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Shusterman passes two Juvenile Justice bills in state House

(Jul 10, 2025) Rep. Melissa Shusterman

“Our children – all of our children - are our future. And that absolutely includes the children who go through our juvenile detention system,” said Shusterman. “As legislators, we are responsible for ensuring the support, development, and safety of young people who are placed in the custody of the Commonwealth. We must invest in these children to ensure they are equipped to have successful futures -- where they will participate in our economy and contribute meaningfully in their communities.” Read more

 

Judiciary Committee advances six measures

(Jul 09, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE State Rep. Tim Briggs D-Montgomery County www.pahouse.com/Briggs Judiciary Committee advances six measures HARRISBURG, July 9 – State Rep. Tim Briggs, chair of the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee, announced today that several bipartisan bills and resolutions have been reported out of the committee and are now headed to the full House for further consideration. “These measures reflect our continued commitment to transparency, equity, and the fair administration of justice,” Briggs said. “From improving access to unclaimed property for families to strengthening accountability and conditions within our corrections system, each of these proposals addresses real and pressing needs in our Commonwealth.” Legislation advancing from the Judiciary committee Includes: House Bill 1176 – Sponsored by Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, this bill would raise the threshold for filing claims on unclaimed property using a notarized affidavit from $11,000 to $20,000. The measure updates Pennsylvania’s rules to reflect current economic realities and aligns with practices in other states that have streamlined small estate claims. Senate Bill 520 – Sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne/Pike/Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming, this legislation Read more

 

Solomon legislation to improve Keystone STARS passes House

(Jul 09, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Today, the PA House passed bipartisan legislation authored by state Reps. Jared Solomon, D-Phila., and Tom Mehaffie, R-Dauphin, to improve the Keystone STARS program. Keystone STARS is the rating system by which Pennsylvania families are informed about whether a childcare provider and employees are qualified to keep their children safe – both physically and mentally. House Bill 1600 would require an update to the Keystone STARS system to allow work experience to count in improving a provider’s STAR ranking. “Work experience should be counted when childcare employees and providers are evaluated to receive ‘STAR Status,’ Solomon stated. “Hard work and a passion for guiding children and helping them grow must be rewarded.” “Keystone STARS ratings help families make informed choices about care facilities within their communities. It is a fantastic program in need of updates,” Mehaffie said. The second component of the bill would encourage childcare providers to educate families about the program, allowing them to advertise their “STARs” on their front doors and websites. “Parents deserve to know that their children will be safe and have the highest quality of care,” Solomon said. The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration. Read more

 

Burns bill to fight fraud and protect taxpayers passes state House

(Jul 09, 2025) Rep. Frank Burns

HARRISBURG, July 9 – Those who defraud Pennsylvania and its taxpayers on a large scale should be worried about state Rep. Frank Burns' bill that passed the House today, which would allow for civil lawsuits to recoup any ill-gotten funds. A staunch advocate for rooting out financial waste, fraud and abuse, Burns, D-Cambria, is author of H.B. 1697 which seeks to enact a false claims law in Pennsylvania -- allowing the state attorney general to seek repayment of any government money obtained by submitting false information. "While the attorney general is already empowered to criminally prosecute fraudsters, my bill would add the ability to file civil suits to the AG's arsenal, providing a mechanism to recoup misappropriated taxpayer money," Burns said. "Examples would be hospitals or doctors billing Medicaid for procedures that were not performed or contractors charging for work on state projects that was never done. "It's not enough to send these bad actors to jail while leaving millions on the table," Burns said. "We need to make sure that every last nickel pilfered from the taxpayers via deception is recouped, so it can be properly spent improving the lives of Pennsylvanians." ______________________________________________________________________________ "It's not enough to send these bad actors to jail while leaving millions on the table," Burns said. "We Read more

 

Shusterman’s child custody modification bill passes House

(Jul 09, 2025) Rep. Melissa Shusterman

“This bill balances the need to protect children as well as parents involved in custody disputes,” Shusterman said. “Often, one party uses the modification process to harass the other party. This bill takes a step to protect people from having to incur the cost of responding to a serial filer that is using the legal system to abuse the other party.” Read more

 

Neilson bill to speed up road and bridge projects advances with bipartisan support

(Jul 08, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Today, the PA House Transportation Committee voted unanimously to advance H.B. 1608, bipartisan legislation authored by state Rep. Ed Neilson, chair of the Transportation Committee, and state Rep. James Struzzi, R-Indiana, for a vote on the House floor. The bill would allow PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission to use Design-Build Best Value procurement to allow these agencies to complete road and bridge projects faster and more efficiently throughout Pennsylvania. Design-Build Best Value procurement is an innovative tool that awards contracts to firms that would provide the “best value” in terms of saving costs and time. Currently, because of a 2011 Commonwealth Court decision, all contract construction work must be completed by the lowest bidder, even if they are the least qualified for the project. Neilson stated: “As the cost of maintaining our vast transportation infrastructure continues to rise, we need to find innovative ways to ensure these projects are completed by the most qualified team and in a timely manner to avoid frustrating drivers with long construction projects. “DBBV is used successfully in many states and has shown to speed up construction and reduce costs,” the lawmaker continued. House bill 1608 now moves to the House floor for a vote. Last session, similar legislation passed the House with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 189-14, but it never received a final vote in the Senate. Read more

 

Ciresi’s ‘Click to Cancel’ legislation passes House

(Jul 08, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, July 8 – Legislation aimed at strengthening Pennsylvania consumer protections for online subscriptions, sponsored by Rep. Joe Ciresi, overwhelmingly passed the House today (181-22). “My House Bill 1299 would empower Pennsylvania’s consumers by creating a ‘click to cancel’ rule to make it easy for them to cancel unwanted subscriptions online instead of having to speak with a customer service representative and listen to lengthy sales pitches when they just want to terminate an unwanted subscription quickly,” Ciresi said. “My legislation would also require clarity and transparency in online subscription contracts, so consumers know about the ‘strings’ attached to free gifts and trial periods.” Ciresi’s bill would amend the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law by requiring businesses which offer automatic renewals to: Provide renewal terms, cancellation policy, and how to cancel in a “clear and conspicuous Manner.” Provide a clear and conspicuous explanation of the price that will be charged after a free trial ends and the deadline by which a consumer must cancel to avoid being charged. Allow a customer who signs up online to cancel online (“click to cancel”). Disclose any material changes in the automatic renewal in a clear and conspicuous manner that can also be retained by the consumer. Not intentionally misrepresent automatic Read more

 

How the Big Bad Bill hurts you and every Pennsylvanian

(Jul 08, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Lawmakers with expertise in health care, food aid, school funding, energy costs and other topics talk about how defunding those core government functions to pay for tax breaks for billionaires will bust the state’s budget and lead to massive cuts in services. Read more

 

House Judiciary Committee approves fraud, waste and abuse bill

(Jul 08, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, July 7 – State Rep. Tim Briggs, chair of the PA House Judiciary Committee, announced today that the committee has approved H.B. 1697 along partisan lines, the Taxpayer Protection Against Fraud Act. The legislation, introduced by state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria), now moves to the full House for further consideration. “This is a commonsense, taxpayer-first bill that will finally give Pennsylvania the tools we need to crack down on fraud and recover millions in misused public funds,” Briggs said. “This legislation empowers both the Attorney General and private whistleblowers to expose fraud against the Commonwealth and hold bad actors accountable.” Pennsylvania remains the largest state in the nation without a state-level false claims law. This legislative gap has cost the Commonwealth untold sums in unrecovered taxpayer dollars and limited its ability to fully participate in federal fraud recoveries. Modeled after the federal False Claims Act, H.B. 1697 would allow private individuals—whistleblowers with direct knowledge of fraud—to file lawsuits on behalf of the Commonwealth. It includes strong legal protections against retaliation and incentivizes individuals to come forward by allowing them to share in any financial recovery. The House Judiciary Committee will hold its next meeting at 10 a.m., Wednesday, July 9 in Room 60 East Wing of the state Capitol. Read more

 

House passes Freeman bill to create factory/mill revitalization tax credit

(Jul 08, 2025) Rep. Robert L. Freeman

"Repurposing an old factory or mill for retail, office or arts space, or transforming them into dwellings, encourages economic development and improves the quality of life of a community,” Freeman said. Read more

 

Agricultural, Environmental, Public Safety, Redevelopment, Transportation, and Additional Grant Opportunities

(Jul 08, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Read more about the latest grant opportunities that are open for applications. Read more

 

Venkat, Williams: Bipartisan bill to extend Military Family Education benefits signed into law

(Jul 08, 2025) Rep. Arvind Venkat

HARRISBURG, July 7 – After unanimously passing through the Pennsylvania General Assembly, legislation that would allow family of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard to claim additional education benefits each time the Guard member reenlists or renews their service commitment has been signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro, the bill’s co-prime sponsors, state Reps. Arvind Venkat and Craig Williams, announced. Act 32 of 2025 (formerly H.B. 865) amends the state’s Military Family Education Program, also known as the Pennsylvania GI Bill, to clarify that the program’s education assistance is a renewable benefit each time a Guard member reenlists or renews their service obligation for an additional six-year term. “The work of our military members comes with many sacrifices, including some taken on by their families as their loved one leaves to serve,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “Now that it is clear the education benefit is renewable with each enlistment, the Military Family Education Program will now be able to give back an even greater amount to these resilient families while also boosting retention within the Guard.” “Every reenlistment is a sacrifice. Not just for the service member, but for their entire family,” said Williams, R-Delaware/Chester. “As a Marine Colonel and combat veteran, I know what that continued commitment requires. House Bill 865 reflects our promise to Read more

 

House unanimously passes Venkat, Marcell bill to allow Pennsylvania to join Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact

(Jul 07, 2025) Rep. Arvind Venkat

HARRISBURG, July 7 – On the heels of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s announcement that Pennsylvania has officially joined interstate compacts to expand access to physicians, nurses and physical therapists, the state House today unanimously passed legislation introduced by Reps. Arvind Venkat and Kristin Marcell that would enable Pennsylvania to enter a similar compact for audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Venkat, D-Allegheny, said he introduced H.B. 80 to address the growing shortage of professionals in these fields. “Thousands of Pennsylvanians of all ages require treatment for hearing, speech and language-related disorders, but increasing demand for these services has led to a shortage of professionals that can make it difficult to access these services,” Venkat said. “Today, we move a step closer to closing those gaps with the House’s passage of my legislation, with Representative Marcell, that would enable Pennsylvania to join Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact. “Joining the compact would allow audiologists and speech-language pathologists licensed through the ASLP-IC in 36 states and one territory, including our neighboring states of Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia, to practice here in the Commonwealth. It’s an important way we can ease the shortage of these health care professionals in our state and ensure that patients get the services they need.” Read more

 

Bill to ensure continuity of pre-K for Pa. children passes House

(Jul 07, 2025) Rep. Liz Hanbidge

“This bill ensures that Intermediate Units can maintain their Pre-K Counts grants even without a Head Start affiliation. Our children deserve uninterrupted, high quality early education, and Pennsylvania must act to secure it,” Hanbidge said. “If the federal government eliminates or defunds Head Start, as many as an additional 2,500 Pennsylvania children could lose access to Pre-K Counts programming and it’s essential we take this step to help them.” Read more

 

Burns bill plays key role in addressing health care worker shortage

(Jul 02, 2025) Rep. Frank Burns

HARRISBURG, July 2 — Pennsylvania will take a big step forward next week in its efforts to put more health care workers on the job, and a bill sponsored by Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, paved the way for it. Starting July 7, the state will become a full participant in three health care compacts that will make it easier for qualified doctors, nurses, and physical therapists to treat Pennsylvania patients. Health care compacts are multi-state agreements that streamline the licensing process so that professionals can practice in multiple states. Pennsylvania can join those compacts thanks to Burns’ bill to meet a fingerprinting requirement in compacts for criminal background checks. House Bill 2200 of 2023-24 required applicants in health care professions to submit fingerprints as part of their criminal history check and lays out the process that state police and licensing boards must follow in considering them. Previous efforts to join interstate compacts without the use of fingerprinting were not successful. “My bill was the final piece of the puzzle,” Burns said. “My staff and I worked tirelessly to pass this legislation because Pennsylvanians need better access to more health care professionals. Patients deserve to be seen without having to wait days, weeks, or even months to get an appointment.” Burns also said the House Professional Licensure Committee, which he chairs, worked Read more

 

Burgos shares newly launched consumer protection tools

(Jul 02, 2025) Rep. Danilo Burgos

HARRISBURG, July 2 – State Rep. Danilo Burgos, D-Phila., shared some new consumer protection tools launched by the Shapiro administration to help Pennsylvanians report scams and predatory practices. Burgos is chairman of the PA House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee. Among consumer issues, the committee oversees the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and reviews bills related to consumer privacy, utilities, broadband and more. “The federal government continues to erode essential consumer protections and privacy. In Pennsylvania, we’re prioritizing policies that defend consumers, not weaken their safeguards,” said Burgos. “Our state has some of the strongest consumer protection laws in the country, and whether you’re dealing with a denied claim or problems with a bank or mortgage lender, we’re here to help.” Pennsylvanians can now call 1-866-PACOMPLAINT (1-866-722-6675) , visit pa.gov/consumer , or email consumer@pa.gov to report financial, insurance, and consumer concerns. Whether it’s a denied health insurance claim, a suspicious financial transaction, or a problem with a student loan servicer, help is now just a call or click away. The new tools offer a “no wrong door” approach, meaning no matter the issue -- insurance lending, utilities, or financial scams -- Pennsylvanians will be routed to the right agency for Read more

 

Burns bill to add flexibility for traveling physicians headed to governor

(Jul 02, 2025) Rep. Frank Burns

“This bill, which I expect to be signed into law soon, will permit team doctors, no matter where they are from, to treat their players during their stay in the Commonwealth,” said Burns, D-Cambria. “Implementing this bill will contribute to the state’s economy by removing this obstacle that could hinder Pennsylvania’s attraction as a destination for international sporting events.” Read more

 

Freeman proposal to simplify municipal development passes House

(Jul 01, 2025) Rep. Robert L. Freeman

Legislation that would give municipalities another tool to plan their communities and streamline development passed the state House of Representatives today, according to prime sponsor Rep. Robert Freeman. Read more

 

Bipartisan Davis bill to fight property blight passes House

(Jul 01, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, July 1 – State Rep. Tina Davis announced today the House has passed her bipartisan legislation, which would establish the Redevelopment Authority Startup Loan Program to combat property blight and spur revitalization in communities across the Commonwealth. The bill now heads to the Senate for its consideration. “This is a major step forward in giving our local communities the tools they need to address blight and revitalize neighborhoods,” Davis said. “I’m grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who supported this legislation. This is a smart, sustainable investment in Pennsylvania’s future.” House Bill 1574 —co-sponsored by lawmakers from both parties—would create a revolving loan fund under the Department of Community and Economic Development. The fund would provide low-interest, long-term loans—up to $500,000—to county redevelopment authorities to acquire, rehabilitate and return blighted residential or commercial properties to productive use. The program is modeled after a highly successful initiative in Bristol Township, Bucks County, which, following a 2016 startup investment, has already led to the rehabilitation of 35 residential properties and sparked over 100 additional private-sector redevelopment projects—all without requiring further government funding. “This bill leverages what Read more

 

House passes Rabb bill to end secret votes that may hike consumers’ electric bills

(Jul 01, 2025) Rep. Christopher M. Rabb

Legislation requiring utility companies who are members of power grid operator PJM to disclose all recorded votes advances to Senate Read more

 

Shusterman passes two Juvenile Justice bills in state House
Jul 10, 2025

Judiciary Committee advances six measures
Jul 09, 2025

Solomon legislation to improve Keystone STARS passes House
Jul 09, 2025

Burns bill to fight fraud and protect taxpayers passes state House
Jul 09, 2025

Shusterman’s child custody modification bill passes House
Jul 09, 2025

Neilson bill to speed up road and bridge projects advances with bipartisan support
Jul 08, 2025

Ciresi’s ‘Click to Cancel’ legislation passes House
Jul 08, 2025

How the Big Bad Bill hurts you and every Pennsylvanian
Jul 08, 2025

House Judiciary Committee approves fraud, waste and abuse bill
Jul 08, 2025

House passes Freeman bill to create factory/mill revitalization tax credit
Jul 08, 2025

Agricultural, Environmental, Public Safety, Redevelopment, Transportation, and Additional Grant Opportunities
Jul 08, 2025

Venkat, Williams: Bipartisan bill to extend Military Family Education benefits signed into law
Jul 08, 2025

House unanimously passes Venkat, Marcell bill to allow Pennsylvania to join Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact
Jul 07, 2025

Bill to ensure continuity of pre-K for Pa. children passes House
Jul 07, 2025

Burns bill plays key role in addressing health care worker shortage
Jul 02, 2025

Burgos shares newly launched consumer protection tools
Jul 02, 2025

Burns bill to add flexibility for traveling physicians headed to governor
Jul 02, 2025

Freeman proposal to simplify municipal development passes House
Jul 01, 2025

Bipartisan Davis bill to fight property blight passes House
Jul 01, 2025

House passes Rabb bill to end secret votes that may hike consumers’ electric bills
Jul 01, 2025