September 8 – 12, 2025

Bills voted on Third Consideration

SB 533 (ROBINSON) Amends Title 34 (Game) to exempt Purple Heart recipients and veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 30% from licensing requirements when participating in events granted a Military Event License Exemption Permit by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Allows a permit to be granted to individuals or entities for events that are primarily for the rehabilitation or enjoyment of up to 10 participating eligible disabled Veterans or Purple Heart recipients and is held on private land. Allows regulated hunting grounds permit holders to forgo tagging requirements for released birds, provided each package of harvested birds is labeled with the permittee’s identifying information, permit number, bird details, and kill date until the birds are returned home or prepared for consumption. PASSED 46-0.

Bills amended on Third Consideration

SB 460 (ARGALL) Amends the Governor and Lieutenant Governor Disability Procedure Law to require the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to notify the other executive whenever incapacitated and unable to discharge the powers and duties of their office. Removes telegrams as a permitted method of notification while adding email and fax. OVER AS AMENDED.

A01667 (ARGALL) Changes the use of the words “incapacitated” with “disabled” and “incapacitation” with “disability” to align with Constitutional language. ADOPTED 37-9.

SB 922 (MARTIN) Amends the Private Academic Schools Act to allow a six-month conditional approval of initial licensure for an applicant school prior to the formal hiring of properly qualified staff and submission of an occupying lease or face copy of the deed and facility inspection completed by the Department of Education. Enables schools to apply for the conditional approval prior to securing a physical facility through a lease or ownership. Requires the State Board of Private Academic Schools within 12 months to promulgate rules and regulations and establish policies, principles and standards relating to the qualifications of teachers, professional staff and directors. Requires providing authority to private academic schools to apply for emergency permits and long-term or day-to-day substitute permits through the department. AMENDED AND RE-REFERRED TO APPROPRIATIONS.

A01570 (MARTIN) Extends the time from 12 months to 14 months by which the board must promulgate rules and regulations and establish policies, principles and standards relating to the qualifications of teachers, professional staff and directors. ADOPTED 44-2.

Bills voted on Third Consideration

SB 64 (BARTOLOTTA) Amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) to require the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to create a logotype within 90 days to be used by businesses with at least 51% veteran ownership. Requires the department to establish a fee of up to $250 for the use and display of the logotype with proceeds deposited into the Military Family Relief Assistance Fund. Requires publication of applications and an online database. Requires DMVA to make a database available on its website of businesses that have been applied for and been approved to use the logotype. Makes it a third-degree misdemeanor to fraudulently use the logotype with fines to be deposited into the Fund. PASSED 37-12.

SB 114 (ARGALL) Amends the Nurse Aide Resident Abuse Prevention Training Act to expand the availability of long-term care training courses for nurse aides and expand eligibility for individuals to take the nurse aide competency exam. Requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to review a facility’s application to establish a nurse aide training program within 45 days of receipt of the application, or within 15 days of receiving a revised application. Requires an RN providing training to a nurse aide, or supervising an LPN training a nurse aide, to have a minimum of two years of nursing experience with at least 12 months of employment in a long-term care nursing facility. Permits prospective nurse aides to choose to take competency evaluations where they are employed or will be employed, unless Federal law precludes the facility from being used. Allows PDE to allow facility personnel to proctor evaluations under certain conditions. Prohibits the department from imposing a waiting period between approval of the training program and offering training online for State-approved nurse aide programs. PASSED 34-15.

SB 460 (ARGALL) Amends the Governor and Lieutenant Governor Disability Procedure Law to require the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to notify the other executive whenever disabled and unable to discharge the powers and duties of their office. Removes telegrams as a permitted method of notification while adding email and fax. PASSED 31-18.

SB 922 (MARTIN) Amends the Private Academic Schools Act to allow a six-month conditional approval of initial licensure for an applicant school prior to the formal hiring of properly qualified staff and submission of an occupying lease or face copy of the deed and facility inspection completed by the Department of Education. Enables schools to apply for the conditional approval prior to securing a physical facility through a lease or ownership. Requires the State Board of Private Academic Schools within 14 months to promulgate rules and regulations and establish policies, principles and standards relating to the qualifications of teachers, professional staff and directors. Requires providing authority to private academic schools to apply for emergency permits and long-term or day-to-day substitute permits through the department. PASSED 31-18.

SB 381 (MASTRIANO) Amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) by prohibiting certain animal experimentation, sale, and testing while providing whistleblower protection and imposing penalties. Prohibits recipients of Commonwealth funds from using funds to directly support medically unnecessary research on animal subjects classified under certain U.S. Department of Agriculture categories of pain and distress. Establishes disclosure requirements for Commonwealth proposals and bids; reporting requirements for
Commonwealth agencies, higher education institutions, and product testing facilities; and recordkeeping requirements for persons engaged in raising dogs or cats for research purposes. Prohibits the sale of animals from breeders with certain USDA citations. Authorizes license revocations for federal violations. Requires the opportunity for adoption of suitable and healthy animals. Makes it unlawful for product testing facilities to use a traditional animal test method in the Commonwealth if an agency responsible for regulating the specific product or activity has an alternative test method or has made available or granted a waiver from using a traditional animal test method. Authorizes the Attorney General to initiate civil actions for injunctive relief. Does not create a private right of action. OVER AS AMENDED.

A01686 (MASTRIANO) Amends definitions by revising “animal testing facility” to exclude diagnostic, treatment, or veterinary care of animals, deleting “medically unnecessary,” “police officer,” “research,” and “state dog warden,” and removing “out of state dealer license”. Prohibits recipients of Commonwealth funds from directly supporting research on animal subjects classified as USDA category E and requires animal testing facilities receiving Commonwealth funds to comply with the Whistleblower Act. Deletes prior disclosure and annual reporting provisions and instead authorizes the Treasurer to request the total amount of Commonwealth funds received per fiscal year, with noncompliant projects subject to suspension of future funding by legislative or executive action, and requires facilities to post online the USDA public search tool link. Clarifies that only fully adjudicated USDA violations trigger sale prohibitions, deletes duplicative adoption requirements, and makes technical changes replacing “dogs or cats” with “animal subjects.” Removes whistleblower protection and annual reporting sections. Replaces prior Subchapter C with a prohibition effective January 1, 2027, on the sale or offer for sale of cosmetics developed or manufactured with an animal test, with exceptions for medical research. ADOPTED 49-0.

Bills voted on Third Consideration

SB 65 (BAKER) Amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to increase the distance between a vehicle and a stopped school bus, and to enhance penalties for the safe transportation of school children. Provides that two points shall be assessed for failure to proceed past school bus with caution and prepare to stop when amber signal lights are flashing. Imposes five points and a 60-day suspension for failure to stop for school bus transporting disabled persons. Extends the stopping distance requirement from 10 feet to 15 feet when the red signal lights on the school bus are flashing and the side stop signal arms are activated. Implements a tiered penalty system for overtaking a school bus with flashing red lights and for failure to proceed past school bus with flashing amber lights. Requires the Department of Transportation to include an educational document in the driver’s license renewal notice regarding Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law. PASSED 50-0.

SB 241 (COLEMAN) Amends the Liquor Code to require expungement of citations issued to retail licensees for failing to comply with COVID-19 related executive actions, health orders, or agency guidance during period in which the Governor’s Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued on March 6, 2020 was in effect. Requires the board or enforcement bureau to expunge the citation within 30 days at no cost to the retail licensee and to provide notice of the expungement to the retail licensee. PASSED 28-22.

SB 381 (MASTRIANO) Amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) by prohibiting certain animal experimentation, sale, and testing while providing whistleblower protection and imposing penalties. Prohibits Commonwealth funds from being used to directly support “medically unnecessary” research on dogs or cats classified under certain U.S. Department of Agriculture categories of pain and distress. Provides that upon request by the Treasurer, an animal testing facility shall provide the total amount of Commonwealth funds received by the facility per fiscal year. Requires animal testing facilities who receive Commonwealth funds to post on their website a link to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Prohibits the sale of animals from breeders with certain USDA citations. Imposes recordkeeping requirements for persons engaged in the raising of animal subjects for research purposes. Requires the opportunity for adoption of suitable and healthy animals. Prohibits a manufacturer from selling or offering for sale, a cosmetic that was developed or manufactured using an animal test if the test was conducted or contracted by the manufacturer, or any supplier of the manufacturer on or after January 1, 2027. Authorizes the Attorney General to institute a civil action for injunctive relief. Does not create a private right of action. PASSED 50-0.

SB 713 (FARRY) Amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to authorize digital displays on the rear or sides of public transportation vehicles that communicate advertisements, public service announcements, and emergency messages, while also displaying turning, braking, and other vehicle operation signals. PASSED 28-22.

SB 952 (PICOZZI) Title 74 (Transportation) to establish additional minimum system performance criteria for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) to reduce fare evasion, explore public-private transportation partnerships, and modernize fixed-route public transportation service. Requires the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to annually review the procedures and audits of SEPTA and PRT and issue a report on its findings and report annually on the financial status of each transit system. Requires both SEPTA and PRT to submit at least one transportation project to the Public-Private Transportation Partnership Board within 90 days and requires SEPTA to submit a request for transportation projects annually beginning in 2027. PASSED 26-24.