HB 2146 Pennsylvania House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An Act amending Title 65 (Public Officers) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in open meetings, further providing for notification of agency business required and exceptions.

HB 2146 modifies Pennsylvania's open meetings law to clarify when government agencies can take action on unlisted agenda items. It creates specific exceptions for minor administrative approvals that arise unexpectedly, such as urgent legal filings, small purchases under $10,000 (based on current thresholds), grant applications with deadlines, or minor permit approvals. Agencies must obtain and publicly disclose a legal opinion confirming an item qualifies under these exceptions before acting. This directly affects state and local agencies holding public meetings, ensuring transparency while allowing limited flexibility for time-sensitive matters. The bill does not change core meeting notice requirements but adds defined exceptions for minor, non-financial actions.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Jul 2026
House Passage
Jul 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Last action Jul 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Printer's No. PN2786 Printer's No. PN2882 · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill revision adds a new exception allowing agencies to take immediate official action on minor administrative matters without prior public notice, provided a legal opinion confirms the action is necessary to avoid hardship. It specifically permits actions like personnel discipline, time-sensitive legal filings, small purchasing under current thresholds, and minor permit approvals that were inadvertently omitted from the agenda.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include specific categories of minor administrative approvals that previously required strict adherence to public notice procedures, creating a new pathway for urgent or overlooked agency business.
REQUIREMENT

Added a new subsection (D.1) permitting agencies to act on minor administrative approvals not listed on the agenda if delaying action would cause hardship, such as firing an employee or filing urgent legal documents.

Mandated that agencies obtain a public legal opinion from their solicitor or chief legal counsel before taking action under the new exception to verify the matter qualifies.

Adjusted the text regarding agenda changes to include the new subsection (D.1) in the list of matters that can be added to an agenda with majority vote.

ELIGIBILITY

Defined specific eligible items for the new exception, including personnel actions, legal filings, small purchases under current bidding thresholds, and minor sewer permit approvals.

Floor votes · House Jul 1, 2026

How they voted

1929
Passed
Total votes 201
Jul 1, 2026
D Democratic102
101 Yea 1 Nay
99% Yea
R Republican99
91 Yea 8 Nay
91% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
3
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Jul 9, 2026
Committee
Referred to State Government
upper
Jul 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third consideration and final passage
lower
Jul 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
Re-reported as committed
lower
Jun 30, 2026
Committee
Re-committed to Appropriations
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported as amended
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Committee
Referred to Local Government
lower
1 primary · 32 co-sponsors

Sponsors