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State Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, said he is concerned with education, crime and finding bipartisan solutions to those and other issues.
He believes school districts should be better equipped to provide mental health services and suggested counties should spend opioid settlement money on funding such services.
"We're in a crisis," Flick said.
He noted some school districts are trying to expand such services on a pilot basis and are seeing success.
Flick also is sponsoring legislation to address the shortage of substitute teachers by allowing men and women with two-year degrees to substitute. He said while the measure is opposed by the teachers' union, it is similar to the Shapiro administration's decision to relax degree requirements for many state jobs.
"This lines up with that."
Flick said he meets regularly with Williamsport's police chief and other municipal leaders and remains optimistic that Gov. Josh Shapiro is still prioritizing his campaign pledge to hire hundreds more police officers throughout the state.
Flick noted that as an example of the necessity of bipartisanship and also noted his role with the Meet Me in the Middle Caucus.
"The objective is that we get rid of the hard partisanship on both sides," he said, and pursue common-sense solutions.
One such solution includes reducing the size of the state House from 203 to 151 members.
"That would save tens of millions of dollars," Flick said.