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Pa. House approves township code change, adopts three ceremonial resolutions and agrees to radon-data measure
Summary
The Pennsylvania House on March 25 passed a bill amending the Second Class Township Code to allow immediate ordinance effective dates, adopted three recognition resolutions and recorded agreement on a measure allowing certain DEP radon test disclosures; vote tallies were recorded for the township bill and the three resolutions.
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on March 25 passed final legislation that amends the Second Class Township Code to allow such townships to set immediate effective dates for ordinances, and adopted three ceremonial resolutions recognizing National Medal of Honor Day, National Social Work Month and Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The chamber also recorded that it had "agreed" to a bill allowing the Department of Environmental Protection to release certain random radon test results to previous property owners.
The change to the Second Class Township Code was enacted with a 194-7 final passage vote. Representative Borowski of Delaware County, the bill sponsor, told the House the measure was "a very short and simple piece of legislation" intended to give second-class townships the same flexibility as first-class townships and boroughs. Borowski said Newtown Township requested the change after three developer applications were filed before a new local stormwater ordinance could take effect under the existing five-day waiting period.
Why it matters: supporters said the amendment removes a procedural delay that could allow development applications to move forward under older local rules before new local ordinances can take effect. Opponents were not recorded in the speech excerpt in the transcript; the final roll call was 194 yeas and 7 nays.
In separate unanimous or near-unanimous voice and roll-call votes, the House adopted three resolutions: a resolution recognizing March 25, 2025, as National Medal of Honor Day in Pennsylvania (ayes 201, nays 0); a resolution designating March 2025 as National Social Work Month in Pennsylvania (ayes 174, nays 27); and a resolution recognizing March 2025 as National Problem Gambling Awareness Month (ayes 197, nays 4).
The House also recorded that it "agreed" to a measure described on the calendar as allowing the Department of Environmental Protection to release random radon test results to previous property owners in certain circumstances. The transcript states, "the house agreed the bill as agreed to" immediately after the clerk read that bill's summary; no roll-call tally for that action appears in the transcript excerpts provided.
Later in the session the majority leader moved to recommit several bills (House Bill 354, House Bill 448 and House Bill 467) to the Appropriations Committee. The transcript records the motion to recommit; it does not show subsequent roll-call results for those recommittals in the provided text.
Representative Borowski urged colleagues to support the township code change, saying the law would bring second-class townships "in line with first class townships and boroughs" and give "local elected officials who know their communities and their needs" more immediate authority. The House recorded the final passage of the Second Class Township Code amendment and directed the enrolled bill to the Senate for concurrence.
The House adjourned until April 7, 2025, at 12:00 p.m., unless sooner recalled by the speaker.
