Sen. Tracy Pennycuick

Maddy summarySB 701 amends Pennsylvania law regarding judicial expenses. This bill increases the annual registration fee paid by the Office of the Court Administrator of Pennsylvania to the Special Court Judges Association for each magisterial district judge and Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge position, raising it from $200 to $400. The bill clarifies that funding for these registration fees comes from the annual appropriation made to magisterial district judges. Additionally, it confirms the Office of the Court Administrator is directly responsible for the cost of publishing a monthly journal that provides updates on laws and State Supreme Court rule changes.

Maddy summarySB 695 amends Pennsylvania's Tax Reform Code to change how businesses file sales and use tax returns. Starting January 1, 2026, it modifies filing frequencies for businesses based on their previous year's tax liability. Businesses with $1,200 or less in fourth-quarter tax liability will file annually, while those with liability between $1,200 and $25,000 will file quarterly. Existing monthly and advance payment schedules for businesses with higher tax liabilities will continue to apply.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 705 amends the Pennsylvania Election Code regarding applications for official mail-in ballots. The bill specifies that only the Department of State or a county board of election may send an application for an official mail-in ballot to a qualified elector. It also removes the existing provisions for a permanent mail-in voting list, meaning voters can no longer opt to automatically receive mail-in ballot applications for all elections. These changes directly affect registered voters who use mail-in ballots and the process by which they receive applications.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 564 proposes to provide an additional monthly supplemental annuity to eligible retired public school employees and retired state government employees in Pennsylvania. For retired public school employees, these new payments would begin after July 1, 2025, while for retired state employees, they would commence after January 1, 2025. The amount of this supplement will be a percentage of their current monthly annuity, ranging from 15% to 24.5% based on their retirement date, with older retirees receiving a higher percentage. The bill specifies that eligible recipients must have retired before July 2, 2001, and not have certain service credits. The increased costs for these benefits will be funded by the Commonwealth over a ten-year period.

Maddy summarySR 97 is a resolution that formally recognizes the week of May 11 through 17, 2025, as "National Police Week" and designates May 5, 2025, as "Police Officers' Memorial Day" in Pennsylvania. This resolution honors the memory of police officers who have died in the line of duty within the Commonwealth.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 670 amends the Housing Authorities Law to establish new procedures for public housing applicants with criminal records and expands requirements for landlords in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. It creates Public Housing Safety Committees, comprising the Authority's Executive Director, District Attorney, and President Judge, to review applicants with certain criminal offenses on a case-by-case basis, evaluating potential threats to resident safety. The bill also broadens requirements for all Housing Authorities (previously limited to first-class cities) to ensure compliance with federal criminal activity rules for tenants and to deny Housing Choice Voucher Program approval to landlords with delinquent property taxes. Additionally, it requires law enforcement agencies to provide background checks to landlords in the Housing Choice Voucher Program upon request.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Pennsylvania's Crimes and Offenses code to establish new criminal offenses related to critical infrastructure facilities. It creates penalties for individuals who trespass without permission on these properties, with more severe consequences for those who intend to damage or disrupt operations. The legislation also makes willful damage or tampering with equipment at these facilities a felony. Additionally, it allows owners of critical infrastructure facilities to pursue civil lawsuits against individuals arrested or convicted of these offenses for damages incurred. "Critical infrastructure facilities" are broadly defined to include essential services such as power plants, water treatment facilities, and natural gas pipelines, provided they are secured or clearly marked.

Maddy summarySB 687 amends Pennsylvania's procurement laws to update how public construction projects are managed by government agencies and State-related institutions. The bill establishes a new framework, Chapter 32, which defines and mandates the use of specific "project delivery methods," such as design-build or construction management at-risk, for public building projects costing over $4,000. It repeals and replaces the older "Separations Act" of 1913, consolidating the rules for public construction procurement. This aims to standardize and modernize the options available for project delivery in the Commonwealth.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 662 amends Pennsylvania's cruelty to animals laws to establish concurrent jurisdiction for prosecuting felony offenses. This bill grants the Pennsylvania Attorney General the authority to investigate and institute criminal proceedings for felony animal cruelty cases. The Attorney General can prosecute these cases if they make a written request and the local district attorney either accepts it, or fails to respond within specific timeframes after an initial and subsequent written request.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 674 establishes the Rural Coworking and Innovation Center Grant Program, to be administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development. This program offers competitive grants to eligible entities, such as municipalities, universities, private businesses, and nonprofits. The grants, capped at $500,000, are intended to fund the construction, renovation, utility and broadband improvements, or equipment purchases for coworking and innovation centers in rural counties and municipalities. These centers aim to provide infrastructure and equipment for individuals engaged in online work. Grant recipients must provide matching funds and agree to keep the centers operational for a specified number of years.