State Representative Napoleon Nelson, who serves Cheltenham, Jenkintown and Springfield, recently published a weekly update detailing the effect the proposed Aqua PA wastewater rate hike might have on Cheltenham Township residents.

According to his memo, Rep. Nelson and Senator Art Haywood co-authored a letter to the PUC “urging the Commissioners to modify Aqua’s proposal and adopt a more reasonable rate structure to reduce the immediate financial burden on local residents.”

The letter is below:

From his update:

Over the past few weeks, my staff and I have fielded many calls, emails, and visits from Cheltenham Township residents with well-reasoned concerns about the proposed Aqua PA wastewater rate hike. We heard from even more of you this summer at the public hearing at Curtis Hall I requested take place in our district.

The company has petitioned the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for another 65% increase in wastewater rates, the second in just five years if the proposal goes through. This is simply too much for the residents of Cheltenham, and I recognize the need to do more to protect your financial well-being.

The township initially sold the sewer system to Aqua to address pressing infrastructure needs. We endured a 65% sewer rate hike in 2022 with the promise of investments and improvements. But Aqua has not realized these advancements, and residents should not have to bear the financial burden of these increases without seeing tangible improvements in the system.  

Senator Art Haywood and I co-authored a letter to the PUC urging the Commissioners to modify Aqua’s proposal and adopt a more reasonable rate structure to reduce the immediate financial burden on local residents. This would provide Aqua with the resources it needs to make necessary improvements while also respecting the principle of rate gradualism and making the increase more manageable for our residents. 

We must take a more measured approach to any future hikes and ensure that these increases happen gradually to prevent undue hardship. Furthermore, Aqua must meet its obligations while still respecting the financial strain on our community. This is a matter of fairness, and I will continue to advocate on behalf of neighbors for just that.

Rep. Nelson also introduced a bill “to ensure accuracy in use of AI in state government and public schools.”

From his memo:

“As technology continues to evolve, we must ensure that it is used responsibly — especially when it directly impacts the people we serve,” said Nelson, who serves on both the House Education Committee and the House Communications & Technology Committee. “Pennsylvania taxpayers and students have the right to expect factual and reliable information when they interact with government officials or educators. AI tools are already incredibly powerful and often deliver significant workplace efficiencies, but they are prone to, frankly, making stuff up. If a student is in a classroom to learn or a resident is reaching out to their government seeking assistance, the worst thing we could do is put someone in front of them that speaks with authority and but is not speaking in truth.”

The legislation, which has yet to be formally introduced, would require that any AI tool or agent used in direct communication with Pennsylvania residents or students — whether in state government offices or public schools — meets a minimum standard of factual accuracy. It would also introduce an audit process to regularly assess AI-generated content and ensure any false or misleading statements are identified and corrected.

The bill comes in response to growing concerns over the deployment of Artificial Intelligence throughout the workplace and the need to address the frequency of AI misstatements, often referred to as “hallucinations”. It also happens to coincide with the recent AI-led cyber charter school applications in PA. Those cyber charter system proposals have since been denied by the PA Department of Education.

“This legislation’s introduction will mark an important step in ensuring that Pennsylvania remains at the forefront of responsible technology use, protecting the integrity of public services while embracing the benefits of innovation,” Nelson said.

In late January, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Glenside helped reintroduce the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Network (TAKE IT DOWN) Act.

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