Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 11 R · 6 D cosponsors

HB 1397 — An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in preliminary provisions relating to actions, proceedings and other matters generally, providing for use of media devices.

Last action — Referred to JUDICIARY, May 5, 2025

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

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced May 05, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · 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.

  • 17 sponsors

    1 primary, 16 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (11 R · 6 D) — cross-party backing.

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.

Summary

Cameras in the Courtroom

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

Compared against the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill introduces a new section regarding the use of media devices in judicial proceedings, specifying exceptions and definitions relevant to various sensitive cases.

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 5112

    § 5112. Use of media devices. (a) General rule.--Except as provided in subsection (b), a person may use or operate a media device to capture, record, transmit or broadcast an image, video or audio of a judicial proceeding without the approval of the court or presiding judicial officer. (b) Exception.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to: (1) A proceeding relating to sexual abuse. (2) A proceeding relating to domestic violence. (3) A proceeding under 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 61 (relating to protection from abuse). (4) A proceeding under Chapter 62A (relating to protection of victims of sexual violence or intimidation). (5) The testimony of a child witness. (6) The testimony of a confidential informant. (c) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: "Confidential informant." As defined in 18 Pa.C.S. § 3124.2(b) (relating to institutional sexual assault). "Domestic violence." A personal injury crime perpetrated against a family or household member. "Family or household member." As defined in 23 Pa.C.S. § 6102 (relating to definitions). "Personal injury crime." As defined in 23 Pa.C.S. § 3103 (relating to definitions). "Sexual abuse." An activity prohibited under any of the following provisions of 18 Pa.C.S. (relating to crimes and offenses): (1) Chapter 30 (relating to human trafficking), if the activity involved sexual servitude, as defined in 18 Pa.C.S. § 3001 (relating to definitions). (2) Chapter 31 (relating to sexual offenses). (3) Section 4302 (relating to incest). (4) Section 4304 (relating to endangering welfare of children), if the activity involved sexual contact with an individual under 18 years of age. (5) Section 5902(b), (b.1), (d) or (e) (relating to prostitution and related offenses). (6) Section 6312 (relating to sexual abuse of children). (7) Section 6320 (relating to sexual exploitation of children).

    This change establishes new regulations for the use of media devices in court while protecting sensitive cases from public exposure.

Action History

  1. Referred to JUDICIARY, May 5, 2025

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 16 co-sponsors · 236 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (16)

Not signed on (236)

236 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 236 →

"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

civil-rights elections
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 HB 1397 do?
Cameras in the Courtroom
Who sponsors HB 1397?
HB 1397 is sponsored by Jamie L. Flick (Republican), Tarik Khan (Democratic), Ben Waxman (Democratic), Keith S. Harris (Democratic), Marla Brown (Republican), Jonathan Fritz (Republican), Alec J. Ryncavage (Republican), Chad G. Reichard (Republican), Jill N. Cooper (Republican), Jeff Olsommer (Republican), Danilo Burgos (Democratic), Jamie Walsh (Republican), Russ Diamond (Republican), Sean Dougherty (Democratic), Joe Ciresi (Democratic), Tina Pickett (Republican), and Michael Stender (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 1397?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced May 05, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 1397?
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Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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