This Week in Harrisburg: 5 Things to Know

September 26, 2025

BY: Anthony Panuccio, manager, advocacy activation

The House returns for voting session Monday through Wednesday of this week, while the Senate accelerated its return to Harrisburg and scheduled non-voting session this Friday, October 3, followed by voting sessions October 6 through 8. HAP will be monitoring session activity for action on legislation of interest, and any indications a finalized state budget is nearing completion.

Here are the things to know heading into this week:

• Support for Nurse Education:  On September 23, Senators Rosemary Brown (R–Monroe) and Maria Collett (D–Montgomery) introduced legislation to create the Nurse Education Capacity Expansion Grant Program. This HAP-supported legislation would provide much-needed competitive grants of up to $500,000 for accredited nursing programs to hire and retain faculty, expand clinical training capacity, and strengthen workforce pipelines in response to the direct-care nurse shortage. You can see HAP’s bill analysis for additional information. Additionally, you’re encouraged to reach out to your state lawmakers at the following link to get involved in our advocacy.
• Medical Liability Legislation:  Senator Cris Dush (R–Jefferson) recently circulated a co-sponsorship memo detailing the forthcoming introduction of a constitutional amendment that would give the legislature the constitutional power to pass laws establishing venue in civil cases, requiring that medical malpractice and other civil cases be filed in the county where the alleged incident occurred. This legislation is intended to ban the common practice known as “venue shopping,” whereby plaintiffs can choose a venue with little or no connection to their case because they view it as more favorable to them.
• Dads Matter Act:  Legislation directing the Department of Health to conduct a public awareness campaign on the importance of including fathers in health care decisions relating to pregnancy and childbirth. House Bill 1212 is scheduled for a final passage vote on Monday, September 29. In June, HAP sent a letter-of-support to the House Health Committee.
• The Impact of Forever Chemicals:  On September 23, the House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee held a public informational hearing to discuss legislation addressing the dangers of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), their prevalence in the environment and consumer products, and their overall impact on human health. Testifiers in the environmental space spoke about the known harms of PFAS, while stakeholders from the chemical industry argued that broad bans on PFAS would negatively affect the affordability and quality of certain products as well as the economy. The hearing is available to stream online.
• House Health Committee:  The House Health Committee will hold a voting meeting on Tuesday, September 30, to consider legislation banning smoking and vaping in all casinos, hotels, and bars in the commonwealth—House Bill 880. The committee held a public hearing on the bill last legislative session and will move, once again, to report it to the full House of Representatives.