An Act amending Titles 2 (Administrative Law and Procedure) and 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in depositions and witnesses, further providing for confidential communications to news reporters; and making editorial changes.
HB 490 amends Pennsylvania law to protect confidential communications between journalists and their sources during legal proceedings. It specifically updates statutes related to depositions and witness testimony to prevent courts from forcing reporters to reveal confidential sources. This change directly affects journalists, news organizations, and individuals who share information with reporters. The bill aims to strengthen press freedom by clarifying that reporters can maintain source confidentiality in court, consistent with existing protections.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 5, 2025
Last action Feb 27, 2026
Floor votes · House Feb 4, 2026
How they voted
100–98
Passed
Total votes 198
Feb 4, 2026
D
Democratic100
100% Yea
R
Republican98
100% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
10
Key actions
3
Committee
5
Feb 27, 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 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported as committed
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
Referred to Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 17 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Ben Waxman
DDemocratic
Co
Abigail Salisbury
DDemocratic
Co
Arvind Venkat
DDemocratic
Co
Ben Sanchez
DDemocratic
Co
Carol Hill-Evans
DDemocratic
Co
Chris Pielli
DDemocratic
Co
Danielle Otten
DDemocratic
Co
Emily Kinkead
DDemocratic
Co
Jenn O'Mara
DDemocratic
Co
Jim Haddock
DDemocratic
Co
Joe Webster
DDemocratic
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