Rep. Lisa Borowski

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law to ban government agencies from signing nondisclosure agreements related to data centers. The law prohibits any contract that restricts the public from accessing information about the construction, development, or location of these facilities. If an agency signs such an agreement, the contract is considered void and unenforceable. The bill defines a data center as a facility used to process, store, or transmit data using computers and software.

Maddy summaryThis bill grants school administrators in Pennsylvania's first-class cities and school districts the right to engage in collective bargaining with their employers. It allows these administrators to negotiate terms regarding pay, working hours, benefits, and dispute resolution through designated representatives. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board will handle any disagreements about these bargaining items using the same process applied to other public employees. The changes apply immediately upon the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 2146 modifies Pennsylvania's open meetings law to clarify when government agencies can take action on unlisted agenda items. It creates specific exceptions for minor administrative approvals that arise unexpectedly, such as urgent legal filings, small purchases under $10,000 (based on current thresholds), grant applications with deadlines, or minor permit approvals. Agencies must obtain and publicly disclose a legal opinion confirming an item qualifies under these exceptions before acting. This directly affects state and local agencies holding public meetings, ensuring transparency while allowing limited flexibility for time-sensitive matters. The bill does not change core meeting notice requirements but adds defined exceptions for minor, non-financial actions.

Maddy summaryThis Pennsylvania bill requires health insurance companies to cover fertility preservation services for individuals facing medically necessary cancer treatments that could cause infertility. The law mandates that insurers include at least three years of egg, sperm, or ovarian tissue storage at an in-network facility, with a minimum lifetime benefit of $100,000 per person. While the coverage must follow standard policy rules like deductibles and copayments, religious employers are allowed to request exemptions if the services conflict with their beliefs, provided they notify patients and allow them to buy separate supplemental insurance.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Pennsylvania residents to voluntarily donate $5 when they renew their driver's licenses or vehicle registrations online. The funds collected will go exclusively to the Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to help provide communication access services for those individuals. The donation is optional and will be added to the regular renewal fee, with annual reports required to track how much money is raised and how it is spent.

Maddy summaryHouse Resolution 208 directs Pennsylvania's Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study wait times, service processes, and operational challenges at two state offices: the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services within the Department of Labor and Industry. The committee must examine current wait times for services, assess how delays affect individuals seeking support, and explore solutions like contracting with nonprofit organizations to improve efficiency. The study requires a report to the General Assembly within 180 days, focusing on concrete findings about service delivery rather than mandating policy changes. This resolution does not alter existing services but aims to inform potential improvements for Pennsylvanians with vision impairments who rely on these programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code to allow local governments to temporarily halt the submission of new data center development applications. Under the new provision, a municipality can adopt a resolution at a public meeting to pause these submissions for up to 180 days, a period that begins retroactively from the date of public notice. During this pause, local authorities may update their zoning laws regarding data centers, and any applications received while the pause is in effect will be evaluated under the new rules. The legislation defines a data center as a facility primarily used for housing servers or data storage systems with specific backup power and cooling infrastructure.

Maddy summaryHB 2535, known as the Commercial Data Center Public Safety Act, regulates large data centers in Pennsylvania that consume 25 megawatts or more of power. To receive a certificate of occupancy, these facilities must submit detailed emergency plans and inventories listing battery types, cooling agents, and fire suppression systems to local fire officials. The bill also mandates annual updates to these documents and restricts access to the information to authorized safety and law enforcement personnel to protect confidential security details.

Maddy summaryThis Pennsylvania House Resolution designates September 27, 2026, as Gold Star Mother's Day within the state. The measure formally acknowledges the sacrifice of mothers who lost sons or daughters in military service and honors their ongoing contributions to their communities. By recognizing this specific date, the resolution aims to provide a day of remembrance for Gold Star Families in Pennsylvania.

Maddy summaryHB 1123 updates Pennsylvania's 1921 Insurance Company Law to require casualty insurance policies to cover colorectal cancer screening without cost-sharing. This affects insured residents in Pennsylvania who need preventive screenings, ensuring they face no copays or deductibles for this specific health service. The key provision mandates insurers to include coverage for colon cancer screenings as a standard benefit under casualty insurance policies. The bill passed final passage on October 29, 2025, and is now pending implementation under the Banking & Insurance committee. This change directly removes financial barriers for early detection of colorectal cancer through existing insurance coverage.