Sen. Tim Kearney

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates April 2025 as "Community College Month" in Pennsylvania. It is a symbolic gesture recognizing community colleges' role in providing affordable higher education, workforce training, and access to students from diverse backgrounds. The resolution does not create new policies, funding, or direct impacts on individuals or institutions. It serves only to highlight community colleges' contributions through a designated month of recognition.

Maddy summaryThis is a symbolic resolution (not a law) that formally recognizes March 8, 2025, as "International Women's Day" in Pennsylvania. It does not create new policies, allocate funds, or directly affect any individuals or groups. The resolution expresses the Senate's support for the global observance of International Women's Day, highlighting women's achievements and the ongoing pursuit of gender equality. It serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment with no concrete policy changes or legal impact.

Maddy summarySB 388 proposes amending Pennsylvania's Constitution to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sex, race, ethnicity, color, religious creed, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, familial status, or disability. This would expand existing constitutional protections under Article I, Section 28 to cover these additional categories, ensuring equality of rights under the law for all Pennsylvanians. The bill requires the General Assembly to pass it twice before submitting the amendment to voters at the next qualifying election. As of March 6, 2025, the bill has only been referred to the State Government committee and remains in early legislative stages.

Maddy summarySB 389 amends Pennsylvania's Credit Services Act to prohibit credit services organizations from discriminating against applicants based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Specifically, it bans denying credit, increasing fees, restricting credit amounts, or imposing different terms based on these characteristics. The bill allows organizations to still consider credit history and apply community property laws as permitted under existing rules. This change directly affects credit service providers and their customers in Pennsylvania, ensuring equal access to credit services.

Maddy summarySR 31 is a ceremonial resolution designating January 22-26, 2025, as "Gun Violence Survivors Week" in Pennsylvania. It symbolically recognizes individuals impacted by gun violence - including those wounded, threatened, or witnessing such incidents - and acknowledges the trauma and unmet needs they face, such as mental health support and financial assistance. The resolution does not create new laws or allocate funding but expresses state support for survivors and highlights the work of organizations like the EMIR Healing Center and Moms Demand Action. It is purely symbolic, aiming to raise awareness and show empathy for survivors across the Commonwealth.

Maddy summarySB 390 creates a new grant program to provide operating assistance for public transportation in Pennsylvania counties experiencing population or employment growth. It directly affects county transit entities that currently receive state transportation grants under Sections 1513 or 1516. The bill allocates funds equally between counties with rising employment (using state labor data) and counties with rising population (using U.S. Census data), distributing grants based on each county's growth percentage over five years. Eligible entities can apply annually for proportional shares of available funds, with grants subject to the same rules as existing programs. The program requires no local match exceeding current standards under Section 1513.

Maddy summarySB 371, the Medical Debt Collection Protection Act, protects low-income patients from aggressive medical debt collection practices. It requires health care providers to screen patients for insurance and financial assistance *before* billing them for emergency or necessary care, and prohibits collectors from placing liens on primary homes or reporting debts to credit bureaus. The law also mandates a 30-day notice to patients before pursuing permissible actions like lawsuits or wage garnishment, including information about complaint procedures. It directly affects uninsured patients and those with household incomes under 300% of the federal poverty level (qualified patients), imposing new duties on the Attorney General and Department of Health for enforcement. The bill is currently pending in the Health & Human Services committee.

Maddy summarySB 387 modifies Pennsylvania sentencing for murder offenses. It sets a minimum 25-year prison term for adults convicted of second-degree murder, murder of an unborn child, or murder of a law enforcement officer. For minors under 18 convicted of these crimes, it establishes minimum terms: 20 years for those aged 15+ at the time of offense, and 15 years for those under 15. The bill also restricts parole eligibility, requiring the Board of Probation and Parole to wait at least 20 years for offenders aged 15+ and 15 years for younger minors before considering parole, prioritizing public safety and victim safety.

Maddy summarySB 368 establishes new standards for eyewitness identification procedures used by Pennsylvania law enforcement. It directly affects police departments, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission by requiring blind lineups (where administrators don't know the suspect's identity), documenting eyewitness descriptions before lineups, and using at least five fillers in both live and photo lineups. The bill mandates prelineup instructions for eyewitnesses about the importance of eliminating innocent people and not feeling pressured to identify someone. It also prohibits administrators from commenting on identifications and sets specific rules for lineup composition and show-up procedures to reduce misidentification risks.

Maddy summarySB 369 requires prosecutors to disclose detailed information about informants - such as their criminal history, cooperation agreements, and all statements made to them - 30 days before trial in criminal cases where informant testimony is used. It mandates a court hearing to verify the reliability of such testimony before it can be admitted, considering factors like corroboration and specificity. This directly affects criminal defendants by giving them more information to challenge informant credibility, and prosecutors who must now follow strict disclosure rules. The bill also requires prosecutors to notify victims if informants received benefits like plea deals in exchange for testimony.