Weekly Wrap
The Senate’s last session week of 2025 was a short one, as the chamber was only in session for the first two days of the week, and there’s not much legislative activity to report.
Monday, the Senate finally passed SB 1070 (Rothman, R-Cumberland), which will go to the House of Representatives for consideration. The bill would allow counties to use Act 13 (Marcellus Legacy Fund) funds for county or municipal bridge repairs.
On Tuesday, the Senate Transportation Committee held a public hearing on nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).
The Senate Education Committee reported out two bills of note:
- SB 116 (Argall, R-Schuylkill), which would allow high school juniors and seniors to earn up to two credits toward their graduation requirement for employment in a congregate health care setting; and
- SB 1014 (Robinson, R-Allegheny), which would require schools to adopt and implement a policy that prohibits the use of phones during the school day.
The Senate finally passed HB 274 (Dawkins, D-Philadelphia), which goes back to the House for a concurrence vote before it can be signed into law by the Governor. The bill would make numerous changes to the Unemployment Compensation system, including: (1) delaying the implementation of “quarters averaging” for seasonal employees; (2) strengthening requalification requirements for individuals who previously quit or were fired for cause; and (3) clarifying work-search rules and preventing applicants from intentionally discouraging their own hiring.
HB 1425 (McNeill, D-Lehigh) also passed finally and awaits a concurrence vote in the House. The bill would provide for the regulation of tobacco products, including presumed cost of doing business by a retailer.
Week Ahead
The House has their final session week of the year next week.
On Monday, a non-voting session, the House Communications and Technology Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 1925 (Venkat, D-Allegheny), which would provide for the regulation of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
Tuesday, the House Tourism, Recreation, and Economic Development Committee will hold an informational meeting on outdoor recreation and how it intersects with transportation and economic development. Also, the House Gaming Oversight Committee will hold an informational meeting on prediction markets and sports gambling.
The House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee will consider two bills:
- HB 1191 (Matzie, D-Beaver), which would provide for comprehensive changes to laws pertaining to rail safety; and
- HB 1522 (Cepeda-Freytiz, D-Berks), which would require the installation of natural gas alarms in businesses, residences, and other buildings with natural gas.
Wednesday, the House Health Committee will consider HB 1202 (Zimmerman, R-Lancaster), which would: (1) provide for the procurement, manufacturing, and distribution of an emergency stockpile of various medical supplies and personal protective equipment; and (2) create an Infectious Disease Advisory Commission. The Committee will also vote on HB 1851 (Curry, D-Delaware), which would allow nurse-midwives to complete fetal death reports.
The House Finance Committee will consider HB 1450 (Davidson, D-Cumberland), which would provide a realty transfer tax credit for new residents of the state or current residents who have not purchased a home in the previous five years.
The House Local Government Committee will consider HB 1764 (Madden, D-Monroe), which would allow a municipality to require mega-development developers to provide a detailed impact analysis of the development and for the municipality to consider the impacts and costs of the development. The county and neighboring municipalities would also be able to have their concerns addressed. The Committee will also consider HB 2087 (Freeman, D-Northampton), which would ensure that volunteer firefighters and EMTs are covered under workers’ compensation when injured during fundraising activities.
A full list of committee meetings can be found here:
In Other News
- Carrie Rowe was confirmed by the Senate to serve as Secretary of Education.
- Secretary of the Budget Uri Monson is stepping down on December 12 as Secretary of the Budget to become the next Executive Director of the Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS). The Governor will appoint Zachary Reber, who currently serves as Deputy Secretary for Fiscal Policy and Program Coordination in the Office of the Budget, to fill the role.

























