Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee 8 D cosponsors

SB 279 — An Act amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in employees, providing for use of force and deadly force policy for law enforcement agencies; imposing duties on the Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission; and making an editorial change.

Last action — Referred to JUDICIARY, Feb. 25, 2025

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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 February 25, 2025. 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.

  • 8 sponsors

    1 primary, 7 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (8 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

Prohibiting the Use of Chokeholds by Those in Law Enforcement

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 amends existing law by establishing a use of force and deadly force policy for law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania.

  • 53 Pa.C.S. § 21

    SUBCHAPTER C USE OF FORCE AND DEADLY FORCE POLICY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

    It creates a new subchapter in Title 53 dedicated to the use of force policies for law enforcement.

  • 53 Pa.C.S. § 2142

    "Choke hold." A physical maneuver that restricts an individual's ability to breathe for the purposes of incapacitation.

    It defines 'choke hold' specifically as a maneuver that restricts breathing.

  • 53 Pa.C.S. § 2142

    "Serious bodily injury." Bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious, permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ.

    It adds a definition for 'serious bodily injury' to provide clarity in the context of use of force.

  • 53 Pa.C.S. § 2143 (d)

    Each law enforcement agency use-of-force policy must prohibit the use of choke holds by law enforcement officers except in cases in which deadly force is authorized.

    It mandates that law enforcement agencies prohibit choke holds unless deadly force is authorized.

  • 53 Pa.C.S. § 2143 (e)

    Before carrying a weapon, each law enforcement officer must receive training and instruction with regard to the proper use of force and to the law enforcement agency's policies and statutes with regard to force.

    It requires training for law enforcement officers on the use of force before they can carry a weapon.

  • 53 Pa.C.S. § 2143 (g)

    A use-of-force policy adopted under this section must be: (1) Posted on the publicly accessible Internet website maintained by the law enforcement agency. (2) Made available in physical form to a member of the general public upon request.

    It stipulates that the use-of-force policy must be publicly accessible both online and in physical form.

Action History

  1. Referred to JUDICIARY, Feb. 25, 2025

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 7 co-sponsors · 245 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (7)

Not signed on (245)

245 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 SB 279 do?
Prohibiting the Use of Chokeholds by Those in Law Enforcement
Who sponsors SB 279?
SB 279 is sponsored by Sharif Street (Democratic), Timothy P. Kearney (Democratic), Vincent J. Hughes (Democratic), Judith L. Schwank (Democratic), Jay Costa (Democratic), Art Haywood (Democratic), John I. Kane (Democratic), and Amanda M. Cappelletti (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 279?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 25, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 279?
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Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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