160 New PA Laws Signed In 2024

HARRISBURG, PA — With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed more than 160 bills passed by the state House and Senate into law this year.

The new laws impact a wide variety of Pennsylvanians, including nurses, EMS workers, newborn mothers, veterans, acupuncturists, community college students, barbers, cosmetologists, newborns and people who commit traffic offenses.

Among the more noteworthy bills that became laws:

• Senate Bill 1080: Allows licensed practical nurses to make hospice care death pronouncements.

• Senate Bill 1118: Permits district judges to assign community service as an alternative to an indefinite license suspension if a person is unable to pay fines and fees associated with traffic offenses.

• Senate Bill 1132: Lifts the limit on the amount of a local EMS tax that can be used to pay for salaries, benefits or other compensation for EMS workers. Previously, the limit was half of the revenue the tax generated.

• House Bill 1820: Exempts professional hair braiders from having to obtain a cosmetology license.

• House Bill 2266: Mandates a six-month driver's license suspension for anyone caught racing on a highway or roadway.

• House Bill 2127: Requires all prenatal and postnatal clinicians to distribute information relating to postpartum depression to the mother and her family to increase awareness of the signs of postpartum depression and how to seek treatment.

• House Bill 327: Retools the state's law regulating barbers and cosmetologists, who now are permitted to practice in a mobile setting. Service providers can now bring a fully equipped salon or barbershop to places such as a home, senior center or recreation center.

• House Bill 897: The new law guarantees all community college students who earn a two-year associate's degree admission as a junior to a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education school.

• Senate Bill 688: Allows restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery stores and convenience stores to sell ready-to-drink cocktails by purchasing a special permit.

• Senate Bill 267: Amends Pennsylvania’s Newborn Protection Act by adding urgent care centers to the list of “safe havens” where a parent may surrender his or her newborn. The law is designed to decriminalize the leaving of an unharmed infant with a responsible caregiver, protecting infants from harm by providing a secure haven for them when a parent is no longer able to care for a child.

• House Bill 73: Mandates that PennDOT create a license plate for veterans who participate or participated in Operation Inherent Resolve. Initiated in 2014, the operation coordinates military efforts against ISIL and consists of campaigns in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

• House Bill 1490: Requires the licensing of all acupuncturists in the state and requires them to take continuing education programs to get their licenses renewed.