Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 26 D · 1 R cosponsors

HB 1506 — An Act amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in miscellaneous provisions relating to inmate confinement, providing for communications services for inmates in State or county correctional institutions.

Last action — Referred to COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY, May 29, 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 29, 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.

  • 28 sponsors

    1 primary, 27 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (26 D · 1 R) — 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

Eliminating Costs for Communication Services for Incarcerated Individuals

Bill Text

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.

The bill mandates that Pennsylvania correctional institutions provide free voice and other communication services to inmates, ensuring minimum access and device ratios while prohibiting fees and reducing reliance on in-person visits.

  • Title 61

    § 5912. Communications services for inmates in State or county correctional institutions. (a) Requirements.--The department and counties shall provide to all persons in their custody and confined in a State correctional institution or a county correctional institution, as applicable, voice communication services as follows: (1) The department and counties must maintain no less than the access to voice communication services and other communication services as was allowed by them on January 1, 2024. (2) The department and counties must maintain a 10-to-1 ratio of persons in custody to operable voice communication devices in each housing unit or recreational yard with at least two voice communication devices inside each housing unit. (b) Optional additional communications services.--The department and counties may voluntarily supplement the voice communication services with other communication services, including video communication and email or messaging services. (c) Prohibition on fees and charges.-- (1) Voice communication services and other communication services shall be provided free of charge to an inmate. (2) A service, whether initiated or received through a voice communication service or other communication service, shall be free of charge to the person initiating or receiving the communication. (d) Prohibition on revenue and commissions.--The department and counties shall be prohibited from charging an inmate for use of or access to a communication service, device or system. (e) Prohibition of replacing visits.-- (1) Voice communications services and other communication services may not be used to replace an in-person visit program. (2) Nothing in this section shall authorize or permit the department or county to limit or prohibit in-person contact visits. (f) Funding.-- (1) Money appropriated by the General Assembly to the department for the purpose of supporting the cost of providing voice communications services or other communication services to inmates in State correctional institutions or county correctional institutions: (i) May not be used for indirect expenses related to the provision of the voice communications services or other communication services. (ii) May only be disbursed for eligible costs accompanied by invoiced expenses from a communication service vendor. (2) From money appropriated to the department for the purpose specified in paragraph (1), 30% shall be allocated to counties on a proportional basis calculated on a per capita inmate population in county correctional institutions. (g) 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: "Other communication services." Communication services other than voice communication services, including video calls and electronic messages. "Voice communication services." Real-time, audio-only communication services, namely telephone calls made over wireline telephony, voice over Internet protocol or any other technology infrastructure.

    This adds a new section requiring communication services for inmates, detailing certain provisions and prohibitions.

Action History

  1. Referred to COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY, May 29, 2025

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 27 co-sponsors · 225 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (27)

Not signed on (225)

225 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"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

public-safety civil-rights
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 1506 do?
Eliminating Costs for Communication Services for Incarcerated Individuals
Who sponsors HB 1506?
HB 1506 is sponsored by Keith S. Harris (Democratic), Dan K. Williams (Democratic), Andre D. Carroll (Democratic), Kristine C. Howard (Democratic), Joseph C. Hohenstein (Democratic), Jose Giral (Democratic), Malcolm Kenyatta (Democratic), Jeanne McNeill (Democratic), Ismail Smith-Wade-El (Democratic), Danielle Friel Otten (Democratic), Carol Kazeem (Democratic), Benjamin V. Sanchez (Democratic), Tarik Khan (Democratic), Anthony A. Bellmon (Democratic), Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (Democratic), Mike Jones (Republican), Rick Krajewski (Democratic), Perry S. Warren (Democratic), Ben Waxman (Democratic), Joe McAndrew (Democratic), Melissa L. Shusterman (Democratic), Elizabeth Fiedler (Democratic), Nancy Guenst (Democratic), Heather Boyd (Democratic), Liz Hanbidge (Democratic), Gina H. Curry (Democratic), Greg Scott (Democratic), and Joshua Siegel.
What is the current status of HB 1506?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced May 29, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 1506?
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Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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