PRINTER'S NO. 822
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 798
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY BENHAM, VENKAT, MADDEN, WEBSTER, KENYATTA, MAYES
AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MARCH 3, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, MARCH 3, 2025
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), entitled
2 "An act providing for and reorganizing the conduct of the
3 executive and administrative work of the Commonwealth by the
4 Executive Department thereof and the administrative
5 departments, boards, commissions, and officers thereof,
6 including the boards of trustees of State Normal Schools, or
7 Teachers Colleges; abolishing, creating, reorganizing or
8 authorizing the reorganization of certain administrative
9 departments, boards, and commissions; defining the powers and
10 duties of the Governor and other executive and administrative
11 officers, and of the several administrative departments,
12 boards, commissions, and officers; fixing the salaries of the
13 Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and certain other executive
14 and administrative officers; providing for the appointment of
15 certain administrative officers, and of all deputies and
16 other assistants and employes in certain departments, boards,
17 and commissions; providing for judicial administration; and
18 prescribing the manner in which the number and compensation
19 of the deputies and all other assistants and employes of
20 certain departments, boards and commissions shall be
21 determined," in powers and duties in general, further
22 providing for departmental reports.
23 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
24 hereby enacts as follows:
25 Section 1. Section 504 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177,
26 No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929, is amended to
27 read:
 1 Section 504. Departmental Reports.--(a) The head of each
2 [administrative department and each independent administrative
3 board and commission shall, not later than October first of each
4 even-numbered year, report in writing to the Governor concerning
5 the condition, management, and financial transactions, of the
6 department, board, or commission; such reports shall, except
7 where impracticable, be for the two-year period ending May
8 thirty-first of the year in which they are made. Each
9 departmental administrative board and commission, and each
10 advisory board and commission, shall, not later than September
11 first of each even-numbered year, report in writing to the head
12 of the department of which such board or commission is a part.
13 All such reports shall be attached as exhibits to the report
14 made by the head of the department to the Governor.
15 Except as otherwise in this act specifically provided, the
16 reports required by this section shall be in lieu of all other
17 reports heretofore required by law to be made by the several
18 administrative departments, boards, and commissions, either to
19 the Governor or to the General Assembly.] administrative
20 department, excluding the Office of Attorney General, Department
21 of the Auditor General and Treasury Department, shall annually
22 report in writing to the Governor concerning the condition,
23 management and financial transactions of the administrative
24 department.
25 (b) Reports required under subsection (a) shall:
26 (1) contain a thorough assessment of the weaknesses and
27 risks within each administrative department that could
28 negatively affect the ability of the administrative department
29 to respond to a future emergency in this Commonwealth; and
30 (2) detail the actions necessary to address or otherwise
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 1 resolve the weaknesses and risks within each administrative
2 department.
3 (c) A report required under subsection (a), as well as all
4 documents, materials, information and copies thereof in the
5 possession or control of each department, office, board,
6 commission and council that are included in a report required
7 under subsection (a) shall be privileged and given confidential
8 treatment and shall not be:
9 (1) Subject to discovery or admissible as evidence in any
10 civil action.
11 (2) Considered a public record under the act of February 14,
12 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the "Right-to-Know Law."
13 (3) Made public by the administrative department, except as
14 approved by the Governor in writing.
15 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 0822: P.L.177, No.175