Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee 34 D cosponsors

HB 1968 — An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in particular rights and immunities, providing for personal rights; and prescribing penalties.

Last action — Referred to JUDICIARY, Oct. 17, 2025

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  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 October 17, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

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.

  • 34 sponsors

    1 primary, 33 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (34 D).

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

Protecting Pennsylvanians' Rights Against Unlawful Searches and Seizures

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

6 changes Share ↗

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

The bill adds a new section to Title 42 establishing personal rights and civil actions for violations against those rights.

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 8309.1

    § 8309.1. Personal rights. (a) Prohibition.--A person, whether or not acting under color of law, may not interfere by threat, intimidation or coercion, or attempt to interfere by threat, intimidation or coercion, with the exercise or enjoyment by an individual of a right secured by the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of Pennsylvania, the laws of the United States or the laws of this Commonwealth.

    This new section prohibits interference with individual rights secured by various laws.

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 8309.1

    (b) Civil action by district attorney or Attorney General.--(1) In the event of an alleged violation of subsection (a), the district attorney of the county in which the violation allegedly occurred or the Attorney General, after consulting with the district attorney, may bring a civil action to protect the exercise or enjoyment of the right described under subsection (a).

    This section allows the district attorney or Attorney General to bring civil actions for violations of individual rights.

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 8309.1

    (c) Civil action by individual.--(1) In the event of an alleged violation of subsection (a), an individual who allegedly was not able to exercise or enjoy the right described under subsection (a) may bring a civil action in the name and on behalf of the individual to protect the exercise or enjoyment of the right.

    Individuals are empowered to bring civil actions if their rights are violated.

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 8309.1

    (e) Injunctive relief.--(1) If, in a civil action brought in accordance with subsection (b) or (c), a court issues an order granting injunctive relief in which a defendant is ordered to refrain from certain conduct or activities, the order must contain the following statement: "VIOLATION OF THIS ORDER IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE."

    Orders for injunctive relief must now include a warning that violations can lead to criminal charges.

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 8309.1

    (l) Sovereign immunity.--The sovereign immunity provisions of Chapter 85 (relating to matters affecting government units) shall not apply to a cause of action brought in accordance with this section against a peace officer or a governmental entity that employs a peace officer.

    This section removes sovereign immunity defenses for peace officers in actions related to the new personal rights.

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 8309.1

    (m) 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: "Peace officer." As defined in 18 Pa.C.S. § 501 (relating to definitions).

    This section provides a definition for 'peace officer' that refers to existing law.

Action History

  1. Referred to JUDICIARY, Oct. 17, 2025

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 33 co-sponsors · 219 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (33)

Not signed on (219)

219 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 219 →

"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
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 1968 do?
Protecting Pennsylvanians' Rights Against Unlawful Searches and Seizures
Who sponsors HB 1968?
HB 1968 is sponsored by Chris Pielli (Democratic), Ben Waxman (Democratic), Joseph C. Hohenstein (Democratic), Kristine C. Howard (Democratic), Manuel Guzman (Democratic), La'Tasha D. Mayes (Democratic), Emily Kinkead (Democratic), Carol Hill-Evans (Democratic), Nikki Rivera (Democratic), Michael H. Schlossberg (Democratic), Benjamin V. Sanchez (Democratic), Peter Schweyer (Democratic), Perry S. Warren (Democratic), G. Roni Green (Democratic), Elizabeth Fiedler (Democratic), Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (Democratic), Mary Jo Daley (Democratic), Steven R. Malagari (Democratic), Morgan Cephas (Democratic), Nancy Guenst (Democratic), MaryLouise Isaacson (Democratic), Heather Boyd (Democratic), Liz Hanbidge (Democratic), Danielle Friel Otten (Democratic), Christina D. Sappey (Democratic), Tarik Khan (Democratic), Rick Krajewski (Democratic), Jennifer O'Mara (Democratic), Greg Vitali (Democratic), Dan K. Williams (Democratic), Joe Webster (Democratic), Christopher M. Rabb (Democratic), Paul Friel (Democratic), and Melissa L. Shusterman (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 1968?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced October 17, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 1968?
Track HB 1968 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 1968

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HB 1968

Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →