HARRISBURG, Oct. 21 – State Rep. Tim Briggs, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, announced that the committee has approved three measures aimed at protecting private property rights and improving safety for public transit workers, passengers and people who work in or visit local courts. “These measures address important protections for Pennsylvanians — on their property, on public transit and in their local courts,” Briggs said. “Each takes a practical step toward making sure people’s rights and safety are respected.” Briggs said the following bills will now head to the full House for consideration: Senate Bill 1431 , sponsored by Sen. Daniel Laughlin, would require Pennsylvania Game Commission personnel to get a valid warrant before entering private property outside of buildings, whether or not the land is posted against trespassing. The bill would add a warrant requirement to the sections of Pennsylvania’s Game Code governing commission personnel and enforcement officers. Current law gives Game Commission personnel broad authority to enter private land outside of buildings, including property marked with no-trespassing signs. Senate Bill 210 , sponsored by Sen. Joe Picozzi, would make it a felony to attack transit workers, physically threaten them with immediate serious injury or death or interfere with their work in a way that injures or kills someone else. The bill Read more

Bipartisan legislation for safe and responsible use of e-scooters advances to Senate Read more

HARRISBURG, Oct. 20 – State Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester, said today that he was proud to sponsor and vote for legislation that would prohibit data centers from obtaining public-utility status in Pennsylvania. House Bill 2674 passed the state House by a bipartisan vote of 202–1. It now needs to be passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro to become law. Without the change, data-center developers can attempt to invoke eminent domain and operate as a monopoly, acquire property through rights-of-way, and generally expand with little or no public oversight. “Without H.B. 2674, decisions about data centers will be made behind closed doors and likely benefit corporate profit holders first,” Friel said. “We need to enact what guardrails we can to protect against reckless data-center development in Pennsylvania. This is the bill we need in the Commonwealth right now.” The bill also defines what a commercial data center is, drawing a clear distinction between them and utility companies that provide electricity to the public. It also protects consumers and communities by preventing data centers from receiving regulatory treatment intended for public utilities. Read more

HARRISBURG, Oct. 19 – The PA House Communications & Technology Committee today held a hearing on two bills that would regulate safety practices for the most capable “frontier” AI models. Read more

On a bipartisan vote, the state House today approved a bill sponsored by state Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, to protect drivers’ privacy by regulating the use of automated license plate readers such as Flock cameras by government agencies in Pennsylvania. Read more

A new effort was launched in Pennsylvania today to enact “Marnie’s Law,” which would require healthcare providers to be educated on the deadly cancer that killed Emmy-nominated actor Marnie Schulenburg. Read more

“The Route 222 corridor has experienced a vast demographic transformation, and it has benefitted from this growth economically,” said state Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, who represents portions of Berks County and serves as the Pennsylvania Legislative Latino Caucus chair. “Our young Latino population has faced challenges and obstacles, yet we have persevered to create better lives and stronger, safer neighborhoods.” Read more

State funding awarded for concession stand, ADA upgrades Read more

Rep. Lisa Borowski and Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, both D-Delaware, today announced $500,000 in state funding awarded to Radnor Township to support its ongoing project to extend the multi-use Radnor Trail. The legislators worked together to help secure the state funds. Read more