PRINTER'S NO. 1
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 1
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY McCLINTON, JANUARY 7, 2025
INTRODUCED, JANUARY 7, 2025
A RESOLUTION
1 Adopting permanent rules for the House of Representatives,
2 further providing for definitions, for order of business, for
3 fiscal notes, for consideration of bills, for third
4 consideration and final passage bills, for House and
5 concurrent resolutions, for standing committees and
6 subcommittees, for powers and duties of standing committees
7 and subcommittees, for public hearings, for discharge of
8 committees, for lay on the table and for previous question.
9 RESOLVED, That the Permanent Rules of the House of
10 Representatives (2023-2024) be adopted as the Permanent Rules of
11 the House of Representatives for the 2025-2026 session of the
12 House of Representatives with the following amendments to the
13 heading, definitions and Rules 17, 19 (a), 21, 24, 35, 43, 45,
14 50, 53, 59 and 61:
15 [2023-2024] 2025-2026
16 GENERAL OPERATING RULES
17 OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
18 The following words and phrases when used in the General
19 Operating Rules of the House of Representatives shall have the
20 meanings given to them in this section unless the context
21 clearly indicates otherwise:
 1 "Day" shall mean any calendar day.
2 "Floor of the House" shall be that area within the Hall of
3 the House between the Speaker's rostrum and the brass rail
4 behind the Members' seats.
5 "Formal Action" shall mean any vote or motion of a member of
6 a standing committee, standing subcommittee, select committee or
7 rules committee of the House of Representatives to report or not
8 report, amend, consider or table a bill or resolution and the
9 discussion and debate thereof.
10 "Hall of the House" shall be the floor space within its four
11 walls and does not include the adjoining conference rooms, the
12 lobbies or the upper gallery of the House.
13 "Legislative Day" shall mean any day that the House shall be
14 in session.
15 ["Majority Party" shall mean the political party that won the
16 greater number of elections for the 203 seats in the House of
17 Representatives in the general election preceding the term of
18 service that began on the first day of December next after the
19 general election. If a vacancy shall occur during the term, the
20 political party that won that seat at the last election shall
21 remain the party that won that seat until any subsequent special
22 election is held to fill that seat. Following a special election
23 during the term, the number of elections won by each political
24 party for the 203 seats in the House of Representatives shall be
25 redetermined as provided in this definition. Nothing in this
26 definition shall preclude an individual elected to hold a seat
27 in the House of Representatives from changing their political
28 party registration.]
29 "Press Gallery" shall be within that area known as the Hall
30 of the House as designated by the Speaker.
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 1 "Roll Call Vote" shall be a vote taken by and displayed on
2 the electronic roll call board or in the event of a malfunction
3 of the electronic roll call board, by such method as shall be
4 determined by the Speaker.
5 * * *
6 RULE 17
7 Order of Business
8 The daily order of business shall be:
9 (1) Prayer or invocation.
10 (2) Pledge of Allegiance.
11 (3) Correction and approval of the Journal.
12 (4) Leaves of absence.
13 (5) Master Roll Call.
14 (6) Reports of Committee.
15 (7) First consideration bills.
16 (8) Second consideration bills.
17 (9) Third consideration bills, final passage bills
18 (including both third consideration and final passage postponed
19 bills) and resolutions.
20 (10) Final passage bills recalled from the Governor.
21 (11) Messages from the Senate and communications from the
22 Governor.
23 (12) Reference to appropriate committees of bills,
24 resolutions, petitions, memorials, remonstrances and other
25 papers.
26 (13) Unfinished business on the Speaker's table.
27 (14) Announcements.
28 (15) Adjournment.
29 Any question may, by a majority vote of the members elected,
30 be made a special order of business. When a special order of
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 1 business is adopted for a question on second consideration, the
2 question shall immediately be placed on the House Voting
3 Schedule and the Speaker shall place the question before the
4 House on the earliest possible voting Session Day in accordance
5 with Rule 21. All other questions shall be placed before the
6 House on the same legislative day.
7 In lieu of offering House Resolutions on topics of importance
8 to members, any member, without unanimous consent, may address
9 the House on such issue and have their remarks entered into the
10 record during a special period of time established each week by
11 the Speaker either prior to, or at the conclusion of, House
12 business on a specific day.
13 * * *
14 RULE 19 (a)
15 Fiscal Notes
16 (1) No bill, except a General Appropriation bill or any
17 amendments thereto, which may require an expenditure of
18 Commonwealth funds or funds of any political subdivision or
19 which may entail a loss of revenues overall, or to any
20 separately established fund shall be given third consideration
21 reading on the calendar until it has first been referred to the
22 Appropriations Committee for a fiscal note, provided however
23 that the Rules Committee may by an affirmative vote of three-
24 quarters of the entire membership to which such committee is
25 entitled:
26 (a) Waive the recommittal to the Appropriations
27 Committee and provide that the fiscal note be attached to the
28 bill while on the active calendar. The providing of such note
29 shall be a priority item for the Appropriations Committee; or
30 (b) Waive the necessity of a fiscal note on any bill
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 1 which it deems to have a de minimis fiscal impact or which
2 merely authorizes, rather than mandates, an increase in
3 expenditures or an action that would result in a loss of
4 revenue.
5 (2) Nothing herein shall preclude any member from moving, at
6 the proper time, the recommittal of any bill to the
7 Appropriations Committee for a fiscal note.
8 (3) The Appropriations Committee shall be limited in its
9 consideration of any such bill which has received second
10 consideration to the fiscal aspects of the bill and shall not
11 consider the substantive merits of the bill nor refuse to report
12 any such bill from committee for reasons other than fiscal
13 aspects. The fiscal note shall accompany the bill and provide
14 the following information in connection with the Commonwealth
15 and its political subdivisions:
16 (a) The designation of the fund out of which the
17 appropriation providing for expenditures under the bill shall
18 be made;
19 (b) The probable cost of the bill for the fiscal year of
20 its enactment;
21 (c) A projected cost estimate of the program for each of
22 the [five] two succeeding fiscal years;
23 (d) The fiscal history of the program for which
24 expenditures are to be made;
25 (e) The probable loss of revenue from the bill for the
26 fiscal year of its enactment;
27 (f) A projected loss of revenue estimate from the bill
28 for each of the [five] two succeeding fiscal years;
29 (g) The line item, if any, of the General Fund, special
30 fund or other account out of which expenditures or losses of
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 1 Commonwealth funds shall occur as a result of the bill;
2 (h) The recommendation, if any, of the Appropriations
3 Committee and the reasons therefor relative to the passage or
4 defeat of the bill; and
5 (i) A reference to the source of the data from which the
6 foregoing fiscal information was obtained, and an explanation
7 of the basis upon which it is computed.
8 (4) No bill which may result in an increase in the
9 expenditure of Commonwealth funds shall be given third
10 consideration reading on the calendar until the Appropriations
11 Committee has certified that provision has been made to
12 appropriate funds equal to such increased expenditure. Whenever
13 the Appropriations Committee cannot so certify, the bill shall
14 be returned to the committee from which it was last reported for
15 further consideration and/or amendment.
16 (5) No [amendment to a] bill that has been amended after
17 being reported by the Appropriations Committee, concurrences in
18 Senate amendments, or adoption of a conference report which may
19 result in an increase in the expenditure of Commonwealth funds
20 or those of a political subdivision or which may entail a loss
21 of revenues in addition to that originally provided for in the
22 bill prior to the proposed changes nor any bill requiring a
23 fiscal note for which re-referral to the Appropriations
24 Committee has been waived by the Rules Committee shall be voted
25 upon until a fiscal note is available for distribution to the
26 members with respect to such changes or to such bill showing the
27 fiscal effect of the changes with respect to the bill, and
28 containing the information set forth by subsection (3) of this
29 rule.
30 (6) When an amendment or certificate is timely filed with
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 1 the amendment clerk under Rule 21, the amendment or certificate
2 shall be forwarded to the Appropriations Committee. [Upon
3 receipt of an amendment, the Appropriations Committee shall
4 automatically prepare a fiscal note.]
5 (7) In obtaining the information required by these rules,
6 the Appropriations Committee may utilize the services of the
7 Office of the Budget and any other State agency as may be
8 necessary.
9 (8) No bill proposing any change relative to a public
10 employee pension or retirement plan may be given second
11 consideration until an actuarial note prepared by an enrolled
12 pension actuary as provided in Section 615-B of the
13 Administrative Code of 1929 has been attached. No amendment to
14 any bill proposing any change relative to a public employee
15 pension or retirement plan may be considered until an actuarial
16 note prepared by an enrolled pension actuary as provided in
17 Section 615-B of the Administrative Code of 1929 has been
18 attached. Except for the provisions pertaining to the content of
19 fiscal notes as set forth in paragraphs (a) through (i) of
20 subsection (3), all the provisions pertaining to and procedures
21 required of bills containing fiscal notes, shall, where
22 applicable, also be required for bills containing actuarial
23 note. The actuarial note shall contain a brief explanatory
24 statement or note which shall include a reliable estimate of the
25 financial and actuarial effect of the proposed change to such
26 public employee pension or retirement plan.
27 * * *
28 RULE 21
29 Consideration of Bills
30 (a) Every bill and every joint resolution shall be
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 1 considered on three different days. All amendments made thereto
2 shall be printed for the use of the members before the final
3 vote is taken thereon, and before the final vote is taken, upon
4 written request addressed to the presiding officer by at least
5 25% of the members elected to the House, any bill shall be read
6 at length. No bill shall become law and no joint resolution
7 adopted unless, on its final passage, the vote is taken by yeas
8 and nays, the names of the persons voting for and against it are
9 entered on the Journal, and a majority of the members elected to
10 the House is recorded thereon as voting in its favor.
11 (Constitution, Article III, Section 4).
12 (b) Members shall be notified of bills and resolutions
13 scheduled to be voted no later than prior to the close of
14 business at 4:30 P.M. of the second legislative day prior to the
15 date of second consideration for legislation that has no legal
16 deadline. (The General Appropriation Act and non-preferred bills
17 are included within the definition of legislation that has no
18 legal deadline.) Except as provided in subsection (d), all
19 amendments shall be submitted to the Office of the Chief Clerk
20 by 1:00 P.M. of the last legislative day preceding the scheduled
21 date of second consideration. Members shall be notified of bills
22 scheduled to be voted on third consideration. A change in the
23 printer's number as a result of third consideration shall not
24 require an additional notice of final passage. No vote on final
25 passage can occur before the date of the scheduled vote.
26 (c) If the amendment cannot be submitted in accordance with
27 the above subsection because it is still being prepared by the
28 Legislative Reference Bureau, the member must provide the Office
29 of the Chief Clerk with a statement, by the above-noted 1:00
30 P.M. deadline, prepared by the member containing the factual
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 1 content of said amendment along with certification from the
2 Legislative Reference Bureau that the amendment was submitted to
3 the Legislative Reference Bureau for drafting prior to the
4 above-noted 1:00 P.M. deadline. The Legislative Reference Bureau
5 may not issue a certificate for an amendment to a bill as
6 amended by another amendment unless the requesting member can
7 identify by number the underlying amendment.
8 (d) In cases where an amendment alters a bill so as to
9 effectively rule out of order an amendment which was timely
10 filed pursuant to the provisions of this rule, a replacement
11 amendment may be submitted to the Office of the Chief Clerk
12 provided that the subject matter of the replacement amendment is
13 not substantially different from the intent of the original
14 amendment. The replacement amendment shall be deemed to have met
15 the timely filed conditions provided for in this rule. The
16 member shall notify the Speaker of the member's intent to file a
17 replacement amendment and shall file a certificate with the
18 Office of the Chief Clerk. The bill in question may continue to
19 receive consideration but shall not be moved to third
20 consideration until the replacement amendment is available for a
21 vote. If consideration of the bill is delayed to a new
22 legislative day due solely to delay in receipt of replacement
23 amendments, then only amendments timely filed for the date of
24 the originally scheduled vote and replacement amendments shall
25 be considered. This limitation on amendments shall not apply to
26 the bill in question if consideration of the bill is rescheduled
27 beyond the new legislative day.
28 (e) A bill may not receive action on concurrence until at
29 least [six] three hours have elapsed from the time the bill and
30 its amendatory language was available to the public, unless the
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 1 amendment was a technical amendment as described under the first
2 paragraph of Rule 24 or an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the
3 members elected to the House indicates they have had sufficient
4 time to review the language and thereby approve proceeding with
5 the bill.
6 A brief description of every bill on concurrence shall be
7 given prior to a vote. Additionally, members shall be notified
8 and conference committee reports shall be available to members
9 at least three hours prior to the adoption of all conference
10 committee reports. When these reports are considered on the
11 first legislative day of the week, said notice shall be provided
12 no later than the close of business on the last business day
13 preceding the vote. Notwithstanding notice provided, members
14 may, by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the members elected to the
15 House, indicate that they have had sufficient time to review a
16 conference committee report and that they approve proceeding
17 with a vote.
18 (f) No joint resolution proposing an amendment to the
19 Constitution of Pennsylvania shall be given second reading on
20 the calendar until it has been the subject of a public hearing
21 as provided under Rule 50. No joint resolution proposing an
22 amendment to the Constitution of Pennsylvania shall be given a
23 third reading, final passage, action on concurrence or
24 consideration by the House based on a report of a Committee of
25 Conference if the joint resolution proposes submitting the
26 amendment to the qualified electors of the State at any time
27 other than at the next constitutionally