HB 300 would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) to add explicit, statutory protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

HB 394 would expand access to courts by adding a venue for a statutory civil action in human trafficking lawsuits. Lawsuits could be brought either where the victim resides or where the violations occurred, making it easier for trafficking victims to bring civil lawsuits by expanding the venue (or places) where they can bring the suit.

HB 461 would confuse the already available implied private cause of action for anyone aggrieved by another person’s acts or threats that interfere with their ability to vote. By explicitly permitting a private cause of action for instances of voter intimidation, HB 461 would eliminate implied civil action and only allow it in cases where it was expressly permissible. It also would require a criminal conviction before a civil suit could be filed—a higher threshold than current law requires.

HB 507 would require health care providers, when involved in professional instruction or clinical training, to obtain specific informed consent (both verbal and written), before performing a pelvic, rectal, or prostate examination while the patient is anesthetized or unconscious in a facility that provides health care services.

HB 587 would permit incarcerated individuals to petition for early release on parole due to age, illness, or medical reasons during a public health emergency. PA’s current compassionate release mechanisms are so narrow as to be impractical in almost every case. Humanizing this system to expand compassionate release options would shift limited corrections resources to where they are most needed.

HB 689 would make drug felonies and some property-related felonies eligible for criminal record sealing, while shortening eligibility waiting periods. This new Clean Slate bill would help people with old criminal records improve their employment prospects and help Pennsylvania employers find candidates for jobs that they desperately need to fill.

HB 716 would allow a court to impose community service in lieu of payment for traffic fines for those without the ability to pay fines and costs. Although this is already permitted under current law, many MDJs mistakenly believe that community service can't be ordered to replace payment of traffic fines. HB 716 would provide an important clarification that community service is available for traffic offenses, giving MDJs more tools in their toolbox for people who cannot pay.

After a conviction for first-degree murder, the jury decides whether to impose a life sentence or the death penalty. Juries consider outside factors that could make them more or less inclined to impose the death penalty. HB 751 would require that the state prove—beyond a reasonable doubt—that the aggravating circumstances of a case outweigh any mitigating factors before someone can be sentenced to death, a higher burden of proof than the current requirement of a preponderance of the evidence.

HB 815 would require that all candidates for office and political action committees (PACs) in Pennsylvania utilize the Department of State’s online filing system to electronically file campaign finance reports. Requiring electronic filing would not only improve government transparency and accountability, it would save the commonwealth money by reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies.

HB 841 would limit the types of offenses for which a juvenile must provide a DNA sample after being tried as an adult or adjudicated delinquent. The bill would also require automatic expungement of juvenile DNA samples, records, or profiles once an offense is eligible for expungement.

HB 847 would amend the PA Election Code to require county boards of elections to meet no earlier than 7 days before an election day to pre-canvas all ballots received prior to that meeting. This would allow counties to begin preparing—but not counting— ballots before 7 am on Election Day, as current law requires, thereby increasing the likelihood that election results are reported sooner.

HB 999 would repeal the death penalty in PA. The death penalty denies equal protection of the laws, is cruel and unusual punishment, and violates guarantees of due process. It is so inconsistent with the underlying values of our democratic system—the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness—that the imposition of death for any crime is a denial of civil liberties. The only way to guarantee that no factually innocent person will be executed is to eliminate capital punishment entirely.

HB 1067 would amend the Public School Code to waive the citizenship requirement for teachers to allow qualified non-citizens—those with a valid immigrant visa, work visa or employment document—to be hired as teachers. As PA is facing a steep decline in its number of qualified teachers, HB 1067 would help alleviate this shortfall, expand employment opportunities for qualified residents, and ensure that Pennsylvania's teachers better reflect the diversity of the students in their classrooms.

HB 1085 would create an Indigent Defense Advisory Committee and a grant fund to support indigent defense. Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation that fails to provide state-level funding for public defenders and instead requires that individual counties bear 100% of the financial burden to maintain their essential—and constitutionally required—public defense services.

HB 1140 would require insurance companies to cover all contraceptive drugs, devices, and other products and services at no cost to the consumer, ensuring that no one loses access to contraception because of their income—and guarantees it for those who need, want, and deserve it.

HB 1188 would allow a member of the General Assembly to request a demographic impact statement on any piece of legislation proposing changes to the crimes and offenses in Title 18 or sentencing laws in Title 42. Impact statements offer an effective and informative tool to evaluate potential disparities of proposed legislation on different demographic groups prior to adoption.

Currently, PA House and Senate candidates are only required to file campaign expense reports on the second Friday before an election. HB 1220 would require candidates to file an additional pre-election campaign expense report on the sixth Tuesday prior to a primary election. This would ensure earlier disclosure and greater transparency regarding contributions made to candidates for the General Assembly.

PennDOT currently requires an applicant for REAL ID to provide an original Social Security card, but does not provide any other document options to verify a person's Social Security number. Pennsylvania is the only state that does not provide residents with alternative SSN verification options. HB 1243 would require PennDOT to accept additional documentation permitted under the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 to verify an applicant’s Social Security number when applying for REAL ID.

HB 1245 would expand access to Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) statewide. SSPs are community-based health programs that provide a range of services to those struggling with substance use disorder. SSPs also protect first responders and the public by providing safe syringe disposal and reducing the presence of discarded needles in our communities.?By passing legislation to specifically allow for statewide SSPs, Pennsylvania will be able to access funding and expertise to support local programs.

PN 2037 included negotiated language that offered increased privacy and constitutional protections.

The ACLU-PA was previously neutral on HB 1278, but Senate amendments gutted hard-fought language that was successfully negotiated between stakeholders. As a result, HB 1278 reinstates several problematic provisions‚ two in particular: (1) the broad permission it grants parole agents to intercept communications, including third parties who are not under supervision; and (2) the failure to limit how or when footage may be shared with outside law enforcement agencies.

HB 1289 would provide property owners or homeowner associations a streamlined process to repudiate unlawful restrictive covenants from their deeds. An unlawful restrictive covenant is defined as a provision that purports to restrict ownership or occupancy of real property based on a practice or policy of discrimination against individuals or groups covered under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.

HB 1381 is an omnibus bill that would make numerous, desperately needed improvements to the juvenile justice system. Significant reforms include: eliminating direct file, the practice of automatically charging children as if they were adults; prohibiting pretrial detention for youth under 14 and some other youth; eliminating juvenile fines and fees, and limiting restitution; capping the length of juvenile probation; and eliminating solitary in juvenile facilities with some exceptions.

HB 1394 would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to expand the definition of “race” to include traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles would include, but are not limited to, such hairstyles locs, braids, twists, coils, Bantu knots, afros and extensions. CROWN Act stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

HB 1399 would require all Pennsylvania law enforcement officers to have their badge, with all pertinent identifiable information, visible at all times without exception. Having a badge in clear view, regardless of whether an officer is in uniform or not, would not only ensure that people know when law enforcement is present, but are able to identify officers if and when they engage in unethical or illegal behavior.

Currently, someone sentenced to life or the death penalty needs a unanimous vote by the Board of Pardons just to be considered for pardon or commutation by the governor. HB 1410 is a proposed amendment to the PA Constitution that would replace the unanimous vote requirement with a majority vote requirement to be considered for clemency. This majority requirement was the law before the late 1990’s, changed during the failed "tough on crime" policies of that era, and should be the law again today.

Pennsylvania's current anti-SLAPP law is too narrow, too weak, and long overdue for an update. HB 1466 is a commonsense, bipartisan proposal that would protect all forms of First Amendment expression while making it easier for people to defend against frivolous lawsuits. Pennsylvanians deserve to speak freely without the threat of costly litigation standing in the way of their First Amendment right to public expression.

HB 1470 would establish a process to provide compensation and services to victims of wrongful conviction and imprisonment in Pennsylvania. The bill would provide $100,000 for every year the person was incarcerated on death row; $75,000 for each year of wrongful incarceration not on death row; and $50,000 for each year someone spent on parole or probation for a crime they didn’t commit. This is long overdue, as PA is one of only 12 states without any process to compensate the wrongly convicted.

HB 1479 would provide IT accessibility standards for state and local government websites. Considering that online content is the primary way most people access government information, services, and their elected officials, HB 1479 would guarantee a more equitable and accessible experience for people with disabilities, while protecting Pennsylvanians’ right to open and transparent government.

HB 1531 would strengthen the requirements of PA's police misconduct database. HB 1531 would close a loophole in the 2020 Act that created this database to prevent problematic police officers from being passed from department to department, with no way for those agencies to access—or even know about—an officer's previous history of misconduct before being hired. HB 1531 would provide PA communities with the kind of transparency, accountability, and compliance they deserve from law enforcement.

HB 1601 would require the Department of Corrections to work in concert with the Department of Transportation and Department of Human Services to help people transitioning out of prison obtain a driver’s license, Pennsylvania state ID, and/or work permit. This will assist people with their reentry process and help them take necessary steps to obtain employment, housing, and education.

HB 1629 would require safe storage of firearms in locations where minors might gain access to them and new criminal offenses for violating the bill's requirements. The ACLU-PA would not object to requiring safe storage of firearms or to imposing civil penalties if a minor accesses an unsecured firearm. But the ACLU-PA opposes any effort to hold parents (or other adults) criminally responsible via vicarious liability for the actions of their children or another minor.

HB 1678 would establish the Earned Vocational Training and Education Credit to allow people incarcerated in state facilities to earn vocational and educational credits against their minimum sentence. These credits would count towards reducing their sentence—10-180 days, depending on the program—making them eligible for parole or short sentence parole earlier than they would otherwise be.

HB 1700 would add federal judicial officers as protected officials under 18 § 2719 (endangering a public official). But federal judges are already protected under several offenses in the U.S. Code. Additionally, under the dual sovereignty doctrine, HB 1700 would enable prosecution of the same conduct under both state and federal law. Duplicating protections for federal judges under state law will only lead to excessive punishment and even more unnecessary and redundant laws.

HB 1708 would enact a recommendation of the Juvenile Justice Task Force to require the expansion of in-school diversion for most school-based offenses, narrow the definition of "weapon" for the purposes of arresting students in schools, and increase oversight of education for children who are placed in private and state facilities.

HB 1781 would ensure that defendants being assessed for drug and alcohol addiction following a DUI charge would also be considered for medication-assisted treatment in conjunction with behavioral therapies. PA's assessment process does not currently include consideration of medication when establishing treatment recommendations. HB 1781 would offer those charged with a DUI offense the means to enter and sustain recovery and therefore the greatest chance to avoid relapsing and reoffending.

HB 1806 would restore the grading thresholds for welfare fraud to prior levels, after having been recently increased by the legislature. Those increases created a backlog of cases. By reverting to the previous statutory scheme, the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) will be able to pursue a greater number of cases at the Magisterial District Justice level, increasing OSIG’s efficiency and the likelihood that stolen public assistance funds will be recovered for use by qualified recipients.

HB 2017 would restrict young people (under 16 years old) from accessing social media content that might cause harm to the “physical health, mental health or the wellbeing of a minor.” To accomplish this, HB 2017 would require invasive age verification, violating young peoples' privacy and First Amendment right to free speech and right to access protected speech. As a result, vulnerable youth would likely struggle to access vital resources and supportive networks.

HB 2015 would amend the PA Human Relations Act to remove the current exemptions that exclude agricultural and domestic workers. This would ensure that all workers have a right to be protected from discrimination in the workplace.

HB 2231 would adopt the Uniform Law Commission's "Uniform Electronic Recordation of Custodial Interrogations Act," which requires law enforcement to electronically record a custodial interrogation when it relates to a crime of violence allegedly committed by an adult or a minor, unless a legitimate exception exists. Recording police interrogations is a commonsense practice that protects defendants and law enforcement alike.

HB 2266 would create new, duplicative offenses to penalize street racing and "drifting." The new summary offenses could currently be charged under reckless driving, and the new third-degree felony offense could currently be charged as either aggravated assault by vehicle or homicide by vehicle.

HB 2269 would amend Title 23 to update Pennsylvania's current definition of marriage and repeal the section that only recognizes marriage as being between a man and woman. In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the right to marry is a fundamental liberty and should be available to everyone, including same sex couples. HB 2269 would update the now-unconstitutional provisions under PA statute to accurately reflect the right to marriage equality.

HB 2429 would authorize the PA Department of Corrections to establish a medical assistance reentry program for incarcerated individuals who are scheduled to be released and returning to their community. This would ensure a continuity of care, so that access to medication, substance use disorder treatment, and case management services are not disrupted.

HR 113 would direct the Joint State Government Commission to study how body-worn cameras and footage are currently used and stored in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvanians deserve to know how body cameras are being used by law enforcement agencies across the state, which departments are utilizing body-worn cameras, and how cameras and footage can more effectively contribute to police and civilian accountability.

HR 269 would direct the Joint State Government Commission to establish a bipartisan task force to study the Pennsylvania crimes code. PA criminal law has offenses scattered all over the consolidated and unconsolidated statutes, is riddled with duplicative crimes, and plagued by ad hoc, inconsistent grading that undermines any standard of proportional punishment. HR 269 would provide a desperately needed—and long overdue—comprehensive assessment of Pennsylvania's criminal law.

HR 416 would direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study and issue a report to the General Assembly on how dependent our court system has grown on collecting fines and fees to pay for its operational needs, forecast future suspected growth in this trend, and detail what would be needed should the legislature wish to stem this projection or eliminate it.

SB 37 would create a new offense to prohibit motorists from using “interactive mobile devices” while driving. This new offense would dangerously expand law enforcement’s power to conduct and justify pretextual traffic stops. Giving police newfound justification to pull people over would make people less safe, while simultaneously undermining local efforts to find less expensive, more effective, and less lethal ways to enforce low-level traffic violations.

SB 44 would expand the definition of trafficking in individuals to include those who “patronize” a person that may be subject to sexual servitude. Patronizing a victim of sexual servitude is already punishable as a third-degree felony because current law recognizes the difference between someone who is engaged in the process or business of trafficking and someone who patronizes a person being trafficked. SB 44 would erase this critical distinction.

SB 140 would create a "special prosecutor" under the Attorney General’s office who is responsible for prosecuting and investigating all crimes that occur on public transportation in Philadelphia. SB 140 is a brazen attempt to undermine the authority of one district attorney, in one city, to override the votes of every Philadelphian who elected him. It would also violate the PA Constitution, which prohibits the state from creating special laws that interfere with local authority.

SB 170 would create a standardized statewide expungement process for juvenile records under certain circumstances and require a Chief Juvenile Probation Officer to notify the court when a person's juvenile record(s) are eligible for expungement. Establishing a mechanism to expunge these records would ensure that young people who have completed their obligations to the court are not held back from successful transition into adulthood due to prior involvement in the juvenile justice system.

SB 527 would create a new, duplicative offense that could already be charged under current law (theft by unlawful taking). Furthermore, it would treat acceptance of ARD as an adjudication of guilt to trigger penalty enhancements, likely violating constitutional guarantees of due process and the presumption of innocence.

SB 596 would amend the organized retail theft statute to drastically lower the thresholds for the retail value of stolen goods to make it easier to charge people with felonies. SB 596 is a bill that relies on demonstrably failed policies in response to an exaggerated “crisis.” If enacted, it would exacerbate existing racial and economic disparities in our criminal legal system, putting more people behind bars for longer.

Pennsylvania's Wiretap Act includes a sunset provision, currently due to expire on December 31st, 2023. SB 598 would extend the sunset deadline until December 31st, 2029. It is critical that the legislature does not allow the Wiretap Act to expire, as it provides numerous privacy protections for Pennsylvanians. It also includes permission for the use of body cameras by law enforcement.

SB 709 would enhance the penalties for killing a bald or golden eagle one degree higher than for any other endangered or threatened species. Currently, this offense already provides for steep penalties, all of which would carry time ranging from 2-7 years in prison, fines between $5k-$15k, and a possible suspension of a hunting license from 7-15 years. There is no need to carve out one endangered species for overly punitive penalties.

Amendment to ameliorate problematic provisions in the bill.

SB 838 fails to meaningfully reform our broken probation system and changes current law in ways that risk making probation worse in PA by making it easier for judges to incarcerate people after revoking their probation and allowing judges to keep people on probation indefinitely for those who can't pay restitution in full. As such, SB 838 squanders a rare opportunity to meaningfully improve probation in Pennsylvania while threatening to exacerbate the problems that drive its dysfunction.

SB 1118 would allow courts to impose community service in lieu of payment for traffic fines for those who are unable to pay, while also requiring judges to follow robust guidelines for holding ability to pay hearings. SB 1118 would alleviate the archaic and overly punitive practice of suspending a person's driver's license as punishment for nonpayment or failure to respond to a citation, or jailed simply because they can't afford to pay a traffic ticket.