Labor & Employment

passed · Pennsylvania · House Jul 9, 2026

HB 2558: An Act prohibiting enforcement of covenants not to compete in broadcast employment agreements.

This bill, titled the Broadcast Freemarket Agreement Act, prohibits employers in the radio, television, and digital media industries from enforcing non-compete clauses in employment contracts. It declares such agreements void if they stop workers from moving to other companies or performing services within a specific geographic area after leaving their current job. The law also ensures that employees cannot be forced to sign away these protections, while still allowing employers to maintain confidentiality agreements regarding trade secrets.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill prohibits non-compete clauses, protecting worker mobility and rights in media industries.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Jul 9, 2026

HB 2455: An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929, in powers and duties of the Department of Public Instruction and its departmental administrative boards and commissions, further providing for collective bargaining.

This bill grants school administrators in Pennsylvania's first-class cities and school districts the right to engage in collective bargaining with their employers. It allows these administrators to negotiate terms regarding pay, working hours, benefits, and dispute resolution through designated representatives. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board will handle any disagreements about these bargaining items using the same process applied to other public employees. The changes apply immediately upon the bill's enactment.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill grants school administrators collective bargaining rights, enhancing their ability to negotiate pay, benefits, and working conditions, which supports educator welfare.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill explicitly grants school administrators the right to collective bargaining, expanding worker rights and protections.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Jun 11, 2026

HB 2446: An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, establishing the Fire Company Transformational Grant Program.

This bill establishes the Fire Company Transformational Grant Program in Pennsylvania to provide financial support to municipal, volunteer, and combination fire companies. The program will be funded with up to $30 million annually from the Property Tax Relief Reserve Fund and allows grants ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, with a higher limit for consolidated agencies. Eligible fire companies can use the funds to purchase equipment, build or renovate facilities, recruit and retain staff, and support regionalization efforts. To qualify, applicants must meet specific administrative requirements, such as maintaining current contact information and being registered with a public safety answering point. The administering office will set detailed guidelines for the application process, evaluate requests based on established criteria, and require annual reports on how the grants are used.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates $30M annually from a reserve fund to establish a grant program for fire companies, directly increasing funding for essential public safety services.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill funds recruitment and retention of fire company staff, directly supporting workforce stability and employment standards.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Jun 10, 2026

HB 2189: An Act amending the act of January 17, 1968 (P.L.11, No.5), known as The Minimum Wage Act of 1968, further providing for definitions, for minimum wages and for exemptions.

HB 2189 amends Pennsylvania's Minimum Wage Act of 1968 to increase the state's minimum wage to $11 per hour starting January 1, 2027, $13 per hour on January 1, 2028, and $15 per hour on January 1, 2029. After 2029, the minimum wage will automatically adjust annually based on inflation data from the Consumer Price Index for the Pennsylvania-New Jersey- Delaware-Maryland area. This bill directly affects all Pennsylvania employers and workers covered under the Minimum Wage Act, including tipped employees who retain their tips. The changes apply to all non-exempt workers in the state, with no new exemptions or special rules added beyond the wage schedule and adjustment mechanism.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentIncreases minimum wage to $15/hr by 2029 with inflation adjustments, directly strengthening worker compensation and wages.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House May 7, 2026

HB 2103: An Act amending the act of October 27, 1955 (P.L.744, No.222), known as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, further providing for the title of the act, for findings and declaration of policy, for right to freedom from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation, for definitions, for unlawful discriminatory practices and for prohibition of certain real estate practices; providing for protection of religious exercise; and further providing for powers and duties of the commission and for construction and exclusiveness of remedy.

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Human Relations Act to clarify that religious or fraternal organizations cannot restrict membership based on race, color, national origin, or ancestry to deny equal access to housing, employment, or public accommodations. It specifically updates Section 5(h)(10) to explicitly prohibit such discrimination under the guise of religious or fraternal affiliation. The change directly affects religious institutions, fraternal organizations, and housing providers operating under existing exemptions. The amendment takes effect 60 days after passage.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingPrevents housing discrimination by religious/fraternal organizations under PA Human Relations Act, aligning with tenant protection and equal access to housing.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAmends PA Human Relations Act to prohibit religious/fraternal orgs from discriminating in employment based on race/color/national origin, directly protecting workers' rights under employment standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Apr 1, 2026

HB 200: An Act establishing family and medical leave benefits, the Paid Family and Medical Leave Account and the Paid Family and Medical Leave Grant Program; conferring powers and imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry; and imposing penalties.

This bill would create a state-funded paid family and medical leave program for eligible workers needing time off for health issues, childbirth, or family care. It establishes a dedicated state fund to cover leave costs, creates an advisory board to guide implementation, and assigns oversight to the Department of Labor. The program would directly affect employees in the state who qualify for these leave types, requiring employers to provide the benefits. The bill also specifies penalties for businesses failing to comply with the new requirements.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates state-funded program requiring dedicated budget appropriations for paid family leave, advancing government spending on essential worker benefits.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates state-funded paid leave for health issues, improving access to healthcare services without income loss for employees.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentCreates state-funded paid family/medical leave program expanding worker benefits, requiring employer provision of leave for health/childbirth/family care, directly strengthening employment protections.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Oct 15, 2025

HB 145: An Act amending the act of December 5, 1936 (2nd Sp.Sess., 1937 P.L.2897, No.1), known as the Unemployment Compensation Law, in compensation, further providing for ineligibility for compensation.

HB 145 amends Pennsylvania's unemployment compensation law to clarify when workers lose eligibility for benefits. It directly affects claimants who voluntarily leave jobs, adding specific protections: workers cannot be disqualified for leaving due to disability if suitable work is available, for joining or staying in a union, or to accompany a military spouse relocating due to active duty orders. The bill defines "suitable employment" as work requiring similar skills and paying at least 80% of a worker's previous average weekly wage. These changes aim to prevent unfair disqualifications while maintaining the law's core purpose of providing benefits to eligible unemployed workers.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAdds protections preventing disqualification for leaving jobs due to disability (suitable work available), union activity, or military spouse relocation - strengthens unemployment eligibility under Labor & Employment policies.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill protects unemployment benefits for workers leaving jobs to accompany military spouses relocating due to active duty orders, supporting military-connected families and veterans' support systems.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Jul 14, 2025

HB 1358: An Act amending Title 48 (Lodging and Housing) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in hotels, providing for protection of hotel employees; and imposing penalties.

HB 1358 updates Pennsylvania's lodging laws to directly protect hotel employees. It requires hotels to safeguard workers from retaliation for reporting safety issues or violations, replacing vague existing rules with specific protections. The bill imposes fines on hotels that violate these new safeguards, targeting employers who fail to prevent retaliation. This law affects all Pennsylvania hotels and lodging businesses, focusing on concrete changes to employee safety and enforcement.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires hotels to protect employees from retaliation for reporting safety issues, imposes fines for violations, directly strengthening worker safety protections95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Jun 18, 2025

HB 846: An Act amending the act of August 15, 1961 (P.L.987, No.442), known as the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act, further providing for definitions, for specifications, for prevailing wage and for duty of secretary.

HB 846 amends Pennsylvania's Prevailing Wage Act to clarify job definitions, specify how prevailing wages are calculated for public construction projects, and detail the Labor Secretary's responsibilities. It directly affects construction workers, contractors, and state agencies managing public works by updating administrative processes. The bill makes technical changes to implementation without altering the core requirement that public projects pay local standard wages. These updates aim to improve consistency in applying the existing law across state-funded projects.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMaintains prevailing wage requirement for public construction, ensuring workers receive local standard wages without weakening protections.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Jun 18, 2025

HB 1549: An Act amending the act of January 17, 1968 (P.L.11, No.5), known as The Minimum Wage Act of 1968, further providing for definitions, for minimum wages and for exemptions.

HB 1549 updates Pennsylvania's minimum wage law by establishing new hourly rates for workers in different county classifications, effective starting in 2026. It sets a $15 per hour minimum wage for workers in first-class counties (like Philadelphia) beginning January 1, 2026, with annual cost-of-living adjustments tied to the CPI-U index for the PA/NJ/DE/MD region. For other counties (second, third, fourth, or sixth class based on 2020 census populations), it sets a $12 hourly rate starting in 2026, increasing to $15 by 2028, followed by the same CPI-based annual adjustments. This directly affects all hourly workers in Pennsylvania, with rates varying by county size and population.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill increases minimum wage rates ($15/hr in first-class counties, $12 elsewhere) with annual CPI-U adjustments, directly strengthening wage protections for workers.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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