The security improvements were made following an arson attack on the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg.
State Attorney General Dave Sunday recently approved a settlement agreement to pay contractors who installed security improvements in Governor Josh Shapiro’s private home in Abington.
The improvements were worth roughly $1.1 million and were made in response to an arson attack on the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg in April 2025.
Sunday emphasized that the one-time action will not serve as precedent for future transactions of a similar nature. He called on lawmakers “to update the Commonwealth’s laws to meet today’s threats against public officials” in a press release.
The improvements were recommended by the Pennsylvania State Police after the arson attack. Cody Balmer of Harrisburg set off molotov cocktails while Shapiro and his family slept inside the residence during the Jewish Passover holiday.
Improvements and upgrades to Shapiro’s Abington home began swiftly under an emergency construction provision in state code.
During the construction period, critics noted a lack of transparency surrounding the use of state funds towards the improvements.
In April, State Treasurer Stacy Garrity said that she would block payments to contractors who had already begun work because her office did not have the legal authority to release the funds.
In a statement issued on Friday, Garrity said that her office had not yet received the settlement agreement or payment request but that she will “carefully review each one and pay the requisition if it is lawful and correct.”
“The issue was triggered by the administration’s failure to follow proper contracting procedures, causing uncertainty and risking litigation,” Garrity said.
The Attorney General’s letter noted that “as currently drafted, the Procurement Code simply does not contemplate or authorize the expenditure of Commonwealth funds for construction at a private residence.”
The letter also said that approval through legislative action was never sought by the administration. Legislative appropriation was sought by State Police for more than $30 million in work completed at the Harrisburg Governor’s Residence, but no such approval was sought for the improvements made at the governor’s private home.
“It is unclear why the request for that appropriation could not have included an additional one million dollars to cover the parallel work done on the official’s private residence,” the letter said.
Governor Shapiro’s office applauded the settlement, saying that “the safety of the Governor and his family should never be weaponized for partisan gamesmanship.”
