HB 2281 Pennsylvania House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in juries and jurors, further providing for qualifications of jurors.

This bill proposes to change how Pennsylvania determines who is eligible to serve on juries by removing a specific disqualification for people currently serving prison sentences. Under the current law, individuals convicted of crimes punishable by more than one year in prison are barred from jury service, but this bill would allow them to serve while they are incarcerated. The change would apply to all citizens who meet the basic age and residency requirements for voting, regardless of their criminal conviction status. The legislation would become effective 60 days after being signed into law.
Bill status in committee 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Jun 2026
House Passage
Jun 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 12, 2026 Last action Jun 17, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Printer's No. PN2987 Printer's No. PN3638 · 1 edit
MINOR
The bill was amended to clarify that individuals serving sentences for serious crimes, including those on probation or parole, are disqualified from jury service. This change ensures that people currently under supervision for felony-level offenses cannot serve as jurors, closing a potential loophole in the eligibility criteria.
Scope change
The bill's scope now explicitly includes probation and parole terms within the disqualification criteria for jury service.
ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the list of disqualifying circumstances to explicitly include individuals serving terms of probation or parole for crimes punishable by imprisonment over one year.

Floor votes · House Jun 17, 2026

How they voted

260
Passed
Total votes 26
Jun 17, 2026
D Democratic14
14 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican12
12 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
5
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
1
Jun 17, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (26-0)
house
Jun 17, 2026
Committee
Re-committed to Rules
lower
Jun 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported as amended
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors

Sponsors