HB 41 Pennsylvania House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in interscholastic athletics accountability, providing for playoffs and championships.

HB 41 amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to establish a process for determining whether interscholastic athletic playoffs and championships should be separated for public schools (boundary schools) versus charter, parochial, or private schools (nonboundary schools). It requires the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) to hold public meetings in each district, accept written testimony and public comments, and document all proceedings before making a decision. The bill mandates that the PIAA board must publicly discuss all relevant testimony, fiscal impacts, and sport-specific considerations before voting on the change or deciding no change is needed. The association must then provide a written decision with justification to the oversight committee within five days of the meeting. This bill affects all Pennsylvania schools participating in PIAA athletics by defining how decisions about playoff structures will be made.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 10, 2025 Last action May 1, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Printer's No. PN0020 Printer's No. PN3295 · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was updated to reflect its progression through the legislative process, including new sponsors and a second reading amendment. Substantively, the bill now requires all association meetings to comply with state open meetings laws and mandates that public comment periods include arguments from both sides of the playoff format debate. A critical new provision prevents any lawsuits against the association once a playoff format decision is made, effectively shielding the organization from legal challenges regarding that specific choice.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include parochial and private schools in the definition of nonboundary schools, whereas the previous version only included charter schools.
TIMELINE

The bill status was updated to reflect introduction by additional sponsors and a second reading amendment on April 28, 2026.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that all association meetings must comply with state open meetings laws and public notice statutes.

Added a requirement that public comment periods must include testimony supporting both the separation and non-separation of playoffs for boundary and nonboundary schools.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a provision that bars any lawsuits or requests for relief against the association once a playoff format option is selected.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the definition of 'nonboundary school' to include parochial and private schools in addition to charter schools.

Floor votes · House Apr 28, 2026

How they voted

2010
Passed
Total votes 201
Apr 28, 2026
D Democratic102
102 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican99
99 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
11
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 1, 2026
Committee
Referred to Education
upper
Apr 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third consideration and final passage
lower
Apr 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Re-reported as committed
lower
Apr 28, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (201-0)
house
Apr 28, 2026
Committee
Re-committed to Appropriations
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported as committed
lower
Jan 10, 2025
Committee
Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs & Operations
lower
1 primary · 21 co-sponsors

Sponsors