Maddy summaryThis bill updates Pennsylvania's Automobile Lemon Law to clarify definitions and strengthen protections for buyers and lessees of defective new vehicles, including motorcycles. It establishes specific time and mileage limits for when manufacturers must repair issues that significantly affect a vehicle's use, value, or safety, and mandates refunds or replacements if these repairs fail after a reasonable number of attempts. The legislation also introduces a presumption that a reasonable number of repair attempts have occurred for motorcycles if manufacturer-sourced parts are used, while excluding off-road vehicles and dual-sport motorcycles from coverage. Additionally, the law sets a maximum deduction of 10 cents per mile or 10% of the purchase price when calculating refunds for the consumer's use of the vehicle before the defect was reported.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill expands newborn protection laws in Pennsylvania by allowing parents to leave their infants with hospitals, police stations, emergency services providers, and urgent care centers without facing criminal charges. It grants immunity to these facilities and their staff, including security and administrative personnel, provided the newborn is not a victim of abuse and the parent clearly intends to surrender the child. The legislation also permits urgent care centers to accept newborns and take them into protective custody, while requiring hospitals and other facilities to install incubators with specific safety features like automatic 911 alerts. Additionally, the bill defines key terms such as "urgent care center" and "emergency services provider" to clarify who is authorized to handle these situations.
Maddy summaryThis bill updates Pennsylvania laws regarding driver's license suspensions and fines to offer more options for people who cannot pay court costs. It allows magisterial district judges to place drivers with suspended licenses into alternative programs that help them regain their driving privileges without waiving the original conviction or reducing fines. Additionally, the law now requires courts to hold a hearing before suspending a license solely because a person cannot pay fines, costs, or restitution, ensuring that inability to pay does not automatically result in a suspension. The legislation also extends the maximum suspension period for driving while a license is suspended from one year to 26 months and clarifies that victim compensation costs cannot be waived under these new provisions.
Maddy summaryThis law updates Pennsylvania's Public School Code to broaden the definition of "school district" to include various types of schools, such as charter schools and cyber charters. It specifically changes how schools handle tick-borne disease testing results by requiring them to provide original reports to parents while prohibiting the creation of copies or inclusion of these results in student medical records. Additionally, the bill allows schools to record disease types in a separate, anonymous log to track health trends on school property without linking the data to individual students.
Maddy summaryThis bill expands workers' compensation coverage to include post-traumatic stress injuries for emergency medical services personnel responding to specific traumatic events. It defines a qualifying traumatic event as incidents involving serious injury or death, threats to life, mass casualties, or crime scene investigations, and extends the time limit for filing claims to one year after the injury occurs. The legislation also sets a maximum benefit period of 104 weeks for these stress-related injuries and allows treatment by licensed psychologists or psychiatrists. By updating the state's Workers' Compensation Act, the law ensures that EMS workers who suffer from psychological trauma related to their duties can receive financial and medical support.
Maddy summaryThis bill updates Pennsylvania laws regarding sexual offenses and child safety by replacing the term "child pornography" with "child sexual abuse material" to better reflect modern digital content. It specifically addresses the creation and sharing of sexually explicit images generated by artificial intelligence, defining these new technologies and expanding legal protections to include them. The legislation also clarifies penalties for transmitting such images, adjusting some offenses from felonies to misdemeanors while introducing new categories for the abuse of minors and the unlawful dissemination of intimate images.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the state's Workers' Compensation Act to update a specific reference within the law. The change removes a citation to section 307 from the text, which is a technical adjustment to the statute's language. By making this edit, the legislation ensures the legal code accurately reflects current sections without altering the core rules for injured workers or employers. The bill was signed into law by the Governor on October 29, 2024, and became Act No. 126 of 2024.
Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates the fifteenth day of the Hindu lunisolar month of Kartik as "Diwali Day" in Pennsylvania. The legislation recognizes the festival as a day of thanksgiving and reflection celebrated by millions of people worldwide and within the state. While the date is formally acknowledged, the law explicitly clarifies that employers are not required to treat it as a paid legal holiday or provide special leave. The act takes effect immediately upon approval by the Governor.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Pennsylvania law to clarify the definitions of "law enforcement agency" and "law enforcement officer" within the state's statutes on crimes and offenses. It specifies that a law enforcement agency is any agency in the Commonwealth that employs a law enforcement officer, while defining an officer as someone with the same legal status as a peace officer. These changes aim to ensure consistent terminology when applying laws related to false alarms and intimidation against public safety personnel. The update does not create new crimes but rather standardizes how existing legal terms are interpreted.
Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution officially designates October 2024 as "Down Syndrome Awareness Month" within the state of Pennsylvania. The bill aims to highlight the lives and contributions of individuals with Down syndrome and their families through a formal state recognition. It does not alter any laws, allocate funding, or change existing policies, but rather serves as a symbolic gesture to increase public awareness. The measure was referred to the Rules and Executive Nominations committee for further processing.