Attorney General Signs Off On Funding For Security Upgrades At Gov. Shapiro’s Home

By Ian Karbal | Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday approved a settlement agreement to pay contractors who installed security improvements in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private Abington Township, Montgomery County, residence worth roughly $1.1 million.

But, he stressed the one-time action would not serve as a precedent for similar transactions in the future and a press release from his office called on lawmakers “to update the Commonwealth’s laws to meet today’s threats against public officials.”

The improvements were recommended by the Pennsylvania State Police following an arson attack on the official Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg in April 2025. 

Cody Balmer of Harrisburg snuck into the home and set off molotov cocktails while Shapiro and his family slept inside during the Jewish Passover holiday. Balmer, who plead guilty to multiple felonies, told authorities he would have killed Shapiro had he come across him.

Work on Shapiro’s Montgomery County home began after the attack under an emergency construction provision in state code. Acting State Police Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens told lawmakers in February that speed was necessary because Shapiro’s family had to move there full-time while Governor’s Residence underwent significant repair.

But the governor drew criticism for what some lawmakers called a lack of transparency around the use of state funds for security improvements to both the Governor’s Residence and his private home. The commonwealth has strict rules prohibiting the use of state funds in ways that may benefit public officials privately, and approval for the work wasn’t initially sought from the legislature.

In April, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity said she would block payments to contractors who had already begun work, saying her office did not have the legal authority to release the funds. Garrity was then running unopposed in the GOP gubernatorial primary to challenge Shapiro. She won that primary election in May.

While the move was criticized by Shapiro’s office at the time as “political,” a letter issued Friday by Executive Deputy Attorney General Ronald Eisenberg and Chief Deputy Attorney General Amy Elliott office noted “the Treasurer had no legal option other than to deny payment.”

Garrity said in a statement Friday that the Attorney General’s letter shows she upheld the law by blocking the funds and that she would continue to going forward. She noted that her office has 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.”

“This issue was triggered by the administration’s failure to follow proper contracting procedures, causing uncertainty and risking litigation,” she said.

The plan to spend roughly $1.1 million on improvements to Shapiro’s private home was first reported by Spotlight PA last October.

The letter from the Attorney General’s office acknowledging the settlement agreement noted, “the Attorney General is acutely aware of the negative developments in our political culture, and the accompanying increase in threats to the safety of those occupying public office. Elected public officials are entitled to be safe from harm.

“However, as currently drafted, the Procurement Code simply does not contemplate or authorize the expenditure of Commonwealth funds for construction at a private residence.”

It went on to state that approval could have been granted through legislative action, but no funding was ever sought. It said that, while a legislative appropriation was sought by State Police for more than $30 million in work done on the state-owned Governor’s Residence, no such approval was sought for the improvements to Shapiro’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,” it read.

That left a settlement agreement as the only option to pay for the work, barring potentially costly litigation.

Shapiro’s office applauded Sunday’s decision to approve the settlement agreement.

“We appreciate the Office of Attorney General following its obligation under the law, without political interference, by approving this settlement agreement and ensuring these contractors will be paid for the work they have already completed,” Rosie Lapowsky, a spokesperson for Shapiro, said in a statement. “As the Attorney General demonstrated, the safety of the Governor and his family should never be weaponized for partisan gamesmanship – and our Administration will continue to work with law enforcement and elected officials across the Commonwealth to keep our leaders safe.”

A spokesperson for the State Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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