HB 1514 creates a tax credit for Pennsylvania taxpayers who earn tips, allowing them to get back the income tax paid on those tips. The credit equals 100% of the tax paid on "tipped wages" (wages received as voluntary customer tips, not set by employers) and is fully refundable, meaning it can reduce tax bills or generate refunds even if no tax was owed. Taxpayers must claim the credit using their employer's statement of tipped wages (required under 34 Pa. Code § 231.36) when filing their annual tax return on the standard PA 40 form. This change applies to tax returns for years starting after December 31, 2025.
HB 71 amends Pennsylvania's vehicle code to update safety requirements for towed vehicles, specifically addressing size, weight, and load limits. It directly affects commercial towing operators and vehicle owners who transport trailers or towed equipment. The bill modifies existing regulations to impose stricter safety standards for how vehicles are loaded and secured during transport. These changes aim to reduce accidents and improve road safety by ensuring towed vehicles meet standardized weight and stability requirements.
HB 300 amends Pennsylvania's Human Relations Act to add explicit protections for religious exercise alongside existing anti-discrimination rules. It directly affects employers, housing providers, and businesses offering public accommodations by prohibiting discrimination based on religion in employment, housing, and public services. The bill updates the law to include religious freedom as a protected category under anti-discrimination provisions. It also clarifies the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission's authority to enforce these protections. The amendment does not create new enforcement mechanisms but integrates religious exercise protections into the existing framework of the 1955 Act.
HB 1858 amends Pennsylvania's Emergency and Law Enforcement Personnel Death Benefits Act to extend death benefits to surviving spouses, children, or parents of corrections officers. Currently, the law provides benefits to families of certain emergency and law enforcement personnel, but corrections officers were excluded from coverage. This bill explicitly adds corrections officers to the eligible group, ensuring their families receive financial support if a corrections officer dies while on duty. The bill also includes minor editorial changes to update the law's language.
HB 349 expands retirement credit for Pennsylvania state employees by adding three specific types of prior service to count toward benefits: work at community colleges before July 1, 1971; service as a justice of the peace before January 1970; and up to five years of municipal police service by Pennsylvania State Police members. This affects state employees who previously held these roles and had not been able to count that service toward retirement. The bill amends existing statutes to clarify these service types as "creditable nonstate service" under retirement rules. It takes effect 60 days after enactment.
SB 801 amends Pennsylvania's Workers' Compensation Act to address occupational diseases with long latency periods (e.g., cancers or respiratory illnesses developing years after workplace exposure). It allows workers to file claims for such diseases within three years of diagnosis, instead of the standard 300-week limit from last exposure, but requires claimants to prove the disease has a latency period exceeding 300 weeks. This directly affects workers in high-risk industries (like construction or manufacturing) who develop illnesses long after exposure to hazards. The bill does not change compensation rates or employer liability but adjusts filing timelines to better accommodate delayed disease manifestation. Death claims related to these diseases must be filed within 300 weeks of death or within three years of diagnosis, whichever is later.
SB 919 expands Pennsylvania's aggravated assault law to specifically protect United States postal workers and delivery drivers. The bill adds "a United States postal worker or delivery driver" to the list of protected individuals under Section 2702(c), making attacks against them a more serious offense. It also defines "delivery driver" as someone employed for package deliveries using standard-licensed vehicles, regardless of their employer. The law takes effect 60 days after enactment.
HB 1896 modifies bidding rules for Pennsylvania redevelopment projects funded through capital facilities programs. It requires at least three written bids for all projects under $25,000, while projects exceeding $25,000 must ensure workers earn the state's prevailing wage (per the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act) and comply with steel procurement rules. The bill clarifies that all work on a single project site - whether through separate contracts or phases - is fully subject to prevailing wage requirements. This directly affects local governments and contractors managing redevelopment capital projects funded under the Capital Facilities Debt Enabling Act.
HB 1676 establishes Pennsylvania's Nursing Shortage Assistance Program, which provides state grants to "qualified nursing servicers" to help nursing students repay loans after graduation. The program requires partner hospitals to match state funds 1:1 for loan repayment and commit to hiring graduates, with grants only covering tuition expenses (not administrative costs). Nursing students working at participating hospitals may receive up to $10,000 annually or $30,000 total in loan repayment assistance. The Department of Labor and Industry administers the program, sets application rules, and reports annually on its effectiveness to the legislature.
HB 135 amends Pennsylvania's corporate law to update rules for worker cooperatives, which are businesses owned and managed by their employees. It revises the legal requirements for forming a worker cooperative (including the "articles of incorporation") and clarifies governance rules for directors and officers. This directly affects worker-owned businesses in Pennsylvania by changing how they establish their legal structure and manage leadership roles. The bill proposes concrete changes to state statutes but has not yet been enacted.
