House of Representatives hears referrals, agrees to committee reports and adjourns until March 23

The House of Representatives convened at noon, opened with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance, and proceeded to refer and report dozens of bills to standing committees before adjourning until March 23, 2026.

The chair called the session to order and offered an invocation asking members to set aside self-interest and 'do the work of the people.' The clerk then read a sequence of referrals dated from Feb. 5 through March 19, 2026, assigning bills and resolutions to committees including Education, Finance, Judiciary, Transportation, Health, Commerce, Consumer Protection, Labor and Industry, and Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness.

After the clerk completed the referrals, the chair recognized committee chairs who reported the status of bills. Representative Fiedler (chair, Committee on Energy) reported House Bills 21-50 and 21-51 as amended; the House agreed to each report. Representative Conklin (chair, Committee on Commerce) requested that House Bill 21-75 be rereferred to Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities, and the House agreed. Representative Deasy (chair, Committee on Liquor Control) reported House Bill 21-47 as committed; the House agreed to the bill. Representative Briggs (chair, Committee on Judiciary) reported a batch of bills and resolutions and the House agreed to those reports as presented.

The clerk read a number of agency and commission reports the chair had received, including annual reports from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Board, the Department of Labor (Act 27 report), the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. The chair also acknowledged correspondence, including a request from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education regarding sale authorization for the Clearfield location of Commonwealth University, and an operating budget submission for the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Corporation Authority.

The chair noted receipt of actuarial notes from the Independent Fiscal Office related to specific printer numbers. Committee appointments for Labor and Industry were announced by the clerk, naming Secretary Brian Razzle and subcommittee chairs and members.

Late in the session Representative Diamond (from Lebanon County) moved that the House adjourn until Monday, March 23, 2026 at 12 noon unless sooner recalled by the Speaker. The motion was decided by voice vote; the chair announced, 'The ayes have it,' and the House stood adjourned until March 23 at noon.

The session was routine and procedural: referrals were read into the record, committee reports were accepted by the House, and no recorded roll‑call votes or substantive floor debates appear in the transcript. Next steps for most bills are committee consideration following the referrals read on the floor.