STRENGTHENING PA

Pro-Growth 2025-26 State Budget Protects Taxpayers

Senate Bill 1040 (K. Ward) authorizes the state treasurer to waive interest charges on loans issued during a budget impasse and help prevent additional costs for taxpayers and communities. More

Act 22 of 2025 (Baker) closes a legal loophole to require sports officials and nonprofit volunteers and employees convicted of sexual assault to register as sexual offenders. Read More About Act 22 of 2025

Act 23 of 2025 (Baker) improves the enforcement of Protection from Abuse petitions and orders and ensures law enforcement agencies are properly reimbursed. Read More About Act 23 of 2025

Act 25 of 2025 (Brooks) addresses Pennsylvania’s volunteer firefighter shortage and fixes issues with emergency services grant funding. Read More About Act 25 of 2025

Act 33 of 2025 (Mastriano) makes it less cumbersome for firefighters to obtain their Firefighter I certification by permitting testing after each training module. Read More About Act 33 of 2025

Act 35 of 2025 (Pennycuick) targets the rise of “deepfakes” and other forms of digital impersonation by treating them as forgeries punishable by law. Read More About Act 35 of 2025

Act 53 of 2025 (Baker) authorizes the use of body cameras by special agents with the Office of Attorney General, rangers with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and officers and deputies with the Pennsylvania Game and the Fish and Boat commissions. Read More of Act 53 of 2025

Act 5 of 2026 (Gebhard) allows Fort Indiantown Gap police officers to be Act 120 certified under the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission. Read More About Act 5 of 2026

Senate Bill 92 (Mastriano) imposes a mandatory minimum 25-year sentence on drug dealers convicted of selling fentanyl resulting in a fatal overdose. Read More About Senate Bill 92

Senate Bill 111 (Argall) permits qualified candidates across state lines to help fill critical vacancies in Pennsylvania’s correctional facilities, while ensuring Pennsylvania residents continue to receive hiring preference. Read More About Senate Bill 111

Senate Bill 210 (Picozzi) strengthens penalties for individuals who harm public transit operators. Read More About Senate Bill 210

Senate Bill 347 prohibits the establishment of designated drug injections sites in Pennsylvania to help battle the commonwealth opioid and overdose epidemic.

Senate Bill 375 (Brown) helps schools prevent tragic deaths from sudden cardiac arrest among student athletes by ensuring access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Read More About Senate Bill 375

Senate Bill 398 (Brooks) establishes a pilot program to help volunteer fire companies raise funds by authorizing up to two online raffles per year until Dec. 31, 2026.

Senate Bill 416 (Robinson) allows charitable organizations to accept electronic payments for raffle tickets, making it easier for fire companies and nonprofits to raise funds. Read More About Senate Bill 416

Senate Bill 490 (Robinson) prohibits non-monetary bail for the most dangerous individuals, including those who possess 10 grams or more of fentanyl, have a history of violent crime or assault a law enforcement officer. Read More About Senate Bill 490

Senate Bill 635 (Langerholc) increases penalties for certain drug-related offenses committed within 1,000 feet of a drug and alcohol recovery house. Read More About Senate Bill 365

Senate Bill 739 (Pennycuick) cracks down on thieves using new technology to steal vehicles by spoofing key fobs. Read More About Senate Bill 739

Senate Bill 782 (J. Ward) helps alleviate the statewide shortage of EMS, fire and police instructors by making it easier for retired public school and state employees to work part‑time in these critical roles. Read More About Senate Bill 782

Senate Bill 914 (Farry) gives police and prosecutors the tools to combat catalytic converter thefts across Pennsylvania. Read More About Senate Bill 914

Senate Bill 1050 (Pennycuick, Martin & Baker) better protects young people against the serious threats posed by child abuse materials generated using artificial intelligence. Read More About Senate Bill 1050

Senate Bill 1053 (Hutchinson) ensures volunteer fire and EMS personnel are covered by workers’ compensation when participating in fundraising activities. Read More About Senate Bill 1053

Senate Bill 1090 (Pennycuick) establishes standards for AI chatbots used by children to prevent content generation encouraging self-harm or violence and directs users to crisis resources when high-risk language is detected. Read More About Senate Bill 1090

Senate Bill 1284 (Baker) closes a loophole in state law by establishing tougher penalties for individuals who attempt to murder a law enforcement officer and cause serious bodily injury. Read More About Senate Bill 1284

Senate Bill 1286 (J. Ward) increases the penalties associated with unintentional death, including an ungraded misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 and a license suspension of up to two years. Read More About Senate Bill 1286

Senate Resolution 94 (Langerholc) creates a task force to examine the challenges in filling vacancies for law enforcement officers, corrections officers and prosecutors across Pennsylvania. Read More About Senate Resolution 94

Act 2 of 2025 (Picozzi) exempts international team doctors from needing to obtain a Pennsylvania medical license to care for their athletes, enabling them to treat their players at 2025 and 2026 World Cup soccer events. Read More About Act 2 of 2025

Act 18 of 2025 (Mastriano) incorporates real-time reporting by EMS providers into the statewide overdose mapping system, enabling frontline personnel to save more lives. Read More About Act 18 of 2025

Act 24 of 2025 (Vogel) establishes a statewide stroke registry delivering vital information to EMS providers and hospitals, ensuring the best treatment possible. Read More About Act 24 of 2025

Act 34 of 2025 (Phillips-Hill) helps address Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis by giving EMS personnel permanent authority to leave behind a dose of naloxone at overdose scenes, placing this lifesaving medication in the hands of a caregiver or loved one. Read More About Act 34 of 2025

Act 52 of 2025 (Farry) strengthens Pennsylvania’s no-cost breast cancer screening law by ensuring diagnostic imaging is fully covered, removing financial barriers for patients. Read More About Act 52 of 2025

Act 14 of 2026 (Brown) expands access to high-quality maternity services by modernizing licensure requirements for certified midwives, improving collaboration between midwives and physicians and updating prescription authority. Read More About Act 14 of 2026

Senate Bill 114 (Argall) helps alleviate Pennsylvania’s nursing home staffing crisis by making it easier for those seeking employment at long-term care centers while ensuring employees are well-qualified. Read More About Senate Bill 114

Senate Bill 115 (Argall) addresses the long-term care workforce crisis by allowing individuals without a high school diploma or GED to take a skills competency examination to receive their long-term care employee certification. Read More About Senate Bill 115

Senate Bill 116 (Argall) helps alleviate Pennsylvania’s long-term care workforce shortage by allowing high school juniors and seniors to earn graduation credit by working or volunteering in licensed elder care settings. Read More About Senate Bill 116

Senate Bill 715 (J. Ward) extends the sunset provision for the Pennsylvania Rare Disease Advisory Council to 2028, helping the estimated 1.2 million Pennsylvanians living with rare diseases. Read More About Senate Bill 715

Senate Bill 731 (Farry) preserves prescription drug coverage for more than 10,000 seniors by extending the exclusion of Social Security cost-of-living adjustments when calculating income eligibility for PACE and PACENET. Read More About Senate Bill 731

Senate Bill 802 (Stefano) authorizes a voluntary ID designation for Pennsylvanians with invisible disabilities, such as deafness and autism, to help ensure clearer interactions with law enforcement. Read More About Senate Bill 802

Senate Bill 955 (Phillips-Hill) authorizes creation of a specialty license plate helping to fund Pennsylvania’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Read More About Senate Bill 955

Senate Bill 998 (Brown) establishes the Nurse Education Capacity Expansion Grant Program to help alleviate Pennsylvania’s nurse shortage by increasing the number of qualified nursing students. Read More About Senate Bill 998

Senate Bill 1211 (Robinson) makes clear Pennsylvanians will have Medicaid coverage for biomarker tests, which improve treatment outcomes for cancer, ALS and other serious conditions. Read More About Senate Bill 1211

Act 20 of 2025 (Mastriano) improves oversight of Pennsylvania’s six state Veterans Homes. Read More About Act 20 of 2025

Act 21 of 2025 (Pennycuick) removes the annual fishing license fee and application for veterans with 100% disability. Read More About Act 21 of 2025

Senate Bill 64 (Bartolotta) authorizes the creation of a special logo to promote veteran-owned businesses. Read More About Senate Bill 64

Senate Bill 130 (Mastriano) requires funeral directors, funeral entities or cemetery companies to notify the county veterans affairs director of a deceased serviceperson to connect families with available burial benefits. Read More About Senate Bill 130

Senate Bill 146 (Baker) creates the Veterans Trust Fund Grant Evaluation Committee to better identify underserved regions of our commonwealth while increasing awareness of veterans’ resources.

Senate Bill 173 (Pennycuick) ensures Korean Americans who served in the Vietnam War with the Korean Armed Forces receive the same state veterans benefits as their U.S. counterparts. Read More About Senate Bill 173

Senate Bill 511 (Mastriano) designates July 27 as Korean War Veterans Armistice Day in Pennsylvania. Read More About Senate Bill 511

Senate Bill 533 (Robinson) makes it easier for organizations to host hunts for disabled veterans by clarifying the permitting process and reducing unnecessary barriers, ensuring more veterans can be included. Read More About Senate Bill 533

Senate Bill 1020 (Gebhard) closes an unintended gap in Pennsylvania’s existing free hunting license program for disabled veterans. Read More About Senate Bill 1020

House Bill 414 updates state law surrounding the custody and visitation rights of deployed military parents by preventing any permanent custody changes while a servicemember is deployed for longer than 30 days. 

House Bill 1405 helps alleviate the teacher shortage by allowing veterans’ service experience in an occupational area to count toward the credits necessary for a career and technical education teacher certification.

Senate Bill 186, Senate Bill 1068 (Yaw) prevents a new electricity tax by repealing Pennsylvania’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Read More About Senate Bill 1068

Senate Bill 187 (Yaw) establishes a Pennsylvania Independent Energy Office to streamline the approach to responsible energy policy and ensure a more cohesive strategy for managing energy resources. Read More About Senate Bill 187

Senate Bill 349 (Yaw) establishes decommissioning and financial requirements for solar generation projects, encouraging responsible solar development and offering better protections for landowners. Read More About Senate Bill 349

Senate Bill 403 (Yaw) improves flood prevention by allowing local government organizations to apply for a permit for continuing stream maintenance. Read More About Senate Bill 403

Senate Bill 404 (Yaw) allows counties to opt in to address flood hazards within their streams by allowing for emergency maintenance permits in consultation with their county conservation district. Read More About Senate Bill 404

Senate Bill 704 (Yaw) reduces Pennsylvania’s electric generation shortfall by directing the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Department of Environmental Protection to work together to identify sites for natural gas electric generation projects. Read More About Senate BIll 704

Senate Bill 712 (Yaw) improves the process for plugging Pennsylvania’s abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells. Read More About Senate Bill 712

Senate Bill 6 (Phillips-Hill) enacts sweeping permitting reform that sets clear timelines for state agencies to review permit applications, creates a permit tracking system, and ensures applicants receive timely, consistent answers. (Enacted with the 2025-26 state budget.) Read More About Sente Bill 6

Senate Bill 153 (Brooks) clarifies the Unemployment Compensation Law to deny benefits to claimants who take actions to discourage their own hiring.

Senate Bill 155 (Argall) prevents dead people from receiving benefits by requiring the Department of Human Services to check death certificates at the Bureau of Vital Statistics against recipients of public assistance. (Enacted with the 2025-26 state budget) Read More About Senate Bill 155

Senate Bill 156 (Argall) requires the Department of Human Services to compare wage records held by employers and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue with public assistance recipients quarterly to prevent fraud. (Enacted with the 2025-26 state budget)  Read More About Senate Bill 156

Senate Bill 157 (Argall) updates the Public Assistance Integrity Act to require the Department of Human Services to issue a yearly report detailing how lottery winnings and the average equity value of vehicles were counted for cash assistance. (Enacted with the 2025-26 state budget) Read More About Senate Bill 157

Senate Bill 241 (Coleman) expunges punitive COVID-related citations issued by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board against small businesses with liquor licenses. Read More About Senate Bill 241

Senate Bill 333 (Keefer), the REINS Act, strengthens the review process for costly regulations (impact of $1M+). Read More About Senate Bill 333

Senate Bill 367 (Coleman) enables the legally required audits of local tax transfers in the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone to improve transparency and strengthen oversight. Read More About Senate Bill 367

Senate Bill 376 (Phillips-Hill) prohibits TikTok on state-owned devices and networks due to national security risks, bringing Pennsylvania in line with federal guidelines and at least 39 other states. Read More About Senate Bill 376

Senate Bill 377 (Phillips-Hill) protects taxpayer-funded systems and reduces the risk of data breaches by requiring all state IT contracts to meet National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity standards. Read More About Senate Bill 377

Senate Bill 418 (Baker) provides clearer and uniform procedures for filling county district attorney vacancies. Read More About Senate Bill 418

Senate Bill 444 (Brooks) requires automatic review of economically significant regulations after three years to ensure they remain effective, efficient and in the public interest. Read More About Senate Bill 444

Senate Bill 472 (Phillips-Hill) ensures acting secretaries of state agencies will not be allowed to remain indefinitely without Senate review and cannot serve longer than 90 days. Read More About Senate Bill 472

Senate Bill 755 (Hutchinson) streamlines state government operations by eliminating 13 boards, commissions and advisory committees that are expired, dormant, no longer have any members or are unnecessary. Read More About Senate Bill 755

Senate Bill 784 (Mastriano) requires every U.S. and Pennsylvania flag purchased by the commonwealth to be made entirely in the U.S. using American materials. Read More About Senate Bill 784

Act 47 of 2025 (Culver) Public School Code
The budget included additional funding to promote student achievement and empower families, including a $50 million expansion of the state’s popular Educational Improvement Tax Credit program to support more school choice opportunities for families in disadvantaged schools, along with the Ready to Learn Block Grant program ($562 million increase), Basic Education ($105 million increase), Special Education ($40 million increase), Pre-K Counts ($9.5 million increase) and the Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program ($7.5 million increase).

In addition, Pennsylvania’s Public School Code was updated to:

• Strengthen school attendance and truancy provisions.
• Create the Nursing Shortage Assistance Program to help nursing students secure jobs and repay students loans.
• Establish evidence-based reading instruction requirements by the 2027-28 school year.
• Update the household income eligibility requirement for the Ready-to-Succeed Scholarship program.
• Help families better understand college financial aid options by ensuring universal completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Earmark $100 million for school safety and mental health grants for public schools
• Update training and reporting requirements for the Safe2Say Something anonymous school threat reporting system.

Act 44 of 2025 (Coleman) requires school districts to inform parents or guardians about incidents when a weapon is brought onto school grounds or related activities. Read More About Act 44 of 2025

Act 2 of 2026 requires cursive handwriting to be incorporated into writing curriculum in public and private Pennsylvania schools, producing cognitive and practical benefits. Read More About Act 2 of 2026

Senate Bill 9, Senate Bill 1293 (J. Ward) ensure athletic teams designated for girls and women are reserved for biological females in Pennsylvania’s K–12 and collegiate sports. Read More About Senate Bill 9 Read More About Senate Bill 1293

Senate Bill 65 (Baker) increases the required stopping distance for drivers approaching from the opposite direction when a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing. Read More About Senate Bill 65

Senate Bill 96 (Brooks) establishes new felony penalties for individuals who make hoax emergency reports involving educational institutions. Read More About Senate Bill 96

Senate Bill 226, Senate Bill 227 (Phillips-Hill) makes the Pennsylvania School Boards Association subject to the state’s Right-to-Know law. Read More About Senate Bills 226 and 227

Senate Bill 310 (Martin) requires high school seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), or opt out on a form provided to parents or guardians, ensuring they better understand higher education funding options. Read More About Senate Bill 310

Senate Bill 315 (Culver) gives career and technical schools more budget predictability by informing them of grant allocations prior to the school year, rather than near the end of the school year.

Senate Bill 432 (Pennycuick) attracts college students to Pennsylvania by expanding college financial aid for foster children to cover out-of-state residents. Read More About Senate Bill 432

Senate Bill 1014 (Robinson) requires public schools to adopt policies prohibiting student cellphone use during the school day to improve academic performance, mental health and social development. More

House Bill 1405 helps alleviate the teacher shortage by allowing veterans’ service experience in an occupational area to count toward the credits necessary for a career and technical education teacher certification.

Act 3 of 2026 requires PennDOT to establish an online car insurance verification system to protect motorists from having their vehicle registration canceled due to perceived lapsed coverage.

Senate Bill 35 (Langerholc) removes Blair, Cambria, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer and Westmoreland counties from Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance program mandates. Read More About Senate Bill 35

Senate Bill 149 (Langerholc) exempts the five most recent model year vehicles from emissions testing requirements. Read More About Senate Bill 149

Senate Bill 205 (Rothman) gives counties flexibility to fund local bridge projects with state dollars. Read More About Senate Bill 205

Senate Bill 802 (Stefano) authorizes a voluntary ID designation for Pennsylvanians with invisible disabilities, such as deafness and autism, to help ensure clearer interactions with law enforcement. Read More About Senate Bill 802

Senate Bill 990 (Bartolotta) preserves Pennsylvanians’ ability to choose their preferred vehicle by prohibiting vehicle purchase mandates while supporting a broad mix of innovative transportation options. Read More About Senate Bill 990

Senate Bill 1058 (J. Ward) modernizes the E-85 fuel blend standard to align Pennsylvania with national standards. Read More About Senate Bill 1058

Senate Bill 1070 (Rothman) makes state funding available for local bridge projects. Read More About Senate Bill 1070

Senate Bill 1294 (J. Ward) improves the training curriculum and strengthens penalties to shutdown unqualified “CDL Mills.” Read More About Senate Bill 1294

Senate Bill 1295 (J. Ward) requires English proficiency in all testing applications to operate an 80,000-pound commercial vehicle on public highways. Read More About Senate Bill 1295

Senate Bill 1298 (Langerholc) eliminates the vehicle emissions testing requirement across the commonwealth and clarifies that no additional counties can be added into the program. Read More About Senate Bill 1298

House Bill 538 allows motorcyclists to wear headphones or helmets with built-in headphone capabilities.

Act 27 of 2025 (Hutchinson) addresses the commonwealth’s certified public accountant (CPA) shortage by establishing an alternative pathway to certification, simplifying the process for out-of-state CPAs to practice in Pennsylvania. Read More About Act 27 of 2025

Senate Bill 101 (Bartolotta) improves analysis of workforce development programs by improving data-sharing with Pennsylvania’s 22 local workforce development boards. Read More About Senate Bill 101

Senate Bill 468 (Langerholc) positions Pennsylvania to be a national leader in the emerging field of drone research and deployment. Read More About Senate Bill 468

Senate Bill 527 (Farry) protects Philadelphia’s suburban communities from unfair tax burdens and ensures local tax dollars stay where they belong. Read More About Senate Bill 527

Senate Bill 840 (Laughlin) modernizes Pennsylvania’s gaming laws and provides much-needed flexibility for regional casinos. Read More About Senate Bill 840

Senate 877, Senate Bill 878 (Pennycuick) makes the Barber Training through Career and Technical Center and Cosmetology Training through Career and Technical Center pilot programs permanent, giving students real-world, hands-on experience while completing their education.

Senate Bill 1218 (Picozzi) establishes a temporary Philadelphia 250 Permit, allowing bars, restaurants and nightlife venues to extend operating hours by up to two hours during the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250^th anniversary celebrations. Read More About Senate Bill 1218

House Bill 274 protects seasonal workers from unemployment compensation (UC) benefit cuts and secures reforms to support victims of domestic violence and strengthen the integrity of the UC system. Read More About House Bill 274

Senate Bill 203 (Rothman) cuts outdated regulations for farmers to give them greater flexibility to safely drive more farm vehicles on roadways at night, reflecting the real-world demands of modern farming. Read More About Senate Bill 203

Senate Bill 481 (J. Ward) allows licensed milk haulers to operate during weather-related commercial vehicle travel bans and emergency declarations, ensuring the uninterrupted transportation of this perishable product. Read More About Senate Bill 481

Act 7 of 2025 (Gebhard) protects users of virtual currency by requiring its transmission to be treated similarly to money transmission under the Money Transmitter Act. Read More About Act 7 of 2025

Senate Bill 381 (Mastriano) protects dogs and cats from painful, taxpayer-funded experiments. Read More About Senate Bill 381

Senate Bill 992 (Brooks) establishes new protections from scammers and other deceitful telemarketers, including new limits on robocalls, new penalties and a ban on using AI or fake caller IDs to deceive consumers. Read More About Senate Bill 922

Act 26 of 2025 (Rothman) amends state law to ensure sportsmen’s Fifth Amendment constitutional rights are protected when questioned by a representative of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Read More About Act 26 of 2025

Senate Bill 800 (Rothman) ensures more efficient operations from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Read More About Senate Bill 800

House Bill 1431 ends Pennsylvania’s longstanding restrictions on Sunday hunting. Read More About House Bill 1431

Senate Bill 471 (Laughlin) requires prosecutors to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a criminal defendant is identified as unlawfully present in the United States and prohibits sanctuary policies that obstruct communication between local law enforcement and federal agencies. Read More About Senate Bill 471

Senate Bill 225 (Dush) protects the rights of and ensures financial compensation for property owners targeted by eminent domain. Read More About Senate Bill 225