Pennsylvania Bills

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 20, 2026

HB 2144: An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in liquid fuels and fuels tax, further providing for definitions.

HB 2144 amends Pennsylvania's fuel tax definition in Title 75 to set specific average wholesale prices for taxable liquid fuels. It establishes fixed price tiers: $1.87 per gallon for 2014, $2.49 per gallon for 2015-2016, and $2.99 per gallon starting in 2017 (with future adjustments based on Department of Revenue data). This directly affects fuel retailers and consumers by determining the base price used to calculate state fuel taxes. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jan 20, 2026

SR 208: A Resolution condemning the worldwide persecution of Christians, recognizing the persecution as a grave human rights crisis, reaffirming the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's historic commitment to religious liberty and urging Federal action.

This is a symbolic Senate Resolution (SR 208), not a bill with binding policy changes. It condemns the global persecution of Christians as a grave human rights crisis, citing examples from Pakistan, China, Haiti, and Nigeria where Christians face violence, forced conversion, and destruction of religious sites. The resolution reaffirms Pennsylvania's historical commitment to religious liberty and urges the U.S. federal government to take action. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new laws or affect specific groups directly.

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jan 20, 2026

SB 1146: An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in registration of vehicles, providing for Flagship Niagara commemorative registration plate.

SB 1146 creates a commemorative license plate for Pennsylvania vehicles featuring the Flagship Niagara, a historic vessel. Vehicle owners who apply and pay a $45 fee (in addition to standard registration costs) can obtain this plate for cars, motorcycles, trailers, or light trucks. $15 of each $45 fee funds the Flagship Niagara Account, which preserves and operates the historic ship through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The bill does not change vehicle registration rules but establishes a dedicated funding mechanism for historic preservation.

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jan 20, 2026

SB 1148: An Act amending the act of October 27, 1955 (P.L.744, No.222), known as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, further providing for unlawful discriminatory practices.

SB 1148 amends Pennsylvania's Human Relations Act to strengthen housing accommodations for renters with disabilities. It requires landlords to permit reasonable modifications to rental units at the tenant's expense (with restoration requirements), grant accommodation requests within 10 days, and allow tenants to terminate leases without fees if accommodations are denied. The law applies to all rental agreements executed or renewed after the bill's effective date, protecting both current tenants who develop disabilities during their lease and new tenants with disabilities. Landlords cannot waive these rights through lease terms or charge fees for tenants exercising these protections.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jan 20, 2026

SB 1141: An Act amending Titles 24 (Education) and 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in membership, contributions and benefits, further providing for creditable nonschool service; and, in membership, credited service, classes of service, and eligibility for benefits, further providing for creditable nonstate service.

SB 1141 increases the maximum amount of military service that counts toward retirement benefits from 5 to 10 years for state government employees (under Title 71) and education employees (under Title 24) in Pennsylvania. The bill amends retirement laws to allow this change while ensuring employees with multiple retirement systems (e.g., both state and education systems) cannot count more than 10 total years of military service across both. It specifically affects members of the State Employees' Retirement System and the Public School Employees' Retirement System. The amendment becomes effective 60 days after enactment.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment ✓ Veterans

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jan 20, 2026

SB 1145: An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, establishing the Compliance Review and Reporting Program; imposing duties on the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services; and imposing penalties.

SB 1145 establishes a Compliance Review and Reporting Program to ensure healthcare facilities serving children comply with mandatory reporting laws for suspected sexual abuse or exploitation. It requires the Pennsylvania Department of Health to review facility records during inspections, verify that required reports were filed with child protective services, and confirm reports match patient encounters with the Department of Human Services. Facilities failing to report must have the names of non-reporting mandated healthcare workers recorded, while non-compliant facilities will be publicly listed on the Department of Health’s website (without victim or reporter details). The bill directly affects hospitals and healthcare facilities licensed to provide child medical care, aiming to strengthen enforcement of existing child abuse reporting requirements.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 20, 2026

HB 2148: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, requiring certain school entities to adopt policies and procedures relating to access to school property by individuals or certain enforcement officials; and providing for training, reporting to governing bodies of school entities and for department guidelines.

HB 2148 requires Pennsylvania school entities (including school districts, charter schools, and cyber charters) to adopt policies ensuring all students, parents, guardians, and school personnel can access school property regardless of immigration status. Specifically, schools must develop and publicly adopt inclusive policies within 90 days of the bill’s effective date, requiring school boards to approve these policies via public resolution with 45 days’ notice. Policies must be published in all languages spoken by students at home and reviewed quarterly to maintain accessibility. The bill explicitly prohibits immigration or law enforcement officials (including ICE, Customs, and local agencies acting under federal immigration authority) from restricting access to school zones without proper legal process. This directly affects all Pennsylvania public and private schools serving students, mandating concrete procedural changes to protect school access.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Immigration

Joe Hohenstein (D) · 42 co-sponsors

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jan 20, 2026

SB 1142: An Act amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in hunting and furtaking licenses, further providing for resident license and fee exemptions.

SB 1142 creates a new exemption allowing Pennsylvania residents who complete a hunter education program to receive one free antlerless deer license. This license is valid for the year the education course is completed or the following year. The provision applies only to antlerless deer licenses for residents and does not affect other license fees or requirements. The bill takes effect 60 days after enactment.

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jan 20, 2026

SR 209: A Resolution recognizing January 27, 2026, as "International Holocaust Remembrance Day" in Pennsylvania.

This Senate Resolution (SR 209) symbolically designates January 27, 2026, as "International Holocaust Remembrance Day" in Pennsylvania. It recognizes the UN-established date (January 27) commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and honors Holocaust victims, while affirming the importance of remembering the Holocaust to prevent future genocide and condemn intolerance. As a commemorative resolution, it has no binding legal effect and does not impose new requirements or alter existing laws.

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 2138: An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in firearms and other dangerous articles, providing for the offense of negligent marketing.

HB 2138 creates a new legal standard for lawsuits alleging "negligent marketing" of firearms by manufacturers or sellers. It requires plaintiffs to prove four specific conditions before a lawsuit can proceed: (1) marketing directly targeted legally prohibited firearm owners, (2) encouraged unlawful firearm use, (3) showed a direct causal link to harm, and (4) demonstrated the manufacturer violated a specific regulatory statute. If these conditions aren't met, courts must dismiss the case and award fees to the defending manufacturer or seller. The bill directly affects plaintiffs seeking to sue firearm companies and provides stronger legal protections for those companies.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 2141: An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, in oil and gas wells, further providing for Oil and Gas Lease Fund; and, in general budget implementation, further providing for Federal and Commonwealth use of forest land.

HB 2141 amends Pennsylvania's Fiscal Code to adjust how funds from oil and gas leases and forest land use are distributed. It changes the Oil and Gas Lease Fund to include specific rental payments from Commonwealth-owned land (excluding game/fish lands) and updates the allocation of fees from federal/State forest land use. The key provision requires a $3 annual per-acre charge on forest land, split as $1.20 from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and $1.80 from gaming revenue, to be distributed to counties, school districts, and townships where the land is located. This directly affects local governments receiving these payments from Commonwealth-owned forest properties.

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 2140: An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in rates and distribution systems, providing for limitation on water and wastewater rate increases.

HB 2140 limits water and wastewater rate increases for residential customers in Pennsylvania. It caps rate hikes at the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the northeast region, preventing increases exceeding inflation. The bill also requires utilities to stop charging for completed infrastructure projects once costs are recovered and mandates that the Public Utility Commission prioritize service affordability over non-essential capital costs when reviewing rate cases. This directly affects residential households and water/wastewater utilities operating in Pennsylvania.

Topics ✓ Housing

Bill results