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Pennsylvania Bills

Track legislation and stay informed about the bills that matter to you.

State Legislature US Congress

All 25,661 Active 18,989 In committee 18,968 Passed 5,382 Signed 1,231 Failed 14

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 30, 2026

HB 2338: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, providing for safeguarding personal expression at K-12 schools.

This Pennsylvania bill, HB 2338, amends the Public School Code of 1949 to protect student expression in K-12 schools by requiring school entities to adopt policies safeguarding religious, political, and ideological speech. The legislation prohibits discrimination or penalties against students for expressing viewpoints in class, assignments, presentations, or student-led gatherings, provided such expression occurs in the same time, place, and manner as other students. While protecting student speech, the bill allows schools to restrict unprotected expression like threats, obscenity, or conduct that substantially disrupts school operations. Students who believe their rights are violated can file lawsuits seeking damages and other relief, with the state waiving immunity to allow such cases in federal court.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 30, 2026

SB 1253: 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.

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to require the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association to establish separate playoffs and championships for traditional public schools and non-traditional schools, including charter, private, and parochial schools. The legislation mandates a public process that includes joint meetings with oversight committees, public notice, acceptance of testimony, and open board deliberations where the association must discuss the decision and its fiscal impact. The association must document its reasoning and submit the final decision to the oversight committee within five days, ensuring transparency in how the separation of athletic competitions is determined.

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 30, 2026

SB 1254: An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Public Utility Commission, further providing for consumer protection and information.

This bill requires Pennsylvania's Public Utility Commission to create a public online database tracking all utility rates and rate increase requests. The database must be searchable by company, utility type, year, or docket number and include data from the previous 20 years. The commission must update the database within 10 days of receiving a new rate increase request and make it available on its website. The bill allows the commission to hire a third party to manage the database and takes effect immediately upon passage.

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 30, 2026

SB 1255: An Act amending the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, in personal income tax, further providing for classes of income and providing for exclusion of tips from taxable income.

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Tax Reform Code to exclude tips from taxable personal income. It directly affects employees who receive tips, such as restaurant and hospitality workers, by removing these earnings from their taxable income calculations. The legislation defines tips as voluntary customer payments and explicitly excludes employer-mandated fees or service charges from this exclusion. The Department of Revenue will create regulations to implement the change and prevent fraud or misclassification of wages as tips. The law takes effect 60 days after passage and applies to the next fiscal year following that date.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 30, 2026

SB 1239: An Act amending the act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.805, No.247), known as the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, in zoning, further providing for ordinance provisions.

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code to allow local governments to approve certain residential developments without enforcing standard zoning restrictions like minimum lot sizes, building height limits, or mandatory setbacks. It applies specifically to multifamily, mixed-use, and adaptive reuse projects in nonresidential zones, provided the developer has secured water and sewer connections from municipal systems. Under the new rules, these developments would not be subject to existing zoning requirements for density, parking, walls, fences, or open space, while still maintaining basic accessibility standards. The legislation defines key terms such as mixed-use (residential with less than 50% nonresidential space on the first floor) and adaptive reuse (retaining at least two exterior walls of an existing building). The changes take effect 60 days after the bill is enacted.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 30, 2026

SB 1203: An Act amending Title 20 (Decedents, Estates and Fiduciaries) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in dispositions independent of letters, family exemption, probate of wills and grant of letters, providing for small estate primary residence affidavit.

This bill creates a new legal process in Pennsylvania that allows families to transfer a deceased person's primary residence without going through full probate court proceedings. The law applies only to homes valued at $150,000 or less and requires the homeowner to have been legally domiciled in a county that has established an affidavit process. Family members who can prove their income is below 120% of the federal poverty guidelines would receive a waiver of filing fees when using this simplified transfer method. The court can issue a distribution decree without requiring formal letters of administration or a probated will, and the process includes a two-year window for challenging improper distributions. The provision would expire seven years after it takes effect, with a required study on its implementation before any renewal decision.

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 30, 2026

SB 1252: An Act amending the act of November 26, 1982 (P.L.744, No.203), referred to as the Prothonotary Fee Law, further providing for automation fee for prothonotary's office.

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Prothonotary Fee Law to allow prothonotaries in specific county classes to charge a new automation fee of up to $10 for initiating legal actions. The collected fees must be deposited into a special county fund dedicated solely to funding automation and ongoing technology updates for the prothonotary's office. The fee amount can be increased no more than once every three years, with any increase capped by the percentage change in the national Consumer Price Index. The legislation takes effect 60 days after passage.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Technology

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 30, 2026

SB 1219: An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, in lien of accounts due the Commonwealth and procedure in case of nonpayment, providing for liens against private property improved or renovated with State appropriations.

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Fiscal Code to allow the state to place liens on private property that was improved or renovated using state grant or loan money if the recipient used the funds without proper authorization. Under the new provisions, state agencies must notify the Department of Revenue and the recipient when misuse is detected, and the state can then recover the unapproved funds through civil action. The lien attaches to the property itself and takes priority over most other debts, except for existing mortgages and real estate taxes, but it cannot be enforced until the property is sold or transferred. The Department of Revenue must record the lien with the county prothonotary and notify the property owner by registered mail.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 27, 2026

HB 2322: An Act amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in support of the indigent, repealing provisions relating to relatives' liability and procedure.

This bill would repeal Pennsylvania laws that require relatives to financially support indigent family members, including spouses, children, and parents. The change would remove the legal obligation for these relatives to provide financial assistance regardless of their own financial situation. By eliminating these provisions, the bill aims to reduce the financial burden on family members who might otherwise be held liable for supporting indigent relatives. The repeal would take effect 60 days after the bill is enacted.

Kristine Howard (D) · 22 co-sponsors

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 27, 2026

HB 2323: An Act amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in military educational programs, further providing for definitions, for eligibility, for certification of eligibility, for grants, for amount of grants, for limitations and for recoupment of grant payments.

This bill updates Pennsylvania's military educational assistance program by clarifying eligibility requirements and service obligations for National Guard and reserve component members. It establishes that eligible members must sign a promissory note agreeing to repay grant funds if they fail to complete their required service commitment, which ranges from six years for National Guard members to eight years for federal reserve members. The legislation also allows for successive grant certificates upon completing initial obligations and permits members who receive other-than-dishonorable discharges to retain a proportional share of earned benefits if they meet specific conditions. These changes apply to members of the Pennsylvania National Guard and reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces seeking educational assistance through the state program.

Topics ✓ Veterans

Jim Prokopiak (D) · 25 co-sponsors

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 27, 2026

HB 2324: A Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, further providing for exemptions and special provisions relating to property tax relief for disabled first responders.

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to establish property tax relief for first responders in Pennsylvania who become disabled due to injuries or illnesses sustained while performing their official duties. The amendment would require the General Assembly to create uniform general laws providing these tax exemptions and special provisions for affected individuals. If passed by the legislature and approved by voters, this change would permanently modify the state constitution to ensure ongoing property tax relief for disabled first responders. The bill currently requires passage by the General Assembly and subsequent voter approval to become effective.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 26, 2026

HB 2317: An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929, in Commonwealth agency fees, further providing for Department of Labor and Industry to collect fees.

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Administrative Code to update how the Department of Labor and Industry collects fees from the public. It establishes a mechanism for automatically adjusting certain agency fees annually based on the Consumer Price Index to account for inflation, with increases published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The changes apply to fees currently listed in the department's fee schedule and take effect immediately upon passage.