Rep. Missy Cerrato

Maddy summaryHB 118 amends Pennsylvania's Child Labor Act to increase penalties for employers violating child labor laws. It raises the fine for first-time violations from $500 to $1,000 per violation and increases penalties for repeat offenses to $3,000 per violation or up to 10 days in jail. The bill directly affects employers who hire minors in prohibited work situations. These changes are concrete policy adjustments to enforcement, not new work restrictions. The amendment takes effect 30 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 535 bans Pennsylvania health insurers from setting annual or lifetime dollar limits on core health benefits for enrollees, whether services are provided by in-network or out-of-network providers. It applies to all individual and group health insurance policies (excluding specific types like Medicare supplements or dental/vision-only plans) and prohibits limits on benefits that were already covered without such caps in 2025 policies. The Insurance Department can enforce this through fines up to $5,000 per violation (or $10,000 for willful violations), with annual caps of $500,000 for insurers. The law does not require coverage of specific benefits but eliminates existing dollar limit practices for covered services.

Maddy summaryHB 618, the Health Insurance Access Protection Act, prohibits health insurers from denying coverage or charging higher premiums based on a person's health condition, including preexisting conditions. This law applies to both individual and group health insurance policies, protecting enrollees and their dependents from discrimination in enrollment or pricing. The Insurance Department and Commissioner are tasked with enforcing these rules, and the bill includes penalties for insurers that violate the prohibitions.

Maddy summaryHB 404 amends Pennsylvania's Insurance Company Law to extend health insurance coverage for children under family policies. It requires policies to cover dependent children up to age 26 (previously 19) and prohibits insurers from denying or restricting coverage based on a child's financial dependency, residency, marital status, school enrollment, or employment. The bill also allows group health plans to extend coverage for adult children up to age 29 if they meet specific conditions, such as not being married, having no dependents, and residing in Pennsylvania or attending school full-time. This affects all health insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania that provide dependent child coverage.

Maddy summaryHB 410 allows certain Pennsylvanians with disabilities, 100% service-connected veterans, and active-duty military members or their dependents living abroad to renew driver's licenses using their most recent photo and signature on file instead of providing new photos. The bill applies to individuals who qualify under existing disability plate rules (Section 1338), have a 100% service-connected disability certification, or are active military personnel or their dependents. Renewal using existing records is prohibited if no current photo/signature exists, if record changes (like name or eye color) are needed, or if the photo is over 16 years old. The law takes effect 33 months after enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 1008 updates Pennsylvania's vehicle registration renewal process by requiring the state Department of Motor Vehicles to send renewal notices 60 days before expiration, plus weekly text or email reminders (if contact info is on file) until renewal is completed. It applies to all vehicle owners in Pennsylvania, with commercial vehicles additionally requiring self-certification of safety inspections during renewal. The bill specifies that failing to receive a notice does not excuse the owner from renewing registration on time. This procedural change aims to reduce expired registrations through clearer communication, effective 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 995 amends Pennsylvania law to require the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to include provisions for protecting owned animals in the state's emergency management plan. The bill creates new funding for approved animal response teams to develop and maintain rescue capabilities, with PEMA allocating annual funds based on agency standards. It defines "owned animals" as pets, agricultural animals, or those under a Game Commission permit (excluding wildlife) and mandates that teams receiving funds maintain records for audit. The law takes effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 1036 adds a new exemption in Pennsylvania vehicle registration fees for active volunteer first responders. It allows volunteer emergency medical, fire, and rescue service members to pay a $10 processing fee instead of the full registration fee for vehicles they own and primarily drive while responding to emergencies. The exemption applies only to one passenger car or light truck per person and requires the volunteer to be the vehicle's owner and principal driver. This change directly affects volunteer emergency service organizations and their members who use personal vehicles for official emergency responses.

Maddy summaryHB 1003 establishes Pennsylvania's Veterans' Housing Assistance Program to provide rental assistance to homeless or at-risk veterans. It directly affects veterans who served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces and are identified as homeless or facing imminent homelessness by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The program provides rental vouchers (financial assistance) to cover monthly rent and utilities, while the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency coordinates housing ombudsman services to negotiate leases and resolve credit issues, and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs identifies eligible veterans and sets implementation guidelines. Veterans must apply through the Department or Agency and may be required to participate in supportive services like mental health counseling or job training to receive assistance.

Maddy summaryHB 1002 requires Pennsylvania public and private schools to notify parents or legal guardians when a student threatens suicide or is involved in bullying (as defined in state law). Schools must adopt a written policy for these notifications, keep records of each notification (exempt from public records requests), and provide parents with suicide prevention resources, including information on limiting access to firearms or medication. Students can request copies of their own records under this policy and, after graduating high school, ask for those records to be permanently removed. The bill takes effect for the 2026-2027 school year.