. CPAC opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-02-10 by a vote of 19-0. The bill later became law.