Labor & Employment

HB 439 amends Pennsylvania's Human Relations Act to explicitly define "race" as including hair texture and protective hairstyles (such as locs, braids, or afros), and "religious creed" as including head coverings or hairstyles tied to religious practice. Employers cannot prohibit these features unless they prove the rule is necessary for health/safety, non-discriminatory, job-specific, and applied equally. The law does not prevent employers from enforcing general safety rules or anti-harassment policies that apply fairly across all employees. This directly affects employers and employees in Pennsylvania workplaces by clarifying protections against discrimination related to appearance.

HB 1334 allocates funding from the Workmen's Compensation Administration Fund to Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry, Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Office of Small Business Advocate. It covers expenses for administering the Workers' Compensation Act, Pennsylvania Occupational Disease Act, and the Small Business Advocate program for fiscal year 2025-2026, including payments for unpaid bills from the prior fiscal year. The bill directly affects state agencies responsible for worker compensation, occupational disease claims, and small business support services. This is a routine appropriations measure to ensure ongoing operations of these programs, not a policy change. The bill was signed into law as Act No. 3A of 2025 on June 27, 2025.

SB 101 amends Pennsylvania's Workforce Development Act to improve data access and accountability for local workforce boards. It requires these boards to use new hire and unemployment data (from the state's new hire database) when developing local plans, while allowing written exemption requests. The bill mandates a state-developed "data dashboard" displaying workforce data (like job placements and wages) in an accessible format, with free technical assistance provided by the Department of Labor and Industry. These changes directly affect local workforce development boards, the Department of Labor, and agencies using workforce data for program evaluation and reporting. Funding for the dashboard and technical assistance comes exclusively from the state's unemployment compensation reemployment fund.

SB 153 amends Pennsylvania's 1936 Unemployment Compensation Law to clarify when unemployed workers may lose benefits. It adds specific rules making workers ineligible if they unreasonably discourage their own hiring - such as skipping job interviews without good cause or refusing referrals before discussing job details. Employers can now report such behavior to the state, and the Department of Labor must create forms for this process within 90 days. The bill directly affects workers claiming unemployment benefits by tightening eligibility standards around job search efforts.