Pennsylvania 2021-2022 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate Bipartisan · 13 R · 1 D cosponsors

SB 327 — An Act amending the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code, in coroner, further providing for coroner's investigation.

Last action — Referred to LOCAL GOVERNMENT

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2021-2022 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

22 added · 9 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill SB 327 adds specific conditions under which certain information can be disclosed without violating privacy rules. Notably, this includes sharing necessary information with law enforcement and other government entities that have a proven need for it, as well as allowing disclosure if the next of kin authorizes it. These changes are important because they clarify the circumstances under which sensitive information can be shared, potentially improving responses in emergency situations while also respecting privacy rights.

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PRINTER'S NO.
PRIOR PRINTER'S NO.
334 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL Session of No.
334 PRINTER'S NO.
902 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL Session of No.
WARD, ARGALL, BARTOLOTTA, PHILLIPS-HILL, REGAN, AUMENT, BAKER, MASTRIANO, HUTCHINSON, SCHWANK AND PITTMAN, MARCH 10, 2021 REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MARCH 10, 2021 AN ACT Amending the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), entitled "An act relating to counties of the first, second class A, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth classes;
WARD, ARGALL, BARTOLOTTA, PHILLIPS-HILL, REGAN, AUMENT, BAKER, MASTRIANO, HUTCHINSON, SCHWANK, PITTMAN AND BROWNE, MARCH 10, 2021 SENATOR DUSH, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AS AMENDED, JUNE 15, 2021 AN ACT Amending the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), entitled "An act relating to counties of the first, second class A, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth classes;
(9) A death of an individual whose body is to be 20210SB0327PN0334 - 2 - cremated, buried at sea or otherwise disposed of so as to be unavailable for examination thereafter.
(9) A death of an individual whose body is to be 20210SB0327PN0902 - 2 - cremated, buried at sea or otherwise disposed of so as to be unavailable for examination thereafter.
(3) The coroner may not disclose, except in aggregate 20210SB0327PN0334 - 3 - form, a personally identifiable record of an individual's medical, psychiatric or psychological history or disability status, including:
(3) The coroner may not disclose, except in aggregate 20210SB0327PN0902 - 3 - form, a personally identifiable record of an individual's medical, psychiatric or psychological history or disability status, including:
(4) Paragraph (3) shall not apply to the disclosure of necessary information:
(4) Paragraph (3) shall not apply to the disclosure of <-- necessary information:
(4) PARAGRAPH (3) SHALL NOT APPLY TO:
<-- (I) THE DISCLOSURE OF NECESSARY INFORMATION:
(A) TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, A PROBATION OFFICE, THE JUDICIARY AND A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY WITH A DEMONSTRATED NEED FOR THE INFORMATION;
OR (B) IF THE NEXT OF KIN OF AN INDIVIDUAL HAS PROVIDED WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION FOR DISCLOSURE OF THE INFORMATION;
(II) THE NAME, CAUSE AND MANNER OF DEATH PURSUANT TO THE ACT OF FEBRUARY 14, 2008 (P.L.6, NO.3), KNOWN AS THE 20210SB0327PN0902 - 4 - RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAW;
OR (III) SECTION 1236-B.
20210SB0327PN0334 - 4 -
20210SB0327PN0902 - 5 -
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How this bill changes current law

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AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends the circumstances under which a coroner must investigate a death and provides guidelines for accessing data related to such investigations.

  • Section 1218-B

    coroner having a view of the body → following are circumstances of death which shall be reported to the coroner by persons having actual knowledge of the death, including, but not limited to, a health care facility, nursing home, personal care home or physician

    The amendment clarifies who is responsible for reporting deaths to the coroner.

  • Section 1218-B

    and the coroner shall investigate the facts and circumstances concerning a death that appears to have happened within the county, notwithstanding where the cause of the death may have occurred, for the purpose of determining whether or not an autopsy or inquest should be conducted in the following cases:

    It establishes the coroner's duty to investigate deaths occurring within the county regardless of where the death's cause originated.

  • Section 1218-B

    A death known or suspected to be due to contagious disease, including any disease constituting a health disaster emergency or pandemic, and constituting a public hazard.

    This adds deaths due to contagious diseases as a category that must be investigated by the coroner.

  • Section 1218-B

    Where it is determined by the coroner to be necessary to fulfill the statutory responsibilities of the coroner's office, the Department of Health shall provide electronic access to appropriate databases to the coroner for:

    This mandates the Department of Health to provide data access to coroners for their investigations.

  • Section 1218-B

    The Department of Health may not charge a fee to the coroner for electronic access to data under this subsection and may not require the coroner to obtain a subpoena.

    Provides free electronic access to coroners for necessary data.

  • Section 1218-B

    The coroner may not disclose, except in aggregate form, a personally identifiable record of an individual's medical, psychiatric or psychological history or disability status, including:

    This protects individual medical information during coroner investigations.

Action History

  1. Referred to LOCAL GOVERNMENT

  2. Third consideration and final passage

  3. Removed from table

  4. Laid on the table

  5. Re-reported as committed

  6. Re-referred to APPROPRIATIONS

  7. Second consideration

  8. First consideration

  9. PN 0902 Reported as amended

  10. PN 0334 Referred to LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 18 co-sponsors · 234 not signed on · 15 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (18)

Not signed on (234)

234 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 234 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

SB 327 PN 902, Final Passage

Passed 33 Yea · 16 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 20000
Unaffiliated 10100
Democratic 31500
Total 331600
% of votes cast 67%33%0%0%
How each member voted (49)
Member Party Vote
AUMENT — Yea
BREWSTER — Yea
BROWNE — Yea
CORMAN — Yea
DISANTO — Yea
GORDNER — Yea
MENSCH — Yea
REGAN — Yea
SCAVELLO — Yea
YUDICHAK — Yea
Anthony Williams — Nay
Amanda M. Cappelletti Democratic Nay
Art Haywood Democratic Nay
Carolyn T. Comitta Democratic Nay
Christine M. Tartaglione Democratic Nay
Jay Costa Democratic Nay
John I. Kane Democratic Nay
Judith L. Schwank Democratic Nay
Katie J. Muth Democratic Yea
Lindsey M. Williams Democratic Yea
Lisa M. Boscola Democratic Yea
Maria Collett Democratic Nay
Marty Flynn Democratic Nay
Nikil Saval Democratic Nay
Sharif Street Democratic Nay
Steven J. Santarsiero Democratic Nay
Timothy P. Kearney Democratic Nay
Vincent J. Hughes Democratic Nay
Wayne D. Fontana Democratic Nay
Camera Bartolotta Republican Yea
Chris Gebhard Republican Yea
Cris Dush Republican Yea
Daniel Laughlin Republican Yea
David G. Argall Republican Yea
Devlin J. Robinson Republican Yea
Doug Mastriano Republican Yea
Elder A. Vogel Republican Yea
Gene Yaw Republican Yea
Joe Pittman Republican Yea
Judy Ward Republican Yea
Kathleen C. Tomlinson Republican Yea
Kim L. Ward Republican Yea
Kristin Phillips-Hill Republican Yea
Lisa Baker Republican Yea
Michele Brooks Republican Yea
Patrick J. Stefano Republican Yea
Scott E. Hutchinson Republican Yea
Scott Martin Republican Yea
Wayne Langerholc Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Committee vote (APPROPRIATIONS): Re-Reported as Committed

Passed 15 Yea · 8 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 11000
Unaffiliated 4000
Democratic 0801
Total 15801
% of votes cast 63%33%0%4%
How each member voted (24)
Member Party Vote
AUMENT — Yea
MENSCH — Yea
BROWNE — Yea
CORMAN — Yea
Art Haywood Democratic Nay
Jay Costa Democratic Nay
Judith L. Schwank Democratic Nay
Marty Flynn Democratic Nay
Nikil Saval Democratic Nay
Sharif Street Democratic Nay
Steven J. Santarsiero Democratic Nay
Timothy P. Kearney Democratic Nay
Vincent J. Hughes Democratic Not Voting
Chris Gebhard Republican Yea
Daniel Laughlin Republican Yea
David G. Argall Republican Yea
Devlin J. Robinson Republican Yea
Elder A. Vogel Republican Yea
Joe Pittman Republican Yea
Kim L. Ward Republican Yea
Kristin Phillips-Hill Republican Yea
Patrick J. Stefano Republican Yea
Scott Martin Republican Yea
Wayne Langerholc Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Committee vote (LOCAL GOVERNMENT): Reported as Amended

Passed 7 Yea · 4 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4000
Republican 3000
Democratic 0400
Total 7400
% of votes cast 64%36%0%0%
How each member voted (11)
Member Party Vote
AUMENT — Yea
BROWNE — Yea
REGAN — Yea
CORMAN — Yea
Maria Collett Democratic Nay
Nikil Saval Democratic Nay
Sharif Street Democratic Nay
Timothy P. Kearney Democratic Nay
Camera Bartolotta Republican Yea
Cris Dush Republican Yea
Devlin J. Robinson Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Committee vote (LOCAL GOVERNMENT): A01656

Passed 11 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4000
Republican 3000
Democratic 4000
Total 11000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (11)
Member Party Vote
AUMENT — Yea
BROWNE — Yea
REGAN — Yea
CORMAN — Yea
Maria Collett Democratic Yea
Nikil Saval Democratic Yea
Sharif Street Democratic Yea
Timothy P. Kearney Democratic Yea
Camera Bartolotta Republican Yea
Cris Dush Republican Yea
Devlin J. Robinson Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 327?
SB 327 is sponsored by Judy Ward (Republican), David G. Argall (Republican), Camera Bartolotta (Republican), Kristin Phillips-Hill (Republican), Regan, Kim L. Ward (Republican), Patrick J. Stefano (Republican), Scott Martin (Republican), Gene Yaw (Republican), Gordner, Mensch, Aument, Lisa Baker (Republican), Doug Mastriano (Republican), Scott E. Hutchinson (Republican), Judith L. Schwank (Democratic), Joe Pittman (Republican), Browne, and Michele Brooks (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 327?
This bill died with 2021-2022 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track SB 327?
Track SB 327 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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