HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania will pay more than $1 million to settle claims from contractors who performed security-related work at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private residence after state officials concluded the work was authorized without legal authority to use public funds and outside established procurement procedures.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity confirmed this week that the Treasury Department approved the settlement payments following an agreement negotiated by Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office to avoid litigation that officials believe the Commonwealth would likely lose.
The dispute centers on security improvements completed at Shapiro’s personal residence by three vendors who had not been paid because, according to Garrity and Sunday, state law does not authorize the use of public funds for construction work on a governor’s private home.
Garrity had previously denied the original payment request in May after determining there was no legal authority for the expenditures.
In a letter accompanying the settlement agreement, Sunday concluded that the Pennsylvania State Police did not follow established Commonwealth contracting procedures before the work was performed. He also agreed that Garrity had no legal basis to approve the original payment request.
However, the attorney general’s office determined that a settlement was warranted because the vendors completed the work and would likely prevail in court if they pursued legal action against the state.
“Unfortunately, my approval of these settlement payments is necessary to prevent costly litigation that the Commonwealth would likely lose to the vendors who completed more than $1 million of work at the Governor’s home without any payment authority,” Garrity said in a statement.
She added that the settlement “should not be interpreted as approval of the conduct that gave rise to the settlement.”
The episode has raised broader questions about how security-related improvements at the homes of public officials are authorized and funded. Garrity called for an independent review of the contracting and approval process, arguing that future security needs for elected officials may require clearer legal and procedural guidelines.
“This has never been about questioning the need for appropriate security for the governor,” Garrity said. “This is about following the law, and my sworn duty as state treasurer is to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately and that established procedures are followed.”
Neither the Treasurer’s Office nor the Attorney General’s Office disclosed the identities of the three vendors or provided additional details about the specific security improvements that were made at the governor’s residence.
The settlement resolves the immediate payment dispute but leaves unresolved questions about how the contracts were approved and why work proceeded without legislative authorization or an established funding mechanism.
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