HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania’s Office of Attorney General approved a settlement agreement to resolve unpaid bills related to security upgrades at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private residence, concluding that payment was necessary to compensate a contractor that completed the work and to avoid potentially higher costs from future litigation.
The Attorney General’s Office released a written response Friday explaining its role in reviewing the settlement, which had been submitted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Office of General Counsel for the form-and-legality review required under the Commonwealth Attorneys Act.
The review came amid public scrutiny over the use of taxpayer funds for security enhancements at the governor’s residence and following inquiries from news organizations regarding the Attorney General’s involvement in the matter.
Attorney General Dave Sunday emphasized that the approval was not a judgment on whether the security improvements were necessary or whether the expenditures were appropriate.
Instead, the office said its review focused on resolving a past-due contractual obligation involving a contractor that had already completed the work and was seeking payment from the Commonwealth.
“The work was performed some time ago,” the Attorney General’s Office wrote, adding that the settlement addressed an outstanding contract dispute rather than the merits of the security project itself.
The office noted that a legislative appropriation would have been “the quickest and cleanest solution” to cover the costs but determined that approving the settlement was the most practical option available to compensate the contractor and protect taxpayers from additional legal expenses.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, rejecting the agreement could have exposed the Commonwealth to litigation that would likely have increased the ultimate cost of resolving the dispute.
The office also used the memo to call for updates to Pennsylvania law governing security protections for elected officials, citing evolving threats facing public officials.
Attorney General Sunday stated that he condemns political violence and supports efforts to modernize state laws to address security needs for current and future officeholders.
The Attorney General’s Office stressed that its decision should not be viewed as a precedent for future settlements involving similar circumstances and encouraged collaboration among state officials and lawmakers to develop a long-term policy framework for funding and managing security enhancements for public officials.
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