Sen. Maria Collett

Maddy summarySB 837 amends Pennsylvania's abortion laws by repealing the existing "Abortion Control Act" (Sections 3201-3202) and overhauling related statutes. It removes requirements for parental consent, spousal notice, and certain medical consultations, while revising definitions (like "abortion" and "born alive") and gestational age limits. The bill establishes a new framework for "reproductive rights" and repeals provisions related to federal healthcare compliance, civil/criminal penalties, and medical board oversight. This directly affects abortion providers, patients seeking abortions, and healthcare facilities operating in Pennsylvania.

Maddy summarySB 889 amends Pennsylvania's Equal Pay Law to strengthen protections against sex-based pay discrimination. It clarifies that "comparable work" requires similar skill, effort, and responsibility under similar conditions, and defines "wages" to include all compensation like bonuses and benefits. The bill prohibits employers from using past salary history to set new pay (except when a worker provides it to request higher pay) and bans retaliation for discussing wages or reporting violations. It also requires employers to justify any pay differences using legitimate, job-related factors like seniority or skills - not sex - and mandates that such factors must fully explain the wage gap. This directly affects workers and employers across Pennsylvania who set or receive wages.

Maddy summarySB 884 amends Pennsylvania's MCare Act to prohibit health insurance companies from taking negative actions against healthcare providers who offer legal reproductive health services, including telemedicine prescriptions for pregnancy termination to out-of-state patients. The bill specifically bans insurers from refusing to renew policies, raising premiums, or making other unfavorable changes solely because a provider offers such services permitted under Pennsylvania law. It defines "adverse actions" to include contract terminations, negative reporting to authorities, and coverage changes. This directly affects medical liability insurers and providers offering reproductive care, ensuring they cannot face financial penalties for serving patients from other states legally. The law takes effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summarySB 885 establishes Pennsylvania's Reproductive Health Services Address Confidentiality Program, protecting the privacy of reproductive health service providers (like clinics and hospitals) and their patients who fear violence. Eligible individuals can apply to receive a confidential substitute address (using a Department of Health post office box) instead of their actual home address for mail and service of process. The program handles mail forwarding, keeps all participant records confidential (except for limited law enforcement disclosures), and requires applicants to affirm safety concerns and provide contact details. This policy directly affects those seeking reproductive health services in Pennsylvania who need address confidentiality for safety reasons.

Maddy summarySB 882 modifies Pennsylvania law to prevent courts from enforcing foreign judgments related to reproductive health care services. Specifically, it prohibits Pennsylvania courts from enforcing foreign judgments seeking payment for or delivery of services like pregnancy care, contraception, or abortion (defined broadly as "reproductive health care services"). The bill requires courts to treat foreign judgments like local ones for most purposes but explicitly bars enforcement in cases involving reproductive health care. This change applies to all foreign judgments filed in Pennsylvania courts and takes effect 60 days after enactment. It directly affects judgment creditors seeking to collect debts related to reproductive health services and Pennsylvania courts handling such cases.

Maddy summarySB 887 allows prescribers of mifepristone, misoprostol, or their generic alternatives to request that pharmacy labels display their healthcare practice name instead of their personal name. This directly affects prescribers (like doctors or clinics) and pharmacies dispensing these specific medications in Pennsylvania. The key provision requires pharmacies to use the practice name on labels when requested by the prescriber. The bill aims to protect prescriber privacy during the dispensing process for these pharmaceuticals. It takes effect 30 days after enactment.

Maddy summarySB 881 amends Pennsylvania's judicial statutes to exclude cases involving "reproductive health care services" from several legal processes. Specifically, it prohibits Pennsylvania courts from ordering service of documents or issuing subpoenas for cases outside the state related to reproductive health care (defined as services like pregnancy care, contraception, or abortion that are lawful in Pennsylvania). The bill also restricts out-of-state officers from arresting individuals for such offenses within Pennsylvania and prevents the governor from extraditing people for crimes involving these services. These provisions apply only to cases where the services would be legal under Pennsylvania law. The bill takes effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summarySB 886 would protect patient records related to reproductive health services (including pregnancy care, contraception, and abortion) in Pennsylvania by requiring healthcare providers to obtain written consent before sharing such records in court, investigations, or other proceedings. It directly affects patients receiving these services and healthcare providers (referred to as "covered entities" in the bill). Key provisions include a general consent requirement for disclosure, with exceptions for court orders, legal defense, abuse investigations, or child/senior abuse reports. The law does not override existing privacy rules for other medical information or mental health services.

Maddy summarySB 883 prevents Pennsylvania licensing boards from disqualifying or disciplining healthcare professionals who provide reproductive health care services, including pregnancy-related care, contraception, or abortion services. It specifically protects licensed providers (like doctors, nurses, or clinics) from penalties based on their provision of such services, or from disciplinary actions imposed in other states for the same services if they would have been lawful in Pennsylvania. The law amends state licensing statutes to prohibit these disciplinary actions, ensuring that licensed professionals cannot face licensure consequences for offering reproductive health care consistent with Pennsylvania standards. The bill takes effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summarySB 880 amends Pennsylvania's public assistance laws to improve security for recipients' benefit access devices (like EBT cards). It requires recipients to report stolen devices immediately and mandates new security measures, including replacing magnetic-strip cards with chip technology, adding transaction alerts via text/email, and creating a mobile app feature to lock/unlock cards. The bill also establishes streamlined reporting procedures for theft and targets outreach to educate recipients on preventing fraud. These changes directly affect public assistance recipients who use electronic benefit cards to access food, cash, or other support. The law aims to reduce financial harm from card theft and skimming during normal transactions.