Sen. Lindsey Williams

Maddy summarySB 548, the Fair Workweek Employment Standards Act, requires large retail, hospitality, and food services employers (those with 250+ employees across 20+ locations) to provide written advance notice of work schedules to employees. It mandates that employers give a good-faith estimate of weekly hours at hire, revise estimates for significant schedule changes, and notify employees of schedule changes at least seven days in advance. Employees gain the right to request schedule adjustments, though employers may deny requests for lawful reasons. The bill also authorizes the Department of Labor and Industry to enforce these standards and impose penalties for violations.

Maddy summarySB 549 (Pennsylvania) limits public access to eviction court records to protect tenants. It creates "limited access eviction files" that cannot be shared online or with most individuals, except under specific conditions like when a case is less than seven years old with a final judgment for the landlord, or for parties directly involved in the case. Tenant screening services and consumer reporting agencies are barred from using these records in reports or considering them for rental decisions. The law automatically restricts access after seven years, when a judgment is satisfied (e.g., tenant pays rent or moves out), or if a court vacates a judgment. This directly affects tenants (by preventing old eviction history from impacting housing), landlords (requiring them to notify courts of satisfied judgments), and tenant screening companies (prohibiting use of these records).

Maddy summarySB 558 would require public employers (like state and local government offices) to observe Election Day as a legal holiday, meaning they must close on election days. School districts and counties could also choose to observe Election Day as a holiday. Private employers must provide employees with at least two hours of unpaid leave for voting on Election Day, and face a $1,000 civil penalty for violating this requirement. The Department of State would enforce these rules, and the law would take effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summarySB 555 amends Pennsylvania's Election Code to update the sworn statements (oaths) required for election workers. It revises the exact wording for judges of election, election inspectors, election clerks, and machine inspectors, adding specific language about ensuring registered voters can cast ballots. The changes clarify clerks' duties to "carefully and truly record votes" and direct eligibility questions to judges of election. This is a technical update to existing oath requirements, not a substantive policy change affecting election procedures or voter rights. The bill focuses solely on standardizing the language these officials must swear to uphold election integrity.

Maddy summarySB 486 amends Pennsylvania's procurement laws to add new reasons for barring state contractors from future contracts. It specifically prohibits state agencies from awarding contracts to businesses that violate wage laws (like the Wage Payment and Collection Law), misclassify employees as independent contractors (violating laws covering workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, taxes, or construction misclassification), or breach workers' compensation rules. This directly affects businesses seeking or holding state government contracts by expanding the grounds for debarment. The bill updates existing debarment rules to include these specific labor and wage violations, making them automatic disqualifiers for state contracting. It takes effect 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis resolution symbolically designates April 2025 as "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania. It recognizes the national observance and highlights statistics on sexual violence (e.g., 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the U.S. experience rape, 81% of women report sexual harassment). The resolution aims to raise community awareness and support for survivors, aligning with the theme "Together We Act, United We Change." As a procedural resolution, it does not create new laws or funding but formally acknowledges the issue for the state.

Maddy summarySB 510 creates a $2 million grant program to help individuals navigate name changes while facing gender or sexual stereotype-based biases. It establishes the Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Fund in the State Treasury, providing competitive grants of $5,000-$100,000 to nonprofits or local governments that run support programs for transgender and nonbinary residents. Grants fund administrative costs of services offering legal, emotional, or social guidance during name change processes. The Department of Community and Economic Development will administer applications and evaluate program effectiveness every three years. This directly affects transgender and nonbinary Pennsylvanians seeking name changes and the organizations supporting them.

Maddy summarySB 470 proposes to create a Secondary Education Fire Training Pilot Program in Pennsylvania, allowing high school students aged 16+ to earn credit for firefighter and emergency medical services training through partnerships between schools and colleges. The bill establishes a Fire Training Fund to accept donations and provides $150,000 per participating college over the 4-year pilot period. It requires three regional colleges to partner with school entities (including districts and charter schools) to offer Firefighter I certification courses, with the goal of increasing volunteer firefighter recruitment. The program includes a post-pilot survey to assess its impact on local volunteer fire departments. This is proposed legislation pending final approval, with an effective date of January 1, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 521 would revise Pennsylvania's process for court-approved name changes. It requires petitioners to submit detailed information (including residence history and reason for the change) and mandates court publication of notices in local newspapers, unless safety concerns or a gender identity-related name change applies. For gender identity name changes, the bill automatically waives public notice and requires courts to seal all related records, ensuring no public access except under specific court orders. This applies to all petitions filed after the law's effective date, which would be 60 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (SR 60) formally recognizes the week of April 6-12, 2025, as "National Library Week" in Pennsylvania. It does not create new laws or allocate funds but symbolically acknowledges libraries' role in communities, highlighting their value for learning, connection, and access for all residents regardless of background. The resolution encourages Pennsylvanians to visit local libraries and reflect on their impact during this annual observance. As a ceremonial resolution, it has no direct policy or financial effect on libraries or their operations.