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.
Sponsored bills
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.
Maddy summarySB 876 establishes Pennsylvania's Home Preservation Grant Program, which provides funding to local governments (counties, cities, townships) to rehabilitate existing owner-occupied housing. The program requires grants to address habitability, improve energy/water efficiency, or increase accessibility for units owned by households earning no more than 120% of the area median income. Grants cannot exceed $50,000 per unit and may cover up to 10% of funds for administrative costs. Local governments must apply with detailed plans showing how funds will meet these requirements, with applications reviewed by the Department of Community and Economic Development.
Maddy summaryThis resolution (SR 129) honors the late Pennsylvania State Representative Matthew R. Gergely and expresses condolences to his family following his death. It formally recognizes his life, career in McKeesport (including roles as City Administrator and Chief Revenue Officer), and service as a state representative for the 35th district. The resolution, adopted on June 23, 2025, directs the Senate to convey these condolences to his wife, children, and other surviving family members. It does not create any new policy or affect any laws.
Maddy summarySB 874 amends Pennsylvania's Election Code to change how incarcerated individuals are counted for redistricting. It requires that people in state or federal prisons (or juvenile facilities) be counted at their last known address in Pennsylvania - not at the facility location - when creating state legislative, congressional, and local district maps based on the federal census. The bill mandates that correctional and juvenile facilities collect and share data (including last known address, demographic details, and facility location) with redistricting bodies by June 1 each year ending in "1." This directly affects how Pennsylvania redraws voting districts, ensuring prison populations are not artificially inflated in the communities where facilities are located.
Maddy summarySB 700 requires Pennsylvania public schools to adopt research-backed reading curricula aligned with the science of reading, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. It mandates schools to use approved reading screeners to identify early literacy struggles, develop intervention plans for struggling students, and notify parents about their child’s reading progress. The bill creates a state list of approved curricula and screeners, overseen by a 20-member Reading Leadership Council including teachers and specialists, and requires schools to report adoption and screening data. Schools must also provide free, required professional development for educators on evidence-based reading instruction and intervention methods. This directly affects all K-3 public school students, their teachers, and parents through updated curriculum, screening, and intervention requirements.
Maddy summaryThis resolution designates June 23, 2025, as "Dravet Syndrome Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania. It formally recognizes Dravet syndrome - a rare, severe form of epilepsy affecting infants and children - and aims to raise public awareness about the condition. The resolution urges Pennsylvanians to learn about Dravet syndrome and support affected families, though it has no legal effect or funding provisions. It directly affects individuals and families living with Dravet syndrome, which impacts approximately 1 in 15,700 people and requires intensive care. The resolution aligns with International Dravet Syndrome Awareness Day but is purely ceremonial.
Maddy summarySB 852 updates Pennsylvania's Minimum Wage Act to establish new hourly wage rates starting in 2026 ($12/hour) and 2027 ($15/hour), with automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index beginning in 2025. It clarifies that tipped workers must retain all tips, cannot be required to surrender tips to employers to meet wage requirements, and must be informed in writing about their minimum wage entitlement. The bill also preempts local ordinances, meaning cities cannot set higher minimum wages than this state law. It directly affects all Pennsylvania employers and workers, particularly those in tipped occupations.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services to establish a dental benefit package for medical assistance recipients aged 21 and older by 2025-2026. It mandates that the dental coverage must maintain all existing services provided before 2011 and cannot remove any current benefits, though it may add new coverages. The department must seek federal approval via a waiver or State plan amendment to implement this dental coverage. The bill also requires the department to publish notices in the Pennsylvania Bulletin detailing the benefit package, which will remain in effect until updated by regulation.
Maddy summarySB 861 amends Pennsylvania's vehicle code to establish definitions and rules for electronic driver's licenses. It defines terms like "electronic driver's license" (an electronic version viewable on phones/tablets) and specifies that these electronic licenses are legally equivalent to physical licenses, except for certain sections on carrying licenses on demand. The bill allows the Department of Transportation to issue electronic licenses via smartphone apps or other devices, requires data to match physical licenses and update within 30 days, and permits third-party systems (like digital wallets) to host these licenses under confidentiality agreements. It directly affects drivers who choose to use electronic licenses instead of physical ones.