Sen. John Kane

Maddy summaryThis resolution (SR 64) designates April 15, 2025, as "Purple Up! for Military Kids Day" and April 2025 as "Month of the Military Child" in Pennsylvania. It encourages Pennsylvanians to wear purple on April 15, 2025, to show support for military-connected children - over 37,000 in Pennsylvania with at least one parent serving in the military. The resolution is symbolic, recognizing the challenges faced by military children during parental deployments, without creating new laws or funding. It directly affects military-connected children and communities statewide through a non-binding observance.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all Pennsylvania public schools to install panic alert systems in every building where students receive instruction during the school day. These systems must silently notify local law enforcement directly during security emergencies like active threats or lockdowns, with activation via devices such as buttons or apps. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and is named Alyssa's Law. It applies specifically to public elementary, middle, and high school campuses, not private or parochial schools.

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 summarySB 211 allows Pennsylvania individual income tax filers to voluntarily contribute $1 or more to fire and emergency medical services grant programs by designating the amount on their state tax return. The contribution is deducted from any tax refund owed, not from tax revenue, and the Department of Revenue transfers the collected funds (minus administrative costs) to a restricted account for grants administered by the Office of State Fire Commissioner. This applies to all Pennsylvania taxpayers filing individual income tax returns, directly supporting fire companies and EMS providers through state grant programs. The bill takes effect for tax years ending after December 31, 2025.

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 summarySB 523 requires full-time firefighters and EMS providers employed by fire departments or local governments in Pennsylvania to receive comprehensive cancer and cardiovascular screenings every three years. The screenings must cover specific conditions including prostate, lung, skin, and heart health checks, as listed in the bill. Employers must cover all associated costs - including copays, deductibles, and insurance expenses - through existing health benefits or insurance plans. This bill directly affects emergency responders working for public fire departments or municipal services.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a $500 annual tax credit for Pennsylvania residents who serve as active volunteer certified emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or volunteer firefighters. To qualify, individuals must have at least two full years of service by December 31 of the tax year and respond to at least 20% of their agency's emergency calls during that period. The credit applies to tax liability starting with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2026, and cannot be carried over, refunded, or sold. The Department of Revenue will administer the credit, require self-certification, and submit annual reports to the General Assembly on its usage.