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Pennsylvania House adopts permanent rules for 2025–26 session by recorded vote
Summary
The House adopted a resolution setting the chamber's permanent rules for the 2025–26 legislative session after debate emphasizing accommodations for an evenly divided chamber.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted Jan. 7, 2025, to adopt its permanent rules for the 2025–26 legislative session, a motion the majority and minority leaders both urged members to support as the chamber organized after swearing-in.
House Resolution 1 (printer's no. 1), described on the floor as providing "for the permanent rules of the House of Representatives for the 2025, 2026 legislative session," was called up by the majority leader and put to a recorded vote. The clerk announced the result as follows: ayes 196, nays 6; the chair declared the resolution adopted and directed the appointments and committees called for under organization to proceed.
Republican floor remarks during the rules debate emphasized that the rules were crafted to recognize an evenly divided chamber and to increase minority input and floor debate; Representative Topper urged members to support the package. Representative Bradford, the Democratic floor leader, likewise urged a yes vote and framed the rules as the operating procedures for the session.
The chair subsequently appointed committees to notify the Senate and the Governor that the House was organized, and members were reminded to sign the oath book in the House reception room.
Ending: The adoption of House rules completed the House's foundational organizational steps and cleared the way for committee assignments, public business and a joint session with the Senate to open and compute statewide returns.
