This Week in State Advocacy

May 04, 2026

The House and Senate return to Harrisburg today for a joint session week. Both chambers will then be in recess until June, when budget negotiations are expected to begin in earnest.

Here is what happened last week and what to watch for this week:

Last Week      

• Midwifery Legislation Heads to Governor’s Desk:  The House last week took a major step toward expanding the maternal health workforce and access to care in Pennsylvania. HAP-supported legislation establishing a licensure pathway for certified midwives (SB 507) advanced to the Governor’s desk with near-unanimous approval, where it awaits his signature alongside legislation authorizing nurse midwives to refer patients for physical therapy services (HB 1251). Read HAP’s full coverage of this major maternal health milestone.
• House Floor Activity:  The following health-related bills advanced last week.
  • Medical Records Price Cap:  HAP-opposed legislation capping electronic medical record requests at $200, including for third-party requesters (HB 1104), advanced to the Senate raising concerns about the financial and administrative burdens it would impose on providers.
  • AED Requirements in Schools:  The House advanced legislation requiring Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) at all PIAA interscholastic athletic events (SB 375) expanding emergency preparedness requirements for school athletic programs.
  • Budget-Related Funding Bills:  Several fiscal year 2026-27 appropriations bills tied to the state budget advanced to the Senate including funding for the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Office of Attorney General, and Workers’ Compensation Fund.
• House Committee Activity Highlights
  • Licensure Compact Movement:  The Professional Licensure Committee advanced Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact legislation (HB 1127). The committee discussed concerns around workforce retention and potential lowering of professional standards, signaling how debate is likely to play out around other licensure compact proposals.
  • Child Lead Testing:  The Health Committee advanced child lead testing legislation (HB 916).
  • Community-Based Waivers:  The Human Services Committee advanced a resolution to study ways to improve Home and Community-Based Services Waivers for people with disabilities (HR 134) amending the bill to require engagement with stakeholders and narrow the study on waiver comparisons and service access improvements.  
• Rural Recovery Center Funding:  The Shapiro administration announced more than $400,000 in state opioid response funding to support recovery centers in Forest and Warren counties, expanding non-clinical substance use disorder recovery services for rural Pennsylvanians.

This Week

• AI in Health Care:  The House Communications and Technology Committee is holding a voting meeting on legislation regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care settings across Pennsylvania (HB 1925). The committee previously held a hearing where HAP raised concerns about overly broad regulations, unclear definitions, and burdensome compliance requirements. HAP remains opposed to the legislation.
• Code Consolidation:  The House Insurance committee is scheduled to consider a bill consolidating stage four cancer treatment protections within the Insurance Company Law (HB 2427).
• Childcare Access:  The House Labor and Industry Committee will hold an informational meeting to discuss childcare access and affordability and areas for workplace and workforce solutions.
• Health Care Decision-Making Standards:  The House Health Committee will hold an informational meeting on the Uniform Healthcare Decision Act— a model law that standardizes how medical decisions are made when a patient cannot make them for themselves.

Newly Introduced Legislation

• House Bill 2456 (Cerrato, D–Montgomery):  Requires the Department of Human Services to submit a waiver application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to permit payments for extraordinary personal care services provided by a person’s legally responsible relative.
• House Bill 2477 (Hanbidge, D–Montgomery):  Requires pre-adjudication behavioral health screenings and assessments for children and youth and requires private insurance and government programs to cover such screenings and assessments.