Rep. Michael Stender

Maddy summaryHB 1499 updates Pennsylvania's child custody laws under Title 23. It clarifies definitions, establishes clearer rules for awarding primary physical custody, and requires courts to consider criminal convictions when making custody decisions. The bill also mandates parenting plans and specifies factors judges must evaluate, directly affecting parents, judges, and child welfare agencies involved in custody cases. The legislation was recently referred to the Judiciary Committee on May 28, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1495 repeals Pennsylvania’s 1921 law imposing a tax on anthracite coal (P.L.479, No.225). This 104-year-old statute, which set declining tax rates (1.5% to 0.5%) and required annual reporting for coal mined or processed in the state, expired in 1931 and has not been enforced since. The bill formally removes this obsolete law from the state’s statutes, as it no longer affects any current tax obligations or regulations. No entities or individuals are directly impacted by this repeal, as the original tax was already inactive for over nine decades.

Maddy summaryHB 1489 establishes the Lifeline Scholarship Program, enabling eligible Pennsylvania students to receive financial assistance for tuition and fees at participating nonpublic schools. To qualify, students must be Pennsylvania residents, not have a high school diploma, and meet income criteria (household income below 350% of the federal poverty level) or reside within a low-achieving school's attendance boundary. The State Treasury administers the Lifeline Scholarship Fund, allowing parents to apply for funds covering tuition, school-related fees, and special education services at qualifying nonprofit nonpublic schools. This program amends the Public School Code of 1949 to create a new funding mechanism for student enrollment in nonpublic schools.

Maddy summaryHB 1491 requires Pennsylvania's Department of Health commissioner to continually assess and revise emergency medical services (EMS) agency functions to improve service quality, adapt to community needs, and boost recruitment/retention of EMS providers. It establishes a State EMS Advisory Board to advise on system improvements and updates definitions for key EMS roles and entities. The bill directly affects EMS agencies, providers, and the Department of Health by mandating ongoing system reviews and creating a formal advisory structure. Key provisions include requiring the commissioner to address recruitment challenges and ensure EMS systems meet evolving community demands.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates Bridge Key 48006 (on State Route 3007 over Carson Run in Knox Township, Clearfield County) as the "Sgt. Ronald Bloom Memorial Bridge." It honors Sergeant Ronald Bloom, a Clearfield County native who enlisted in the Marines in 1967, was killed in action in Vietnam at age 21, and received multiple military medals including the Purple Heart. The bill requires the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to install and maintain signs naming the bridge, effective 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1462, also known as The Fair Play Broadcasting Act, amends the Public School Code to grant visiting school teams the same rights as home teams to broadcast interscholastic athletic competitions. This allows visiting school entities, including public and nonpublic schools, to provide radio broadcasting, video streaming, or telegraphic play-by-play accounts. These rights apply if the visiting team has an agreement with a media organization or if it has a curricular program for secondary students that typically broadcasts its home games. The provisions of this act will apply to competitions beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summaryHB 1173 amends Pennsylvania's Liquor Code to allow individuals aged 18-20 who are enforcement bureau employees, interns, or officers to purchase, possess, or transport alcohol while performing official duties under specific conditions. It requires these individuals to complete bureau-approved training, work under adult supervision, and prohibits them from consuming alcohol. The bill also mandates that compliance checks at liquor stores include written notifications for businesses found compliant or noncompliant, and requires the Pennsylvania State Police to submit annual reports on check results to legislative committees. These provisions expire five years after the bill takes effect.

Maddy summaryHB 1448 amends the Public School Code to establish a financial transparency data and reporting system, to be developed by the Department of Education. This system will collect and analyze at least ten years of basic education funding, revenue, and expenditure data, broken down by individual school entities. It will provide data visualization dashboards for state agencies and the General Assembly to simulate funding formula changes, and offer public-facing dashboards with aggregate financial information. The bill aims to provide greater transparency and analytical tools for understanding public school funding for the general public, state agencies, and various school entities.

Maddy summaryHB 800 amends Pennsylvania's hunting laws to prohibit specific actions that disrupt lawful wildlife activities. It directly affects hunters, trappers, and landowners by banning behaviors like disturbing wildlife to interfere with others' hunting, blocking hunters, tampering with equipment, or entering lands without permission to disrupt permitted activities. Key provisions define eight prohibited actions under Section 2302(a.1), including creating barriers, interjecting in line of fire, or altering property used for wildlife observation. Violations are punishable as summary offenses, with the most severe penalty (a one-year hunting/trapping ban) applying specifically to tampering with equipment (Section 2302(d)(2)). The bill takes effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 1439 amends Pennsylvania's Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act. The bill requires that the pharmaceutical composition of crystalline polymorph psilocybin be scheduled in Pennsylvania to match federal law immediately upon its approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Following federal rescheduling by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the state Secretary of Health must publish notice of this change. The state's rescheduling of this substance will then take effect 30 days after its publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. This process directly affects the legal classification of this specific substance within the Commonwealth.