Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee 9 D cosponsors

HB 2161 — An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in service and facilities, providing for tree removal agreements.

Last action — Laid on the table, March 23, 2026

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 January 28, 2026. 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.

  • 9 sponsors

    1 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (9 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

Requiring Electric Utilities to Replace the Trees they Remove

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

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

The bill establishes requirements for public utilities regarding tree removal agreements and replacement trees.

  • 66 Pa.C.S. § 1513

    § 1513. Tree removal agreements. (a) Agreements.--On or after the effective date of this subsection, if a public utility determines that the removal of a tree is necessary for the public utility to provide adequate and reliable service to the public and that the tree is the property of a city, municipality or municipal authority, the public utility shall offer to enter into an agreement with the city, municipality or municipal authority that owns the tree requiring the public utility to plant a tree in replacement of the tree removed. As a condition of the agreement, the public utility shall plant the replacement tree within two years of the removal of a tree by the public utility. A city, municipality or municipal authority shall not be obligated to accept the public utility's offered agreement upon the removal of a tree. (b) Replacement tree size.--If a city, municipality or municipal authority accepts the public utility's offered agreement, the public utility shall replace any tree over a five-inch caliper utilizing the caliper inch replacement method as follows: (1) Each tree marked for removal is measured at the standardized height and assigned a diameter at breast height value. (2) The assigned diameter at breast height value is then halved. (3) The halved value shall be the number of two-inch replacement balled and burlapped trees necessary to replant. (4) Appropriate replacement species and planting locations shall be determined by the city, municipality or municipal authority. (c) Replacement fee.--A city, municipality or municipal authority may request a replacement fee, equal to the assessed value of the tree by a certified arborist, from the public utility for the purpose of planting a tree, in lieu of planting a tree.

    This addition creates new obligations for public utilities related to the removal of trees owned by local authorities.

Action History

  1. Laid on the table, March 23, 2026

  2. First consideration, March 23, 2026

  3. Reported as committed, March 23, 2026

  4. Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION, Jan. 28, 2026

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 244 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (244)

244 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 244 →

"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 environment
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 2161 do?
Requiring Electric Utilities to Replace the Trees they Remove
Who sponsors HB 2161?
HB 2161 is sponsored by Abigail Salisbury (Democratic), Carol Hill-Evans (Democratic), Joseph C. Hohenstein (Democratic), Christopher M. Rabb (Democratic), Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (Democratic), Ben Waxman (Democratic), Robert Freeman (Democratic), Tarah Probst (Democratic), and Danielle Friel Otten (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 2161?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 28, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 2161?
Track HB 2161 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 2161

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 2161

Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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

Track this bill →