PSATS board members and staff travelled to Washington, D.C., joining township officials from across the country for the 2026 National Association of Towns and Townships (NATaT) Fly-In. The PSATS delegation met directly with federal legislators and staff to advocate for the issues that matter most to township governments and the communities they serve: 

• Discussed the need for dedicated transportation funding to municipalities, as PA townships maintain more road miles than PennDOT, the Turnpike Commission, and counties combined. Additionally, urged an expansion of federal bridge programs to the thousands of smaller bridges less than 20 feet, which are currently ineligible for federal repair funding. 

• Relayed concerns of heavier trucks on roadways, specifically opposing a potential 10-year pilot program that would raise the existing weight limit to 91,000 pounds or higher, accelerating wear and tear on local roads and bridges. 

• Advocated for an update to the definition of “rural” in Federal Highway Administration funding. Most FHWA grants consider any community with less than 200,000 residents as rural, resulting in actual rural townships competing for limited funding with larger entities that would never be considered rural otherwise. 

• Discussed broadband development noting the importance of expansion to unserved and underserved communities without preemption of permit approvals or location decisions. 

Thank you to Senators McCormick and Fetterman, Congressman Dan Meuser, Congressman John Joyce, and Congressman Scott Perry for their time and reception to local government issues.