Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee 12 R cosponsors

SB 1454 — An Act amending the act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known as the Health Care Facilities Act, in licensing of health care facilities, further providing for definitions, for licensure, for application for license and for reliance on national accreditation organizations and Federal Government for health care facilities other than hospitals; and, in general provisions, repeals and effective date, providing for Department of Human Services and participating rural emergency hospitals.

Last action — Referred to HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Oct. 13, 2026

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

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced October 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 12 sponsors

    1 primary, 11 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (12 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

The bill allows for the establishment of rural emergency hospitals and updates licensing requirements.

This bill amends the Health Care Facilities Act to include provisions for rural emergency hospitals, which provide emergency services without inpatient care. It also updates the licensing requirements and fees associated with these facilities.

What this means for you
  • Healthcare: This bill could impact healthcare providers by introducing new licensing standards for rural emergency hospitals.

Summary

Rural Emergency Hospital designation

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

6 changes Share ↗

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

This bill adds provisions for the licensing, definition, and regulation of rural emergency hospitals in Pennsylvania.

  • Section 802.1

    "Rural emergency hospital." A facility that: (1) provides emergency department services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in a rural area; and (2) does not provide any inpatient services.

    Introduces a new definition for rural emergency hospitals that specifies their services and operational criteria.

  • Section 806

    (j) Rural emergency hospitals.-- (1) A license to operate a rural emergency hospital shall only be available to a facility that, as of December 27, 2020: (i) is licensed as a hospital; (ii) is located in a rural area; and (iii) has no more than 50 licensed beds.

    Establishes specific criteria for facilities to obtain a license as a rural emergency hospital.

  • Section 806

    (2) The department shall promulgate regulations establishing additional standards for licensure of rural emergency hospitals which shall, at a minimum, provide for: (i) construction and design standards; (ii) personnel, equipment and supply standards, including minimum staffing requirements; (iii) quality assurance procedures; and (iv) emergency preparedness standards.

    Requires the Department to create regulations that establish standards for rural emergency hospitals.

  • Section 810

    After a provider has been licensed or approved to operate a rural emergency hospital for at least three years,...

    Modifies the conditions under which the Department may rely on outside reports for rural emergency hospitals.

  • Section 902.2

    (a) Regulations.--Subject to Federal approval, the Department of Human Services shall promulgate final-omitted regulations to establish coverage, payment conditions and requirements for a rural emergency hospital participating in the medical assistance program.

    Establishes new regulations for rural emergency hospitals participating in the medical assistance program.

  • Section 902.2

    (c) Exempt hospital.--A rural emergency hospital shall be considered an "exempt hospital" for the purposes of Article VIII-G of the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Human Services Code.

    Designates rural emergency hospitals as exempt hospitals for specific regulatory purposes.

Action History

  1. Referred to HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Oct. 13, 2026

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 11 co-sponsors · 241 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (11)

Not signed on (241)

241 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 241 →

"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

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
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

What does SB 1454 do?
Rural Emergency Hospital designation
Who sponsors SB 1454?
SB 1454 is sponsored by Lisa Baker (Republican), Camera Bartolotta (Republican), Lynda Schlegel Culver (Republican), Daniel Laughlin (Republican), Wayne Langerholc (Republican), Gene Yaw (Republican), Judy Ward (Republican), David G. Argall (Republican), Scott E. Hutchinson (Republican), Cris Dush (Republican), Rosemary M. Brown (Republican), and Patrick J. Stefano (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 1454?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced October 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 1454?
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Last checked for changes 15 days ago · updated continuously

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