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Hanbidge legislation to cap lot fees in manufactured home communities passes House

(Jun 10, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Legislation introduced by state Reps. Liz Hanbidge, Melissa Cerrato and Joe Webster to stabilize rent prices and strengthen protections for residents in manufactured home communities passed the House with bipartisan support today. Read more

 

House Communications & Technology Committee approves bills to strengthen consumer protections in Pennsylvania

(Jun 10, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, June 10 – The newly formed House Communications & Technology Committee approved two bills that would strengthen consumer protections for automatically renewing subscriptions in Pennsylvania and sent them to the full House for further consideration, Majority Chair State Rep. Joe Ciresi announced today. The bills would protect Pennsylvanians by creating consumer protection requirements for automatically renewing (negative option) subscription plans and by providing notifications before each automatic renewal, requiring transparency about renewal terms and allowing subscribers to cancel subscription services online, also known as click to cancel. “These bills demonstrate the committee’s continued fulfillment of its mission to empowering the public with clear and accurate communications, ensuring consumers can make informed decisions and companies can’t rely on misleading terms and conditions or making it difficult to cancel a subscription,” said Ciresi, D-Montgomery. “By requiring transparency in companies’ communications about their subscriptions, consumers will save money by being aware of the ‘strings attached’ to certain subscriptions and having adequate time to cancel subscriptions they no longer want prior to automatic renewals.” The following bills were approved: House Bill 129 (Rep. Lisa Borowski) would help inform and empower consumers by requiring pre-renewal reminders and clearly Read more

 

Williams’ bill to open door to chip-enabled EBT cards passes House

(Jun 10, 2025) Rep. Dan Williams

HARRISBURG, June 9 – A bipartisan bill by state Reps. Dan Williams, D-Chester, and Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, that would require a report on transitioning to chip-enabled EBT cards passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives today with overwhelming bipartisan support. “I’ve had a growing number of constituents share their stories about theft of their SNAP benefits through skimming schemes,” said Williams. “Unlike debit and credit cards, EBT cards lack security chips, making them highly vulnerable to fraud. Since October 2022, Pennsylvania has recorded more than 23,000 cases of EBT theft.” Criminals use skimming devices at point-of-sale terminals to steal card information and PINs, allowing them to clone EBT cards and wipe out the funds in an instant, leaving people unable to buy food. House Bill 1429 would require the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to work with the General Assembly to ensure an efficient transition to chip-enabled EBT cards. The legislation would require the department to deliver a report to the chairs of the House Human Services Committee and the chairs of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The report would highlight costs, fraud prevention efforts and relevant statistics to enhance the security of SNAP benefits. “With only two other states transitioning to chip-enabled EBT cards, this bill would make Pennsylvania one Read more

 

PRESS CONFERENCE: Protecting PA Health Services from Corporate Greed

(Jun 10, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Members of the PA House and nurses from across the state celebrate the chamber passing legislation (H.B. 1460 sponsored by Rep. Lisa Borowski, D-Delaware) that aims to preserve the public’s access to healthcare by protecting the commonwealth’s healthcare services and facilities from unchecked corporate ownership in the healthcare industry. Read more

 

Borowski bill again earns bipartisan support in effort to protect PA health services & facilities from corporate greed

(Jun 10, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

“If we can’t come together as a legislature to get this protection in place for the people we represent, the message will be clear to Pennsylvanians: ‘Your government does not value your basic needs,’” Borowski said. “This is a measure that provides a commonsense, straightforward solution to an issue with undeniable impact. Crozer Health is gone, with a healthcare desert in its place, because we didn’t have a law like this on the books.” Read more

 

House passes Burns' bill requiring American-made steel for all taxpayer-funded projects

(Jun 09, 2025) Rep. Frank Burns

“This is commonsense legislation that passed near-unanimously. If tax dollars are spent on a project, then it should be made with American steel produced by workers right here in the United States,” Burns said. Read more

 

Davidson’s Statute of Limitations Bills approved by state House

(Jun 09, 2025) Rep. Nate Davidson

“It has been nearly seven years since the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury issued their findings in the summer of 2018, and the two-year window for time-barred claims is the only legislative recommendation that has not been enacted,” said Davidson. “I cannot think of any other issue that has been voted on so many times, each with overwhelming, bipartisan support, and still is not done."This bill is not about any one institution or individual, this bill is about survivors of childhood sexual abuse seeking justice against the perpetrators of those crimes. They deserve to have their day in court, and the institution of the General Assembly would be well served to pass this long-overdue amendment clean and without delay." Read more

 

House Committee OKs two bipartisan Rabb bills protecting homeowners

(Jun 06, 2025) Rep. Christopher M. Rabb

Legislation to address deed fraud, safeguard ownership of inherited property clears committee Read more

 

Kinkead, Williams fight for survivors of sexual assault

(Jun 06, 2025) Rep. Emily Kinkead

Rally with PCAR to increase budget funding for rape crisis centers Read more

 

Philadelphia legislators celebrate Solar for Schools grant recipients at Community College of Philadelphia

(Jun 06, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

A celebration and check ceremony Thursday hosted by the Philadelphia House and Senate delegations honored the Philadelphia schools and community colleges that received Solar for Schools grants. Read more

 

Kinkead, Davis call for solitary confinement reform

(Jun 05, 2025) Rep. Emily Kinkead, Rep. Tina Davis

Duo pushes reform legislation at Capitol rally with Abolitionist Law Center Read more

 

House passes Isaacson’s Cyber Charter School reform bill

(Jun 05, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Cyber Charter Read more

 

O'Mara, Brennan bill to increase available mental health counseling advances to Senate

(Jun 04, 2025) Rep. Jennifer M. O'Mara, Rep. Tim Brennan

Under the legislation, students at out-of-state schools would be able to continue seeing their trusted counselor, and hard-working Pennsylvanians traveling for business or working across state lines would have access to virtual sessions that fit their schedules. Read more

 

House passes Matzie bill to protect consumers from ‘speculative ticketing’

(Jun 04, 2025) Rep. Robert F. Matzie

HARRISBURG, June 4 – Pennsylvania consumers are one step closer to protection from an unfair and unscrupulous sales practice after a strong bipartisan majority of the PA House today passed state Rep. Rob Matzie’s bill to ban speculative ticketing. Matzie, who is chairman of the House Majority Caucus, said he introduced H.B. 463 to eliminate a practice in which ticket resellers list event tickets for sale before even having those tickets in hand. “People give up their hard-earned money to buy tickets so they can enjoy special shows and events with friends, family, and loved ones,” said Matzie. “They have a right to assume the seller has those tickets in hand. When it turns out that the seller never had them and was unable to get them, it’s the consumer who loses. At best, they may get their money back. At worst, they lose their ticket money and any other expenses, like travel and lodging, they laid out. “A sales transaction between a buyer and seller should never be based on a gamble that the seller will be able to obtain the item for sale. We don’t allow that to happen with other consumer goods, and we shouldn’t let it happen with ticket sales. It’s very simple – if you don’t have it, you can’t sell it. I’m pleased that a strong bipartisan majority of the House sided with Pennsylvania consumers today by passing my bill.” Read more

 

House Children & Youth Committee unanimously approves bipartisan bill for food allergy training and medication in daycare facilities

(Jun 04, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, June 4 – The House Children and Youth Committee today unanimously approved bipartisan legislation to help childcare facilities better manage food allergies (H.B. 928) and sent it to the full House for further consideration. Co-prime sponsored by state Reps. Bridget Kosierowski, D-Lackawanna, and Kristin Marcell, R-Bucks, the legislation would mandate food allergy and anaphylaxis training for childcare staff, emergency action planning, and access to medication like epinephrine. “As a nurse, I know how precious time is when someone is suffering an allergic reaction and how critical thorough training and available medication are at those key moments,” Kosierowski said. “This bill will provide critical training and medication so that day care workers can immediately identify the signs of an allergic reaction and provide life-saving medication like epinephrine. “As more and more hospitals are closing, the day care will have to replace the emergency room as the site where life-saving care is provided. This legislation will save lives.” Known as Elijah’s Law, the bill is named after 3-year-old Elijah Silvera who died from an allergic reaction to a dairy product he ingested at his day care. Following his son’s death, Thomas Silvera has advocated for the passage of Elijah’s Law that would require the education and provision of life-saving medicine to childcare workers and Read more

 

Burgos welcomes Pennsylvania’s new Consumer Advocate

(Jun 04, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, June 4 – State Rep. Danilo Burgos, D-Phila., welcomed the confirmation of Pennsylvania’s new Consumer Advocate, Darryl Lawrence. Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Lawrence’s nomination on March 18 and he was confirmed this week by the Pennsylvania State Senate. Burgos is the chairman of the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee and will work alongside Lawrence. Among consumer issues, the committee oversees the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and reviews bills related to consumer privacy, utilities, broadband and more. “I look forward to working with Darryl Lawrence and his office as we strive to protect utility customers across the commonwealth,” Burgos said. “He brings 20 years of experience of protecting Pennsylvanians from within the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate. I am excited for what we will accomplish and am confident that he will look out for the people of Pennsylvania.” The Office of Consumer Advocate is a state agency that represents the interests of Pennsylvania utility consumers before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, federal regulatory agencies and state and federal courts. It is an independent office within the Office of Attorney General and was created by the Pennsylvania legislature in 1976. Read more

 

Solomon’s bill to remove neighborhood blight passes PA House

(Jun 04, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Today, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed state Rep. Jared Solomon’s legislation to combat blight in Pennsylvania communities. Solomon said that many blighted properties are owned by out-of-state companies and individual landlords. His bill would give communities contact information for absentee landlords to hold them accountable. House Bill 858 would require a phone number and e-mail address for a person who can fix problems associated with a property, such as trash, that plague neighborhoods throughout Pennsylvania. Solomon said a municipality could request the information to hold these out-of-state landlords accountable. “All over the commonwealth we see blight with no way of contacting the owner to take responsibility for their property,” Solomon said. “It impacts us all financially with lower property values and negative quality of life.” The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. Read more

 

Philadelphia House Delegation supports new SEPTA general manager

(Jun 03, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

The Philadelphia House Delegation today offered supportive reaction to the recent appointment of Scott A. Sauer as the new general manager of SEPTA. Sauer has served as interim general manager since November 2024. Read more

 

Pennsylvania House passes Conklin bill to protect small business owners of self-storage facilities

(Jun 03, 2025) Rep. Scott Conklin

HARRISBURG, June 3 – An overwhelming bipartisan majority of the Pennsylvania House today passed legislation introduced by state Rep. Scott Conklin that would protect owners of small self-storage companies when customers fail to honor their rental agreements. Conklin, who is majority chairman of the House Commerce Committee, said he introduced H.B. 1359 to remedy a problem that frequently confronts the owners of these small businesses. “Self-storage companies are mostly small businesses, and their owners face a difficult problem when a customer defaults or fails to sign their rental agreement,” Conklin said. “With no timeframe in place to enforce the unsigned or unpaid agreement, the unit sits occupied and unrentable, costing the business owner money. “My bill would provide timeframes in which these agreements become enforceable – even if they are unsigned – and would allow access to a unit and its contents to be restricted or denied if the renter is unresponsive. No small business owner should have to suffer because a customer fails to uphold their end of an agreement. My bill would help ease that burden, so these small businesses remain viable.” Under Conklin’s bill, If the unit occupant fails to sign the rental agreement within 30 days, their rent payment or continued use of the unit would be deemed an acceptance of the rental agreement, which could then be enforced by the business owner. The Read more

 

House Communications & Technology Committee unanimously approves bills to increase public engagement with state government and law enforcement and awareness of AI in campaign ads

(Jun 03, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, June 3 – The newly formed House Communications & Technology Committee unanimously approved three bills and sent them to the full House for further consideration, Majority Chair state Rep. Joe Ciresi announced today. The bills share a common aim to keep the public informed and empower their voices by enabling them to easily speak to live Commonwealth customer service representatives, by improving communications with law enforcement, and by increasing public awareness of the use of deepfakes in campaigns and providing a mechanism that would prevent the dishonest use of AI technology in elections. “These bills reflect the committee’s commitment to ensuring that all communications in the commonwealth serve our residents by increasing engagement and transparency, whether it’s enabling one of our seniors to easily connect by phone with a live Commonwealth customer service representative, or a crime victim to find out about the criminal’s arrest or protect voters from being misled by deepfakes in campaign ads,” said Ciresi, D-Montgomery. The following bills were approved: House Bill 197 (Rep. Joe Ciresi) would amend the Right-to-Know Law to require Commonwealth agencies to provide telephone service, enabling people to get the support they need faster and with less hassle. This legislation would benefit people who do not have access to the internet or prefer to speak to a live representative to request help or Read more

 

Hanbidge legislation to cap lot fees in manufactured home communities passes House
Jun 10, 2025

House Communications & Technology Committee approves bills to strengthen consumer protections in Pennsylvania
Jun 10, 2025

Williams’ bill to open door to chip-enabled EBT cards passes House
Jun 10, 2025

PRESS CONFERENCE: Protecting PA Health Services from Corporate Greed
Jun 10, 2025

Borowski bill again earns bipartisan support in effort to protect PA health services & facilities from corporate greed
Jun 10, 2025

House passes Burns' bill requiring American-made steel for all taxpayer-funded projects
Jun 09, 2025

Davidson’s Statute of Limitations Bills approved by state House
Jun 09, 2025

House Committee OKs two bipartisan Rabb bills protecting homeowners
Jun 06, 2025

Kinkead, Williams fight for survivors of sexual assault
Jun 06, 2025

Philadelphia legislators celebrate Solar for Schools grant recipients at Community College of Philadelphia
Jun 06, 2025

Kinkead, Davis call for solitary confinement reform
Jun 05, 2025

House passes Isaacson’s Cyber Charter School reform bill
Jun 05, 2025

O'Mara, Brennan bill to increase available mental health counseling advances to Senate
Jun 04, 2025

House passes Matzie bill to protect consumers from ‘speculative ticketing’
Jun 04, 2025

House Children & Youth Committee unanimously approves bipartisan bill for food allergy training and medication in daycare facilities
Jun 04, 2025

Burgos welcomes Pennsylvania’s new Consumer Advocate
Jun 04, 2025

Solomon’s bill to remove neighborhood blight passes PA House
Jun 04, 2025

Philadelphia House Delegation supports new SEPTA general manager
Jun 03, 2025

Pennsylvania House passes Conklin bill to protect small business owners of self-storage facilities
Jun 03, 2025

House Communications & Technology Committee unanimously approves bills to increase public engagement with state government and law enforcement and awareness of AI in campaign ads
Jun 03, 2025