Votes at a glance: House passes diversion, child-prevention, retrocession and other bills
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Summary
In a single floor session the House passed a mix of policy bills including juvenile diversion standards, a child-abuse prevention education law (Jenna's Law), retrocession procedures for federal land, and worker-safety, energy and press-protection measures. Several resolutions recognizing observances were also adopted.
The Pennsylvania House completed floor action on a broad set of bills and formal resolutions. Major roll-call outcomes and short descriptions follow:
- HB 144 (diversion programs): Final passage, yeas 153, nays 45. Creates statewide standards for referring eligible youth to diversion programs, designed to expand alternatives to formal adjudication for low-level youth offenses.
- HB 460 (child abuse awareness and prevention education, ‘Jenna’s Law’): Final passage, yeas 105, nays 93. Requires school entities to develop age-appropriate, evidence-based child-abuse awareness and prevention education for K–12 students; sponsor cited cross-state usage and recent state reporting on child-protection cases.
- HB 469 (retrocession of jurisdiction): Final passage, yeas 198, nays 0. Updates the process for retrocession of jurisdiction between the United States and the Commonwealth, enabling clearer procedures for military-base jurisdictional matters.
- HB 490 (journalists’ protections): Final passage, yeas 100, nays 98. Expands aspects of the state media shield law to codify protections for certain nonconfidential sources and news-gathering materials.
- HB 1923 (Meatpacking and Food Processing Protection Act): Final passage, yeas 122, nays 76. Requires safety training and certain workplace practices for large employers (100+ employees) in meatpacking and food processing, with small-business carve-outs.
- HB 1936 (juvenile detention counting): Final passage, yeas 111, nays 87. Requires courts to consider total time a child is securely detained when determining detention durations.
- HB 2017 (DEP fee authorization for small modular reactors): Final passage, yeas 198, nays 0. Authorizes DEP to lower nuclear facility fees for small modular reactor and microreactor sites.
The House also adopted several ceremonial and recognition resolutions (including Haitian Independence Day, Wear Purple Day, Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week, Sunshine Week, Black History Month observances and a Freedom House commemoration). The House agreed to concur in certain Senate amendments (for example, HB 331) and signed a set of bills for gubernatorial presentation. Committee assignments were read into the record and the House adjourned until Monday, 03/23/2026 at 12:00 noon.
This article lists recorded outcomes and short descriptions only; readers should consult the enrolled bills and the House journal for full statutory text and fiscal notes.
