The PennZone

Governor Shapiro's budget proposal puts forth a bold vision to create economic opportunity all across Pennsylvania.

Supporting the Commonwealth's small businesses and main streets is a critical component of the Governor's economic development strategy – and his budget proposes $600 million in new and expanded investments to implement the strategy.

Lemoyne, PA – Today, while visiting businesses in Lemoyne, Governor Josh Shapiro joined Representative Patty Kim, and Borough President Gale Gallo to continue his 'Main Street Matters' tour and discuss the pieces of his proposed 2024-25 budget and economic development strategy that will help create economic opportunity for all Pennsylvanians.

In the past week, Governor Shapiro has visited with small business owners across the Commonwealth to hear their stories and learn about what they need from their state government to be successful. The Governor and his Administration worked to address the most pressing challenges small business owners face during his first year in office and continue to build on this progress with his Main Street Matters proposal.

"If we want to attract new businesses to Pennsylvania, support entrepreneurs, and create good paying jobs, then we've got to make sure our communities have healthy, vibrant Main Streets lined with shops and small businesses," said Governor Josh Shapiro. "The number of opportunities we can create for Pennsylvanians is directly tied to the strength of our local businesses and main streets. My budget calls for $25 million for our new Main Street Matters initiative to support small businesses, downtowns, and main streets all across Pennsylvania. These investments are going to make a real difference across the Commonwealth."

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Governor Shapiro's proposed Main Street Matters program will be administered through the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and will build on the existing successes of the current Keystone Communities Program in supporting downtowns, main streets, and surrounding neighborhoods. It will provide for a refresh of the current structure to address a wide variety of needs throughout communities and invest in their revitalization and future prosperity.

During his visit to downtown Lemoyne, Governor Shapiro and local leaders met with the owners of local bakery Massimo's Italian Bakery, dance studio Arthur Murray Lemoyne, and local farmers' market West Shore Farmers Market.

"Our Main Street corridors can be viewed as the 'Welcome' sign to our towns and communities – it's a reflection of our pride and priorities when it comes to our hometown and local businesses," said Representative Patty Kim. "But many municipalities struggle to upkeep its Main Streets and that's why I'm excited for the Governor's proposed investment. The Main Street Matters program will boost local economies while boosting the pride of where we work and live."

"We're really grateful to Governor Shapiro for coming here today. We're grateful for this new program – the $25 million that he has earmarked in the budget for the Main Street Matters program – which is money that communities can tap into for to help," said Borough Council President Gale Gallo.

"Our vendors offer personal service and attention that I think can only be found in a small business setting. We're very fortunate that we have all the community support that we do," said Greg Katshir, co-owner of West Shore Farmers Market. "But running a small family business can be difficult. That's why we're so thankful and appreciative of Governor Shapiro in his efforts to help promote small business and Main Street America."

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The Main Street Matters tour builds upon Governor Shapiro's commitment to create a stronger economy across Pennsylvania. Since day one, Governor Shapiro and his Administration have been working aggressively to make Pennsylvania a leader in innovation and economic development and create economic opportunity for all Pennsylvanians. Last month, Governor Shapiro and DCED Secretary Rick Siger launched the Commonwealth's first Economic Development Strategy in nearly two decades – building on the Shapiro Administration's work to make Pennsylvania a leader in innovation and economic development and to create economic opportunity for all Pennsylvanians.

The Governor's 2024-25 budget calls for significant investments directly tied back to this ten-year strategy and issues a strong call to action for partners across all sectors to join in with their support.

In addition to the $25 million for the Main Street Matters program, other proposed economic development investments in the Governor's budget include: $500 million in PA SITES funding to bring more commercial and industrial sites to Pennsylvania; $20 million to support large-scale innovation and leverage Pennsylvania's best-in-class research and development assets; and $3.5 million to create and launch the Pennsylvania Regional Economic Competitiveness Challenge to incentivize regional growth.

You can read Pennsylvania's first economic development strategy in 20 years here. For more information on how the Governor's proposed budget will create opportunity for all Pennsylvanians, visit shapirobudget.pa.gov.

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