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Scott bill requiring stays on evictions during extreme weather approved by committee

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    February 2, 2026 | 3:05 PM

HARRISBURG, Feb. 2 — To help protect some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents, the House Housing and Community Development Committee today approved legislation by state Rep. Greg Scott, D-Montgomery, that would pause evictions scheduled to take effect during times of unsafe weather.

House Bill 2023 would require a judge to halt the execution of an eviction order on a day-to-day basis when below-freezing temperatures, winter storm or blizzard warnings, excessive heat warnings, and hurricane or tropical storm warnings are in effect. The eviction order execution would resume within a defined period after the weather emergency ends.

According to Scott, the goal is not to prevent landlords from evicting nonpaying tenants altogether, but to protect people who may have nowhere to go during extreme weather.

“Many families in Pennsylvania are living paycheck-to-paycheck and living under the constant threat of their homes being taken away because of unpaid rent. Eviction is already a difficult experience for these families – we don’t need to add surviving dangerous weather conditions to the weight they carry,” said Scott. “Halting evictions during extreme weather will keep more people sheltered during what can be deadly periods, and at the same time alleviate some of the added strain our homeless shelters feel when bad weather pushes people to seek out a safe place to stay.”

The bill’s protection would be applied to individuals and families already enrolled in programs that have income requirements and sometimes work requirements, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Infants and Children.

“These programs are intended to help our lowest-earners, our children and our seniors. We already know these are Pennsylvanians who need extra support even though they’re working to make ends meet,” Scott said. “Delaying an eviction for a few days to let dangerous weather subside might inconvenience a landlord in the short term, but for a family without shelter, that delay can mean everything and more.”