Legislation Introduced 2021-2022

Legislation Introduced by Senator Fontana | 2021-2022 Legislative Session

Emergency Relief Program (with all Democrats)

SB 44 - Establishes the Emergency Relief Program that provides temporary financial assistance to a vulnerable population with immediate and urgent needs.

Referred to Health and Human Services on March 15, 2021

Co sponsors:

Protecting Insurance Coverage for Individuals with Preexisting Conditions (with all Democrats)

SB 50 - Prohibits health insurance companies from using an individual’s preexisting medical conditions to deny or exclude coverage under a health insurance policy.

Referred to Banking and Insurance on January 28, 2021

Co sponsors:

Protecting the Essential Health Benefits for Insurance Policies Sold in Pennsylvania (with all Democrats)

SB 51 - Codifies the federal essential health benefits (EHB) into state law.

Referred to Banking and Insurance on January 28, 2021

Co sponsors:

Prohibiting Annual or Lifetime Limits on Health Insurance Policies

SB 52 - Prohibits health insurance policies within the Commonwealth from imposing either an annual or lifetime limit.

Referred to Banking and Insurance on January 28, 2021

Co sponsors:

Casino Smoking Ban

SB 124 - Prohibits any kind of smoking in all areas of a casino.

Referred to Health and Human Services on January 26, 2021

Co sponsors:  Street, Muth, Blake, Schwank, Brewster, Cappelletti, Costa, Dillon

Genetic Test Results and Insurance Companies

SB 125 - Prohibits life and long-term care insurance companies from soliciting genetic information or using genetic test results to cancel, limit or deny coverage or to establish differential premium rates based on the results.

Referred to Banking and Insurance on January 26, 2021

Co sponsors:  Schwank, Brewster, Muth, Cappelletti

Civilian Police Review Board

SB 127 - Creates an independent review board in each county will allow the people to decide when unjustifiable actions have been made by the police rather than an internal investigation.

Referred to Law and Justice on January 26, 2021

Co sponsors:  Street, Muth, Kearney, Hughes, Santarsiero, Costa, Haywood, Boscola

Mail in Ballots

SB 128 - Changes Pennsylvania’s voting system so that all elections would be conduct entirely by mail.  Ballots would be mailed out before Election Day and voters would be given several days to determine who they would like to vote for.

Referred to State Government on January 26, 2021

Co Sponsors:  Santarsiero, Brewster, Costa, Haywood, Muth, Kane

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

SB 129 - Would require carbon monoxide detectors in child care facilities including a boarding home for children, child care center and a nursery school that is licensed and regulated by the Commonwealth.

Referred to Health and Human Services on January 26, 2021
Reported as Committed on June 29, 2022 (11-0)
Reported as Committed to Appropriations on July 7, 2022 (24-0)
Final Passage in the Senate on September 20, 2022 (50-0)
Rereferred to House Health on September 21, 2022

Co sponsors:  Kearney, Hughes, Santarsiero, Muth, Tartaglione, Schwank, Brewster, Costa, Haywood, Kane, Cappelletti, Comitta, Laughlin

SB 130 - Would require carbon monoxide detectors in schools which include a public school, nonpublic school, charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school.

Referred to Education on January 26, 2021

Co sponsors:  Kearney, Hughes, Santarsiero, Muth, Tartaglione, Schwank, Brewster, Costa, Haywood, Kane, Cappelletti, Comitta, L. Williams

SB 131 - Would require carbon monoxide detectors in lodging establishment including a hotel, motel, inn, guest house, hostelry or other structure that provides temporary accommodations.

Referred to Community, Economic and Recreational Development on January 26, 2021

Co sponsors:  Kearney, Hughes, Santarsiero, Muth, Tartaglione, Brewster, Costa, Haywood, Kane, Cappelletti, Comitta

SB 132 - Would require carbon monoxide detectors in dorms of institutions of higher education including universities within the State System of Higher Education, community colleges, State-related institutions, and any college or university which is operated not for profit.

Referred to Education on January 26, 2021

Co sponsors:  Kearney, Hughes, Santarsiero, Muth, Tartaglione, Brewster, Costa

Uncapping the Film Production Tax Credit

SB 133 -  Would uncap the Film Production Tax Credit.

Referred to Finance on January 27, 2021

Co sponsors:  Street, Collett, Hughes, Santarsiero, Scavello, Bartolotta, Kearney, Cappelletti, Costa

Extreme Risk Protection Order

SB 134 - Grants family members and law enforcement the ability to petition a court to temporarily suspend an individual’s access to firearms if there is documented evidence that an individual is a threatening harm to themselves or others.

Referred to Judiciary on January 27, 2021

Co sponsors:  Hughes, Street, Muth, Kearney, Santarsiero, Blake, Capelletti, Schwank, Tartaglione, Costa, Kane, Comitta, Collett, Haywood, L. Williams, Flynn, A. Williams, Boscola, Saval, Dillon

Nellie Bly Scholarship Program

SB 377  - creates the Nellie Bly Scholarship Program for students attending a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) university.  The program will provide a scholarship to full-time undergraduate students for up to 8 full-time semesters with a household income of under $104,800.  Students must make a commitment to stay and work in the Commonwealth.

 Referred to Education on June 7, 2021

Co sponsors: Santarsiero, Kane, Kearney

Small Games of Chance

SB 379 - Would make several changes to the Small Games of Chance Act like additional games for taverns, reducing the license renewal fee, change the distribution, and the removal the FBI background investigational.

Referred to Community, Economic and Recreational Development

Co sponsors:  Costa

Property Tax Freeze

SB 380 - Would freeze school property tax rates at the 2020 levels for one year.

Referred to Finance on March 12, 2021

Co sponsors:  Costa, Schwank, Boscola

Abolishment of the Statute of Limitations for Victims of Sexual Abuse, Assault, and Misconduct (with Muth, Collett Kearney, Santarsiero, L. Williams)

SB 406  - Amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to eliminate the criminal and civil statute of limitations (SOL) for sexual abuse, assault and misconduct victims whose abuse happened at any age; provide a 2 year civil window to revive previously expired SOL claims, and; also provide a 6-month delay to the window in which survivors who wish to voluntarily settle their claim outside the court system are able to do so.

Referred to Judiciary on March 15, 2021

Co sponsors:  Street, Hughes, Cappelletti, Tartaglione, Schwank, Costa, Kane, Comitta, Haywood, Boscola

3-D Printing Firearms (with Hughes)

SB 413 - Amends Title 18 to ensure a 3D-printed firearm is subject to the Uniform Firearm Act and to prohibit individuals from printing a firearm without a federal firearm manufacturing license.

Referred to Judiciary Judiciary March 15, 2021

Co sponsors:  Kearney, Santersiero, Tartaglione, Blake, Schwank, Costa, Comitta, Cappelletti, Haywood, Kane, A. Williams, Street

SB 414 - Amends Title 18 to ensure an 80% receiver is considered a “firearm” for purposes of the Uniform Firearm Act.

Referred to Judiciary March 15, 2021

Co sponsors:  Kearney, Santersiero, Tartaglione, Blake, Schwank, Costa, Comitta, Cappelletti, Haywood, Kane, A. Williams, Street

Minimum Wage Increase

SB 625 - Raises the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour starting July 2021.  Beginning July 1, 2022, the minimum wage would see a 2% increase for the following 6 years and then drop down to 1% yearly.

Referred to Labor and Industry on May 3, 2021

Co sponsors:  Costa, Kane, Collett, Santarsiero, Dillon, Haywood

Property Tax Rebate for Baby Boomers

Implements a property tax rebate for the baby boomer generation.  To qualify for a rebate, an individual must be a Pennsylvania residents who is 66 years and older, whose income is $66,000 or less, and who has lived in their home for 6 years or more.

SB  626 -  Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act to provide for a supplemental senior property tax rebate.

Referred to Finance on May 11, 2021

Co sponsors:  Collett, Costa, Schwank

SB  627 -  Amends the State Lottery Law to provide for disposition of funds.

Referred to Finance on May 11, 2021

Co sponsors:  Collett, Costa, Schwank

Royalty Payment Protection (with Brewster)

SB 659 - Would define the “term” royalty” in the Oil and Gas Act and provide for minimum royalty payments. Additionally, the landowner will be able to take legal action against a lessee for failing to pay the minimum royalty payment.

Referred to

Co sponsors: Santarsiero, Comitta, Schwank, Costa, Mensch, Muth

Green Alert for Veterans

SB 750 -  Would warn the public if an at-risk veteran is missing.

Referred to Law and Justice on June 8, 2021
Reported as Committed on April 5, 2022 (11-0)
Laid on the Table on June 8, 2022

Co sponsors: Scavello, Costa, Hughes, Yudichak, Kearney, Vogel, Schwank, Brewster

Small Business Fee Exemption (with Hughes)

SB 778 – Would reduce or eliminate business startup fees for small businesses that include women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, minority-owned, disadvantaged businesses and “microenterprises.”

Referred to State Government on July 6, 2021

Co sponsors:  Collett, Costa, Street, Kearney, Schwank

Small Business Tax Deferred Savings Accounts (with Hughes)

SB 779 – Creates Small Business tax-deferred savings accounts which would allow small businesses in the commonwealth to deposit profits into a savings account.  The monies in the account would be permitted to be withdrawn tax free when they are expended for qualifying small business expenditures that will create full time jobs.

Referred to Finance on July 6, 2021

Co sponsors:  Collett, Costa, Street, Kearney

ABLE Training for Police

SB 790 – Would require all police departments to provide Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training on a biennial basis to better prepare officers to successfully intervene before a fellow officer uses excessive force, plants evidence, lies in official reports, etc.

Referred to Law and Justice on July 7, 2021

Co sponsors:  Hughes, Cappelletti, Costa, Street, Kane, Muth, Comitta

Changes to the Municipal Claims and Tax Lien Law for Pittsburgh

SB 811 - Would give Pittsburgh’s Land Bank and URA the ability to acquire property at sheriff’s sale among other changes.

Referred to Urban Affairs and Housing on July 20, 2021
Reported as Committed on March 30, 2022 (11-0)
Reported as Committed in Appropriations on May 23, 2022 (24-0)
Final Passage in the Senate on June 14, 2022 (49-0)
Referred to House Urban Affairs on June 15, 2022
Reported as Committed on September 14, 2022 (25-0)
Laid on the Table on September 14, 2022

Co sponsors: Mensch, Costa, L. Williams, Argall, Brewster

Sports Betting Kiosks in Taverns

SB 843 - Would allow kiosks to be installed in a licensed tavern that would permit online sports betting to take place in these taverns with the business getting 25% of the winning from a casino.  for failing to pay the minimum royalty payment.

Referred to Community, Economic and Recreational Development on August 30, 2021

Co sponsors:

Extension of Disaster Emergency Provisions for Restaurants and Bars (with Brewster and Saval)

SB 948 -  Would permanently place into law mixed drinks to go, ability to sell in contiguous areas outside of the licensed premises, increase in the wholesale discount from 10% to 15%, allow an unlimited number of off premise catering permits, waive safekeeping fees, and the ability for a closing restaurant or tavern to sell their liquor inventory to other liquor licensees.

Referred to

Co sponsors:  Flynn, Collett, Boscola, Kane, Comitta, Kearney, Cappelletti, Costa

Legionnaires Disease Prevention

SB 1125- Would codify the ASHRAE-188 standards to determine where there is a risk of bacteria growth in certain building plumbing systems and actions the building owners must take to mitigate the risk. The bill also requires the monitoring of the building’s system to regularly know if the water management plan is effective through routine testing of the water and take immediate action if the bacteria is found. 

Referred to Environmental Resources and Energy on March 9, 2022

Co sponsors: Kane, Hughes, Cappelletti, Costa, Schwank, Aument, Martin, Yaw, Brewster, J. Ward, Boscola

High-Rise Condo Inspections

SB - Requires recurring inspections for high-rise-type condos of all common elements and spell out a timeline on when founded repairs and maintenance must occur.  Additionally, mandate the contects of a condo’s declaration contain a statement regarding how assessments for costs associated with inspections and any maintenance, repair, or replacement would be levied against unit owners. 

Referred to

Co sponsors:  Comitta, Cappelletti, Costa, Schwank, Kane

Mobile Payment for Small Games of Chance (with Yudichak and Robinson)

SB  - Would modernize the Small Gasmes of Chance law to allow mobile payment services.

Referred to

Co sponsors: Flynn, Martin, Bartolotta, Hutchinson, Muth, Costa, Pittman, Ward, Stefano

Assault Weapons Ban

SB  - Bans assault weapons as well as the sale of gun magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds.

Referred to Judiciary

Co sponsors:  Santarsiero, Hughes, Street, Collett, Kearney, Muth, Blake, Cappelletti, Schwank, Costa, Kane, Comitta, Haywood

Committee Consideration of Legislation

SR  101 - Amends Senate Rule 14 by granting the prime sponsor of a bill/resolution the ability to request a public meeting or hearing within 10 legislative days of the request and would require a vote on the bill/resolution within 10 legislative days after the hearing.

Referred to Rules and Executive Nominations on May 3, 2021

Co sponsors:  Muth, L. Williams, Kearney, Kane, Brewster