Rep. Dave Zimmerman

Maddy summaryHB 1031 amends Pennsylvania's nuisance laws to increase penalties for scattering rubbish or illegally dumping trash. It directly affects individuals who litter or dump waste, imposing stricter fines and community service requirements based on offense frequency. For a first offense, penalties include fines up to $2,000 and 5-30 hours of cleanup; repeat offenses escalate to fines up to $5,000 (second offense) or $20,000 (subsequent offenses), with mandatory community service up to 5 years. The bill updates existing penalties under Title 18, Criminal Code, without changing the core definition of the offense. It is scheduled to take effect six months after enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 987 amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities at public institutions of higher education, including state universities, community colleges, and state-related schools like Penn State and Temple. The bill prohibits requiring ideological statements (such as race-based declarations or DEI-related views), bans DEI offices and staff, mandates specific language in mission statements and handbooks, and restricts DEI-related training and spending. Public institutions must report compliance annually starting December 2025, and the bill allows tenure revocation for DEI violations. It explicitly excludes academic coursework, research, student organizations, and guest speakers from these restrictions.

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates April 13-19, 2025, as "National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week" in Pennsylvania. It honors 911 dispatchers (also called public safety telecommunicators) who serve as the first point of contact during emergencies and support emergency responders. The resolution recognizes their critical role in ensuring community safety through their professionalism and dedication during high-pressure situations. As a ceremonial resolution, it does not create new laws or policies.

Maddy summaryHB 1005 would repeal Pennsylvania's Use and Storage Tax Act of 1953, which imposed a tax on the use and storage of physical goods (like furniture, electronics, or vehicles) within the state. This law required businesses selling such goods to register, collect the tax from customers, and remit it to the state, with the revenue funding public schools. The bill would eliminate this tax obligation for businesses and remove the administrative requirements for collecting and reporting the tax. The repeal directly affects businesses that previously collected this tax and the public school funding mechanism tied to it.

Maddy summaryHB 1004 amends Pennsylvania's 1971 Tax Reform Code to increase annual limits on research and development (R&D) tax credits. It raises the total annual credit cap from $60 million to $120 million, with $24 million specifically reserved for small businesses (up from $12 million). Unused allocations for either small businesses or other qualifying businesses can roll over to the other group within the same fiscal year. The changes take effect 60 days after the bill's passage.

Maddy summaryHB 1033 prohibits healthcare providers from performing gender transition procedures on minors under 18, including surgeries, cross-sex hormones, and puberty blockers. It also requires government health programs (like Medicaid) and health insurance policies to stop covering these procedures for minors. The bill defines "gender transition procedures" to include genital/nongenital surgeries, cross-sex hormones, and puberty blockers. Individuals aged 18 or older are not affected by the ban and may continue receiving such care.

Maddy summaryHB 981 standardizes Pennsylvania voter registration forms and creates a new process for sharing applicant information with state agencies. It requires election commissions to send voter registration details (name, residence/mailing addresses) to the Department of Transportation, Human Services, Revenue, and local governments within 30 days. The bill mandates that all registration forms include a notice explaining this data sharing, which agencies will use to verify residency and connect applicants with eligible services. This directly affects voters completing registration forms, election offices handling applications, and state/local agencies providing services tied to residency.

Maddy summaryHB 975 creates a new state crime in Pennsylvania for trafficking undocumented immigrants. It makes it a third-degree felony to encourage or induce an undocumented immigrant to enter or remain in the state by concealing, harboring, or shielding them from law enforcement or federal immigration authorities, which violates federal law. The offense becomes a second-degree felony if it creates a substantial risk of serious harm, death, involves a minor, or involves knowledge of forced labor or sex work. This law directly affects individuals who facilitate undocumented immigrants' presence in Pennsylvania through concealment, clarifying that such actions are punishable under state law.

Maddy summaryHB 978 updates Pennsylvania's Election Code with technical procedural changes. It modifies requirements for election officers to be sworn in (Section 406), updates candidate affidavit rules (Section 630.1), and clarifies nomination petition rules (Section 909), including how petitions may be formatted and circulated. The bill also replaces all references to "justice of the peace" with "magisterial district judge" throughout the code. These changes affect election officials, candidates, and voters by standardizing administrative procedures in election administration.

Maddy summaryHB 959 amends Pennsylvania's tax code to require the state to pay interest on overpaid personal income taxes. It specifies that interest on refunds will accrue at the same rate used by the U.S. Treasury for federal taxes, starting from the date the overpayment was received. Taxpayers who overpay their state income tax - such as those who paid too much through estimated installments or filed early returns - will now receive interest on the excess amount. The bill also clarifies that no interest applies if a refund is issued within 60 days of the tax return deadline.