Tim Hayes
DemocraticQ1 PFAS chemicals are widely used in consumer products but have raised health concerns due to their persistence in the environment and humans, and some Pennsylvanian legislators are considering restrictions on its use, such as in House Bill 2145. Should Pennsylvania restrict PFAS in consumer products? What scientific evidence would you use to inform your decision?
PFAS exposure poses a lifelong risk to our health and must be regulated accordingly. In my role as State Policy Manager at Conservation Voters of PA, I’ve been a staunch advocate for restricting PFAS and have worked with IAFF Local 302 in Allentown to ban its use in firefighting foam.
As State Representative, I will work closely with the DEP to expand funding for testing and remediation. I promise to prioritize the health of Bucks County residents regardless of which corporations try to interfere.
Q2 Measles vaccination rates in Pennsylvania have declined in recent years, from 95.5% in 2020 to 92.5% in 2025. At the same time, measles outbreaks have emerged across the state, with 62 confirmed cases in PA in 2026. As a policymaker, how do you approach engaging with communities that have concerns that center on infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety, and what policies, if any, would you support related to these issues?
Vaccines work, and science has proven that they’re safe and effective. Cutting through the online misinformation that suggests otherwise is going to be a challenge, but expanding access and increasing vaccination rates will save lives.
It’s up to leaders and elected officials, including State Representatives, to rebuild public trust in vaccines, and that outreach needs to start with a statewide information campaign.
I will work not only to establish a program for flagging misinformation on social media, but to continue working on the House majority’s mission to provide health care access to every Pennsylvanian who needs it.
Q3 There have been avian influenza outbreaks in Pennsylvania, with potential impacts on poultry and dairy operations, both industries that provide billions of dollars of economic value to the state. What policies, if any, do you support to strengthen the state’s preparedness and outbreak response? Are there specific strategies you would prioritize to protect farm workers, agricultural communities, and the broader public?
Diseases like Avian Influenza devastate our agricultural industries, threaten the livelihoods of our small family farms, disrupt our economy, and create public health crises. I’ll work with scientists and the agricultural community to develop monitoring systems, emergency protocols, and health protections for farm workers.
A key part of keeping food affordable is preventing outbreaks that disrupt operations. As state representative, I’ll work with farmers across my district to address supply chain issues and bring costs down at the grocery store.
Q4 Pennsylvania is the nation’s second-largest producer of natural gas and nuclear energy, as well as the third-largest producer of coal, per the Energy Information Administration. In contrast, PA currently ranks 45th in the country in terms of wind, solar, and hydropower energy production. How do you think these energy sources should be distributed across PA’s energy production portfolio, and what policies, if any, would you support to facilitate this?
On the campaign trail, I’m always talking up the potential that diversifying our energy portfolio—and getting more energy onto the grid—has to reduce utility costs for consumers. That’s not even to mention the positive effect that increasing our supply of clean energy would have on air quality, public health, and mitigating climate change.
In office, I’d support policies like Governor Shapiro’s Lightning Plan to fast track our state’s transition to clean energy, and be a strong advocate for increasing the share of clean energy in our energy portfolio. I’d also support policies to incentivize the construction of solar panels and other clean energy technologies here in our commonwealth to create good union manufacturing jobs and ensure that Pennsylvania remains the leader in energy production that it’s been since the Industrial Revolution.
Q5 Pennsylvania has proposed more reporting, utility oversight, and zoning guidance for large data centers, along with shifting some generation, capacity, and reliability costs onto data center developers rather than ordinary ratepayers. How should the costs and benefits of large data center development be divided between developers and the public, and what requirements, if any, would you support on power, water, and public reporting before a project moves forward?
I’m a conservationist. I have utility bills that are too high. Like so many people, I have serious concerns about the potential impact of data centers on our environment and energy costs. We need strong guardrails in place to protect our communities and our state’s beautiful natural resources.
I’ve been a strong advocate for House Bill 1834: Rep. Matzie’s Data Centers and Consumers bill. This omnibus set of strict guardrails would:
-Prevent data centers from passing energy costs onto ratepayers by mandating that they produce their own energy, increasingly from clean sources paired with battery storage -Insist that data centers make payments towards LIHEAP, our state’s low income energy assistance program -Prevents the costs of infrastructure upgrades required for data center construction from getting passed on to consumers.
Data centers must be held accountable to the public:I’m in favor of annual reporting standards for data centers that would disclose energy and water usage and compare those statistics to past years and projections.
Finally, I’m fully in favor of communities getting their say about data center proposals in their region—for that reason, I’ve introduced a data center zoning ordinance in my borough, where I serve as council president.