Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, a Republican, will control at least $516 million from a Meta settlement under the deal's terms, and lawmakers in both parties want a say in how it is spent.
The multistate settlement sends the money to a fund run by Sunday's office, which can spend it on youth crisis hotlines, after-school and summer programs, mental health services, digital wellness education and further social media investigations. The commonwealth's fiscal code says settlement money received by an agency belongs in the General Fund.
Sunday's office said it is conducting "necessary stakeholder outreach" and that transparency and accountability will guide how the funds are used. Spokesman Brett Hambright did not say whether the office has legal authority to keep the money. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, an Indiana County Republican, said his office has already met with Sunday's and that he expects legislative engagement given the size of the sum. A spokesperson for House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, a Montgomery County Democrat, said Democrats had held no talks with the attorney general as of early October.
The stakes are plain. A divided legislature has yet to approve new revenue or spending cuts to close the state's deficit, and its record with windfalls is mixed. Lawmakers needed about two years to create a fund for the state's tobacco settlement, then tapped it in the 2017-18 budget to patch the shortfall. A board overseeing opioid settlement dollars has routinely met behind closed doors.
Pittman said he opposes using finite settlement money for programs that need recurring funding. Democratic Rep. Mike Schlossberg said he favors an independent board to oversee the money.
The first payment arrives Jan. 15, and Democrats are aiming to hold the governorship, expand their House majority and flip the Senate on Nov. 3.
