Gov. Wolf Signs 31 New Bills Into Law

HARRISBURG, PA — As the House GOP advanced a constitutional amendment that would ban abortions in Pennsylvania late Thursday night into Friday, a massive new slate of bills were brought to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk for signatures.

The governor signed 31 of those bills into law on Friday. Notable among them was legislation requiring childcare homes to have fire safety equipment, as well as bills protecting patient confidentiality and allocating National Guard resources for cyber crimes.

Senate Bill 563, which amends the Fire and Panic Act, was inspired by a 2019 tragedy in Erie that claimed the lives of five children.

"Deaths caused by fire can be prevented with the use of properly installed and managed smoke detectors," State Sen. Daniel Laughlin, who represents the Erie area, wrote in a co-sponsorship memorandum. "It is our responsibility to put the laws in place to try to avoid such tragedies as the one that recently occurred in my district."

The new bill requires smoke alarms on each floor of childcare homes. The alarms must be connected to Bluetooth or via other means so that smoke alarms on different floors are linked.

In addition, a portable fire extinguisher is required in cooking areas and there must be clear exits that comply with Department of Human Services regulations.

According to the Wolf administration, other legislation signed into law includes:

House Bill 2412

This bill gives the governor the executive power to order any Pennsylvania National Guard volunteer member to assist with cybersecurity efforts. The state currently houses two speciality units that can be redirected: the PA Army National Guard Defensive Cyber Operations and the PA Air National Guard 112th Cyberspace Operations Squadron.

Guardsmen and women will support state and local governments and "designated critical infrastructure" with cyber training, exercises, and other military duties as needed.

"Pennsylvania is working hard to expand our infrastructure in both the transportation and energy sectors, which brings with that expansion an additional emphasis on systems security," State Rep. Craig Williams said in introducing the bill. "The rapid expansion of our unemployment system has also highlighted the need for robust data protection within our state agencies."

House Bill 1935

Renews the authorization of Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA) Act for Cities of the First Class (Act 6 of 1991).

House Bill 1868

Establishes Chapter 33, Military and Veterans’ Licensure, in Title 63 of the Pennsylvania Consolidate Statutes, providing for licensure of military members and their spouses.

House Bill 723

Amends the Workforce Development Act to bring Pennsylvania law in compliance with the federal requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

House Bill 1561

Amends the Mental Health Procedures Act to further clarify confidentiality practices, bringing the commonwealth into alignment with federal confidentiality laws.

House Bill 1563

Amends the Pennsylvania Drug and Alcohol Abuse Control Act to further clarify confidentiality practices, bringing the commonwealth into alignment with federal confidentiality laws.

House Bill 1780

Amends the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act by extending the Underground Storage Tank Environmental Cleanup Program and the Underground Storage Tank Pollution Prevention Program until December 31, 2027.

House Bill 1952

Creates a bipartisan committee within the Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial to identify legacy infrastructure projects throughout Pennsylvania in honor of America250, the nationwide celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial.

House Bill 2420

Further provides for rates of pilotage and computation, for pilotage fees and unit charge and for charges for services.

House Bill 2653

Provides the annual appropriation to Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) within the Department of State for 2022-23.

House Bill 2654

Provides the annual appropriations to the Department of Labor and Industry and the Office of Small Business Advocate for 2022-23.

House Bill 2655

Makes an appropriation from a restricted revenue account within the General Fund to the Office of Small Business Advocate for 2022-23.

House Bill 2656

Makes an appropriation from a restricted revenue account within the General Fund to the Office of Consumer Advocate in the Attorney General for 2022-23.

House Bill 2657

Makes an appropriation from the Public School Employees’ Retirement Fund for the expenses of the Public School Employees’ Retirement Board for 2022-23.

House Bill 2658

Provides the annual appropriation from the State Employees’ Retirement Fund to the State Employees’ Retirement Board for 2022-23.

House Bill 2659

Makes appropriations from the Philadelphia Taxicab and Limousine Regulatory Fund and the Philadelphia Taxicab Medallion Fund to the Philadelphia Parking Authority for 2022-23.

House Bill 2661

Makes appropriations from a restricted revenue account within the General Fund and federal augmentation funds to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for 2022-23.

House Bill 2662

Makes appropriations from the restricted revenue accounts within the State Gaming Fund, Fantasy Contest Fund and Video Gaming Fund to the Attorney General, the Department of Revenue, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (Board) for 2022-23.

Senate Bill 155

Further provides for establishment and membership in the Pennsylvania Military Community Enhancement Commission.

Senate Bill 477

Amends Title 53 (Municipalities Generally), in chapter 88, consolidated county assessment, providing for electronic submission of permits and powers of county assessment offices, and in chapter 7, adding subchapter B, municipal boundary change, providing for modernization of municipal boundary laws.

Senate Bill 635

Replaces the term “real property” with “qualifying commercial property” throughout the law relating to the Property-Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program. “Qualifying commercial property” is defined as any real property that is an agricultural, commercial, industrial, or multifamily housing with five or more units owned by an individual, partnership, limited liability corporation, corporation or nonprofit.

Senate Bill 849

Changes the definitions related to veterans’ employment preference for veterans discharged because of a medical disability. Specifically, the bill amends the definition of a “veteran” to include an individual who has served in the armed forces of the United States whose last discharge was due to a disability under conditions other than dishonorable.

Senate Bill 861

Makes the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a party to the Recognition of Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact and provides for the form of the compact.

Senate Bill 904

Permits a probation officer to use technology portals in lieu of requiring offenders on probation to appear in person. Under the bill, “technology portal” is defined as “a device, including a cellular phone and other electronic device, that allows simultaneous voice and video communication in real time between the offender and the probation officer.”

Senate Bill 905

Adds to the powers and duties of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s County Adult Probation and Parole Advisory Committee by requiring them to make recommendations and standards for probation and parole personnel, including circumstances under which an offender’s schedule should be weighed when making scheduling decisions.

Senate Bill 1047

Updates the language regarding the authority of the State Armory Board (board) over armories and other military facilities.

Senate Bill 1159

Amends the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act to extend the deadline by which a club may use 60% of Small Games of Chance proceeds to pay for general operating expenses to December 31, 2022.

Senate Bill 1179

Updates the Domestic and Sexual Violence Victim Address Confidentiality Act by adding victims of human trafficking and victims of kidnapping as being eligible to apply to become program participants in the address confidentiality program.

Senate Bill 1186

Amends the Vehicle Code to further provide for USA semiquincentennial registration plates and establishing the Semiquincentennial Restricted Account.

Senate Bill 1236

Provides for extensive amendments to the Very Small Meat Processor Federal Inspection Reimbursement Grant Program