Rep. Joe Hamm

Maddy summaryHB 262 amends Pennsylvania's Public Employe Relations Act to strengthen rights for public-sector union members. It guarantees equal voting rights in unions, prohibits sudden fee increases without member approval (requiring secret ballot votes), and ensures members can pursue legal action or communicate with legislators without union restrictions. The bill also mandates that unions provide all members with copies of collective bargaining agreements upon request. These changes apply to most public employees (excluding police/firefighters under separate law) and take effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 228 requires Pennsylvania's State Board of Education to review all academic standards every three years to ensure they are age-appropriate, industry-specific, academically challenging, and aligned with job market needs. The bill mandates the board to submit detailed reports to education committee leaders in both legislative chambers, including updates to standards, reasons for changes, stakeholder involvement, and implementation timelines. It clarifies the State Board's relationship with the Department of Education and updates membership rules for education councils. This bill directly affects public school curriculum development and accountability processes across Pennsylvania's K-12 system.

Maddy summaryHB 263 amends Pennsylvania's Public Employe Relations Act to clarify union membership rules and expand rights for public employees. It defines "maintenance of membership" to allow employees to resign from a union 15 days before a contract expires, while prohibiting unions from restricting members' rights to speak, disassociate, or stop dues payments. The bill ensures all public employees - regardless of union membership - can attend contract ratification meetings, receive full financial transparency from unions, and access membership documents. It also creates a legal path for employees to seek court remedies if these rights are violated. This affects public employees and their unions across Pennsylvania state and local government workplaces.

Maddy summaryHB 229 establishes the Keystone Solvency Operating Study Commission to analyze Pennsylvania's financial risks, including unfunded pension liabilities, deferred infrastructure maintenance, and municipal/school district solvency concerns. The commission - appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders - will assess how financial stress could impact state obligations, develop 5-year cash flow projections under different economic scenarios, and identify critical risk factors for monitoring. It does not make policy changes but will provide a report to inform future budget decisions. The study focuses on preventing insolvency by examining lessons from other states and Puerto Rico's PROMESA framework. (125 words)

Maddy summaryHB 234 amends Pennsylvania's Second Class Township Code to establish a fee structure for storm water management facilities, systems, and plans. Townships may charge reasonable, property-based fees that cannot exceed costs required by federal and state storm water regulations. The bill requires townships to offer exemptions or credits for properties with approved storm water facilities or for agricultural operations using USDA-approved best management practices. This change directly affects townships and property owners by creating a standardized approach to funding storm water infrastructure.

Maddy summaryHB 235 amends Pennsylvania law to allow municipal stormwater authorities to establish rates based on property characteristics, such as the installation and maintenance of approved stormwater management practices. The bill specifically permits authorities to set rates considering features like land use, while requiring practices to be approved and inspected by the authority. It also includes an exception for agricultural operations, allowing rates to be based on USDA or state-approved conservation practices. This change gives local governments more flexibility in funding stormwater management programs through targeted rate structures.

Maddy summaryHB 246 prohibits Pennsylvania public and state-related institutions of higher education from requiring students to complete diversity training or diversity courses to graduate or earn credit. It specifically bans programs based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, or oppression are inherent in U.S. institutions, as defined in the bill. The law applies to community colleges, rural regional colleges, state universities, state-related institutions, and Thaddeus Stevens College. It does not ban all diversity-related content but targets courses or training explicitly founded on the specified theories. The bill takes effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 252 requires Pennsylvania school entities (like districts, charter schools, and cyber schools) to obtain written parental permission before students can access or use any mental health services digital platform. Schools must provide parents a 30-day written notice detailing the platform’s purpose, structure, and practices before implementation, including clear information on how to grant or withdraw consent. Parents can revoke permission anytime in writing, and schools must immediately stop facilitating platform access upon receipt of withdrawal. The bill also ensures parents may request to be present during their child’s use of the platform (unless documented cause for exclusion exists) and access or delete student data collected via the platform per federal privacy laws.

Maddy summaryHB 217 amends Pennsylvania's tax code to require businesses to deduct start-up costs (like initial expenses for new ventures) entirely in the year incurred, rather than spreading deductions over multiple years as permitted under federal rules. This change affects new businesses and entrepreneurs with start-up expenses by altering how they calculate state personal income tax. The bill also allows business net losses to offset other income in the same tax year. These provisions apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 227, the "Honesty in Teaching Act," prohibits Pennsylvania public schools (including districts, charter schools, and cyber charters) and their contractors from compelling students to adopt beliefs that suggest any group is inherently superior or inferior based on protected characteristics like race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. It bans communications promoting discrimination or group-based superiority (Section 3(a)), requires teacher training focused on fostering independent thinking over advancing personal beliefs (Section 3(e)), and mandates contracts with contractors include a statement prohibiting "prohibited indoctrination" (Section 4). Complaints about violations can be filed with school boards, with penalties for false claims under Pennsylvania law (Section 5). The bill directly affects public school employees, contractors, and students by restricting specific instructional content while allowing discussion of controversial topics.