Committee advances bill to set firm deadlines for certifying election results

The House State Government Committee advanced House Bill 25 42 during its meeting, a proposal to amend the Pennsylvania election code to establish specific deadlines for certifying election results and for adjudicating related court cases. Committee staff read the bill summary before members discussed the measure.

Representative Sanchez, who participated online, said the bill previously passed the House with bipartisan support and described it as clarifying ‘‘proper deadlines in the electoral count.’’ Sanchez added that the Department of State had provided input and "appears to be on board" with the measure.

Representative Ortega highlighted a provision he called new and important: "The bill requires [the] secretary to notify the legislative leaders if the federal deadline is going to be missed," he said, arguing the requirement would prevent the secretary from failing to meet a deadline without explanation.

Representative Roy reviewed past certification timelines in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and warned that certification timing can be used for political effect. "So, it does seem that politics can be played with certifying to kinda embarrass the winner or to make the winner look good depending what they wanna do," Roy said, while also noting the bill's timelines could have applied in prior cycles.

After discussion, the chair announced the committee would report the bill. The clerk instructed members on voting procedure and recorded that the bill was reported out of committee for further consideration.

What’s next: House Bill 25 42 will proceed from committee; no floor date was announced in the hearing record.