Technology

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SB 373: An Act amending Title 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in boards and offices, providing for information technology and security.

SB 373 establishes new statewide cybersecurity standards for Pennsylvania state agencies' information technology systems. It requires agencies to obtain "authorization to operate" for all IT systems using public funds, conduct annual security reviews, and perform risk assessments - including penetration testing - to identify vulnerabilities. The bill mandates biannual compliance checks of vendors and creates a Joint Cybersecurity Oversight Committee to monitor implementation. These requirements directly affect all state agencies and their IT vendors, focusing on proactive security management rather than reactive measures.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates rigorous cybersecurity standards including penetration testing, annual reviews, and oversight committee to protect state IT systems.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Cybersecurity

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Apr 28, 2025

SB 676: An Act amending the act of December 17, 1968 (P.L.1224, No.387), known as the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, providing for unlawful retention policy.

Senate Bill 676 amends the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law to regulate automatic renewal and continuous service offers made by businesses to consumers. It requires businesses to provide clear acknowledgments of terms, cancellation policies, and post-trial pricing, allowing consumers to retain this information. The bill also mandates that if an offer is accepted online, consumers must be able to cancel it exclusively online. Additionally, businesses must provide notice of any material changes to the offer and are prohibited from misrepresenting its terms. Violations of these provisions would be considered unfair or deceptive acts under existing law.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyRegulates automatic renewals and online service terms for consumer protection, preventing deceptive digital business practices under consumer law.95% confidence

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Sep 25, 2025

HB 1879: An Act amending the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), known as the Public Employe Relations Act, in scope of bargaining, further providing for proper subjects of collective bargaining.

HB 1879 amends Pennsylvania's Public Employe Relations Act to clarify that public employers cannot negotiate over certain personal employee data as part of collective bargaining. The bill specifically prohibits bargaining about Social Security numbers, driver's license details, bank information, health data, home addresses, phone numbers, and personal email addresses - except where already covered by existing collective bargaining agreements. This directly affects public sector unions and employers across Pennsylvania, including state and local government workers and employees of nonprofit organizations covered under the Act. The change takes immediate effect upon passage, restricting the scope of topics subject to negotiation.

Topics ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentBill restricts collective bargaining scope by prohibiting negotiation over personal employee data, directly limiting union bargaining rights on non-core subjects.85% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyProhibits negotiation over sensitive personal data (SSNs, health info, etc.), strengthening data privacy protections under employment bargaining rules.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

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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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