An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, providing for credit for employment at congregate care facility.
SB 116 allows high school juniors and seniors (age 16+) attending public or nonpublic schools in Pennsylvania to earn elective graduation credits for work at qualifying care facilities. Students may receive one elective credit for every 250 hours worked (up to a maximum of two credits) at a congregate care facility, such as a nursing home, personal care home, or assisted living residence. Schools must establish an application process requiring details like facility contact information, job description, and verified hours, and must approve applications before awarding credit. The bill directly affects students seeking to fulfill graduation requirements through work experience in healthcare or care settings.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2025
Last action Feb 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Printer's No. PN1351
→
Printer's No. PN1420
·
3 edits
MINOR
This bill update corrects a clerical error in the effective date, changing it from December 9, 2025, to February 2, 2026. It also standardizes the formatting of legal citations and definitions to align with current Pennsylvania legislative style, ensuring consistency throughout the document.
TIMELINE
The effective date of the act was changed from December 9, 2025, to February 2, 2026, likely to correct a clerical mistake in the previous version.
TECHNICAL
Legal citations for state regulations and federal acts were updated to use the correct capitalization and formatting (e.g., changing 'PA. CODE' to 'Pa. Code' and 'NONPUBLIC SCHOOL' to 'Nonpublic school').
Grammar and phrasing were adjusted in the application requirements section to improve clarity and remove unnecessary capitalization.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 3, 2026
How they voted
47–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 50
Feb 3, 2026
D
Democratic23
91% Yea
R
Republican27
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
8
Key actions
3
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to Education
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third consideration and final passage
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Re-reported as committed
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
Re-referred to Appropriations
upper
Dec 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported as amended
upper
Jan 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Education
upper
1 primary · 17 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Dave Argall
RRepublican
Co
Chris Gebhard
RRepublican
Co
Cris Dush
RRepublican
Co
Dan Laughlin
RRepublican
Co
Devlin Robinson
RRepublican
Co
Doug Mastriano
RRepublican
Co
Frank Farry
RRepublican
Co
Jay Costa
DDemocratic
Co
Judy Schwank
DDemocratic
Co
Judy Ward
RRepublican
Co
Kristin Phillips-Hill
RRepublican
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