HB 1936 Pennsylvania House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in juvenile matters, further providing for release or holding of hearing, for disposition of delinquent child and for limitation on and change in place of commitment and disposition review hearing.

HB 1936 amends Pennsylvania's juvenile justice laws to change procedures for handling cases involving minors. It specifies when courts must hold hearings before releasing or committing a juvenile, alters where juveniles can be placed for treatment or supervision, and adds requirements for reviewing dispositions (how cases are resolved) after commitment. The bill directly affects juveniles charged with offenses, their families, and juvenile court judges and probation officers who manage these cases. Key changes include setting clearer timelines for hearings, limiting where juveniles can be committed (e.g., away from home), and mandating periodic reviews of their case plans. These provisions aim to standardize court processes while prioritizing youth safety and appropriate supervision.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Oct 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Oct 8, 2025 Last action Feb 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Printer's No. PN2435 Printer's No. PN2861 · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill amends Pennsylvania's juvenile justice laws to give courts more flexibility in keeping children in secure detention or shelter care by allowing a specific mention of 'shelter care' in safety assessments. It also extends the time allowed to transfer a child to a facility from seven days to twenty days, provided individual circumstances justify the delay. Additionally, the bill requires courts to consider a child's prior detention time when deciding how long to commit them to a facility for eighteen months or longer.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of detention review by explicitly including shelter care alongside secure detention in legal assessments and extends the timeline for facility transfers.
REQUIREMENT

Changed the maximum time to transfer a child to a facility from seven business days to twenty business days, unless individual circumstances require a delay.

Updated legal standards to explicitly include 'shelter care' alongside 'secure detention' when courts assess public safety risks and the harm caused to the child.

Added a new requirement for courts to consider the length of a child's prior detention when determining the duration of a commitment to a facility for eighteen months or more.

TECHNICAL

Corrected a numbering error in Section 6353 where a paragraph was incorrectly labeled as '(7)' instead of '(4)'.

Floor votes · House Feb 4, 2026

How they voted

11187
Passed
Total votes 198
Feb 4, 2026
D Democratic100
99 Yea 1 Nay
99% Yea
R Republican98
12 Yea 86 Nay
87% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
3
Committee
5
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Judiciary
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third consideration and final passage
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Re-reported as committed
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
Re-committed to Appropriations
lower
Nov 18, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported as committed
lower
Oct 8, 2025
Committee
Referred to Children & Youth
lower
1 primary · 24 co-sponsors

Sponsors