New PA Laws Impact Students, Infants, EMS Workers, Nurses, More

HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed 17 new bills into law that will affect EMS workers, licensed practical nurses, elementary school students, infants, architects and interior designers.

Also impacted are those guilty of committing traffic offenses, local elected officials and anglers. Here's a look at the new laws:

• House Bill 450: Amends the Main Street Act to provide an additional period of up to five years for Main Street grants. Previously, Main Street grants for commercial downtown revitalization efforts could only be made for five years.

• House Bill 1409: Reauthorizes the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's authority to establish license and permit fees for an additional 10-year period.

• House Bill 2160: Establishes that if a majority of seats on a township's board of commissioners are vacant, the Court of Common Pleas will fill the seats if petitioned by the remaining commissioners or 15 registered township electors.

• House Bill 2265: Increases the maximum allowable compensation for council members and mayors in boroughs.

• House Bill 2610: Mandates that crematory incinerators provide an interlock system that precludes charging of the primary chamber until the secondary or last chamber exit temperature is established and maintained at 1600 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Senate Bill 142: Allows the widow or widower of a licensed funeral director to maintain an interest in the business if they remarry. Previously, there were required to sell their stake in the business if they remarried.

• 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.

• Senate Bill 801: Establishes criteria to bolster literary achievement among elementary school students so they reach reading proficiency by the third grade.

• Senate Bill 867: Permits Second-Class A and third-class cities to remain in their current classification in most cases regardless of population changes unless they qualify for, and actively choose, a change of class.

• 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.

• Senate Bill 1133: Gives municipal governing bodies the authority to waive the 50 percent cap on EMS tax revenues being used for EMS personnel costs by passing a resolution at the local level.

• Senate Bill 1241: Eliminates the requirement that licensed insurance producer applicants complete 24 hours of pre-examination education credits before taking the producer licensing exam.

• Senate Bill 1274: Alters the process in which a person can be registered as a qualified American Sign Language interpreter in Pennsylvania.

• Senate Bill 1319: Requires continuing education for architects and certified interior designers.