Technology

passed · Pennsylvania · House Jun 22, 2026

HB 95: An Act providing for disclosure of synthetic advertising content and for enforcement.

HB 95 amends Pennsylvania's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law to require clear disclosure when AI-generated content (like text, images, or videos) is created, distributed, or published. It directly affects businesses, creators, and platforms using AI tools to produce content for consumers in Pennsylvania. The bill adds new definitions, including that "artificial intelligence" means technology creating new content via predictive algorithms, and specifies that disclosures must be "clear and conspicuous" - meaning they must be visible upfront, easy to understand, and match the content's medium (e.g., visible text, audible audio). This change updates existing consumer protection rules to address AI-generated content transparency.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyRequires AI content disclosure for consumer protection under Unfair Trade Practices Law, aligning with regulatory measures to ensure transparency in technology use.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Artificial Intelligence

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Oct 27, 2025

HB 1822: An Act amending Title 44 (Law and Justice) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for protection of personal data of certain public servants; imposing duties on data brokers regarding personal data; and providing for civil enforcement.

HB 1822 would protect personal data (like home addresses and phone numbers) of Pennsylvania public servants - such as police officers, teachers, and government workers - from being sold or misused by data brokers. It requires data brokers to delete this information upon request and follow new rules when collecting or sharing it. The bill also creates a civil enforcement mechanism, allowing affected individuals to sue companies that violate these protections. Currently, the bill is stalled in the House after being amended and reported by the Judiciary Committee.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyProtects public servants' personal data from misuse by data brokers, imposing new privacy regulations on data brokers per bill summary.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Consumer Data Protection Data Privacy

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Apr 4, 2025

SB 549: An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in dockets, indices and other records, providing for limited access to eviction information.

SB 549 (Pennsylvania) limits public access to eviction court records to protect tenants. It creates "limited access eviction files" that cannot be shared online or with most individuals, except under specific conditions like when a case is less than seven years old with a final judgment for the landlord, or for parties directly involved in the case. Tenant screening services and consumer reporting agencies are barred from using these records in reports or considering them for rental decisions. The law automatically restricts access after seven years, when a judgment is satisfied (e.g., tenant pays rent or moves out), or if a court vacates a judgment. This directly affects tenants (by preventing old eviction history from impacting housing), landlords (requiring them to notify courts of satisfied judgments), and tenant screening companies (prohibiting use of these records).

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingBars tenant screening services from using eviction records, protecting tenants from unfair rental denials based on past evictions per bill summary.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyRestricts access to tenant eviction records to protect privacy, aligning with data privacy protections under Technology policies.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Landlords Renters Tenant Rights

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Feb 26, 2025

SB 374: An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929, establishing the Office of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer.

SB 374 creates a new Office of Information Technology within Pennsylvania's state government, led by a Chief Information Officer (CIO) appointed by the Governor with Senate confirmation. The CIO, who becomes part of the Governor's Cabinet, will manage all state agency IT systems and establish security protocols for data handled by those agencies. This bill directly affects all Pennsylvania state agencies operating under the Governor's authority, centralizing oversight of their technology infrastructure. The key change is replacing fragmented IT management with a single, accountable office responsible for both operations and cybersecurity across state agencies.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyCreates Office of Information Technology with CIO to manage IT systems and establish security protocols for data, directly enhancing cybersecurity and data privacy protections for state agencies.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Cybersecurity

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Feb 20, 2025

HB 655: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in preliminary provisions, providing for student data security.

HB 655 requires Pennsylvania's Department of Education to create and annually update a model data security plan for all public and private schools (including charter and cyber charter schools) to protect student information. The plan must include guidelines for data access, privacy standards, breach response procedures, and data retention policies. School entities must follow this model, and the department will designate a chief data security officer to assist schools with implementation. The bill also mandates a working group to develop initial security measures and report on implementation costs by December 2026. (Based on Section 135 of the Public School Code amendment in HB 655.)

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires data security plans to protect student information, directly advancing educational safety and privacy protections under the topic's scope.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates model data security plan with privacy standards, breach response, and access controls for school data, directly strengthening student data privacy protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Safety Consumer Data Protection Cybersecurity

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 28, 2025

HB 386: An Act providing for an index relating to diagnosis, maintenance and repair of digital electronic equipment and for enforcement by Attorney General.

HB 386, the "Repairability Index Act," requires original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) selling digital electronic equipment in Pennsylvania to provide a public repairability score (1-10, with 10 being most repairable) based on criteria like parts availability, ease of disassembly, technical documentation, and repair costs. This score must appear on product packaging or via QR codes linking to detailed information on the Attorney General’s website, including model numbers, pricing, and software update policies. The bill directly affects OEMs (e.g., smartphone or laptop manufacturers) selling such products in Pennsylvania, mandating they report scores 90 days before sale. Enforcement is handled by the Attorney General under Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices law, with penalties for false reporting.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill mandates repairability scores for digital equipment, promoting consumer rights and reducing e-waste through transparency. Aligns with regulating tech companies for consumer protection.90% confidence

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jun 3, 2026

SB 378: An Act amending Title 24 (Education) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in preliminary provisions, providing for student data privacy and protection; conferring powers and imposing duties on the Department of Education; and imposing penalties.

SB 378 establishes new student data privacy rules for Pennsylvania's K-12 schools (excluding colleges). It requires schools to collect only essential student data (like grades or medical records), protect all data with safeguards, and obtain written parental consent for sharing non-essential information. The law defines key terms like "biometric identifiers" (e.g., fingerprints) and prohibits collecting sensitive data such as political views or religious information without authorization. The Department of Education gains enforcement powers to ensure compliance and impose penalties for violations. This directly affects public schools, charter schools, and cyber schools operating under Pennsylvania's education statutes.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill establishes student data privacy protections in K-12 schools, requiring safeguards, limiting data collection, and mandating parental consent for non-essential sharing.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill mandates strict student data privacy safeguards, prohibits sensitive data collection without consent, and requires protective measures for school data systems.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Data Privacy

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Apr 9, 2025

SB 603: An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in computer offenses, providing for Internet protections for minors.

SB 603 requires commercial websites containing over one-third "material harmful to minors" (such as explicit sexual content or content lacking literary value for minors) to implement reasonable age verification before minors can access that content. It directly affects businesses operating such websites, mandating they use third-party verification methods without retaining users' personal data. The law exempts bona fide news organizations and news-gathering activities, and holds commercial entities liable for damages if minors access harmful content or if they improperly retain user data. Internet service providers are not held liable for simply hosting or connecting to such websites.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates age verification without data retention, directly protecting minors' privacy in online content access per bill's explicit privacy requirement.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Data Privacy Online Safety Social Media

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Apr 9, 2025

HB 1179: An Act providing for privacy, transparency and compensation regarding the disclosure of information collected by genetic material testing entities.

HB 1179, the Genetic Materials Privacy and Compensation Act, requires genetic testing entities (including medical facilities, genealogy services, and law enforcement) to clearly disclose to individuals what genetic data they collect, how it may be used, and with which third parties it will be shared. The bill mandates "prominent disclosure" in plain language before data collection, prohibiting misleading claims about data privacy or usage. It specifically requires testing entities to obtain explicit consent before sharing genetic material with third parties. The law directly affects individuals using genetic tests and the companies providing those services, focusing on transparency rather than compensation mechanisms.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires law enforcement to disclose genetic data practices, promoting transparency and protecting privacy rights in criminal investigations.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates transparency and protection for genetic data collected during healthcare services (medical facilities), directly advancing patient privacy rights in healthcare data handling.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates clear disclosure and consent for genetic data collection, strengthening consumer data privacy protections under technology policy.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Consumer Data Protection Data Privacy

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Apr 23, 2025

HB 1292: An Act amending Title 64 (Public Authorities and Quasi-Public Corporations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, further providing for grant applications and process.

HB 1292 requires broadband grant programs under Pennsylvania's Broadband Development Authority to comply with the state's prevailing wage law. It mandates that grant materials include prevailing wage requirements and directs the Department of Labor to create new wage classifications specifically for broadband infrastructure workers, such as teledata linemen, groundmen, and cable splicers. The department must set fair wages based on federal standards and include labor market surveys to determine rates. This affects broadband project funders and contractors receiving state grants, ensuring workers on these projects earn locally established fair wages.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires prevailing wages for broadband workers, mandates new wage classifications based on federal standards, protecting workers' earnings per labor standards.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill mandates prevailing wages for broadband infrastructure workers to expand grant-funded broadband access, directly advancing internet infrastructure development per topic description.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Broadband Access

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