Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 7 D · 2 R cosponsors

HB 166 — An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in sentencing, further providing for sentencing procedure for murder of the first degree.

Last action — Laid on the table

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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 January 16, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

Prognosis

Likely to advance 62% · high 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.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (7 D · 2 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

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.

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 modifies the jury instructions for sentencing in first-degree murder cases in Pennsylvania.

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 9711(c)(1)(iv)

    The verdict must be a sentence of death if the jury unanimously finds at least one aggravating circumstance specified in subsection (d) and no mitigating circumstance or if the jury unanimously finds one or more aggravating circumstances which outweigh any mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. The verdict must be a sentence of life imprisonment in all other cases. → The verdict must be a sentence of death if the jury unanimously finds at least one aggravating circumstance specified in subsection (d) and no mitigating circumstance or if the jury unanimously finds one or more aggravating circumstances which outweigh any mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. The verdict must be a sentence of life imprisonment in all other cases.

    This change modifies the instructions given to the jury regarding how they should determine sentencing in first-degree murder trials.

Action History

  1. Laid on the table

  2. First consideration

  3. Reported as committed

  4. Referred to Judiciary

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 244 not signed on · 1 voted No

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

Votes

Committee vote (Judiciary): Report Bill As Committed

Passed 25 Yea · 1 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 13000
Unaffiliated 3000
Republican 9100
Total 25100
% of votes cast 96%4%0%0%
How each member voted (26)
Member Party Vote
Dan Miller — Yea
Torren Ecker — Yea
Stephenie Scialabba — Yea
Andre D. Carroll Democratic Yea
Benjamin V. Sanchez Democratic Yea
Chris Pielli Democratic Yea
Christopher M. Rabb Democratic Yea
Emily Kinkead Democratic Yea
Joseph C. Hohenstein Democratic Yea
Kristine C. Howard Democratic Yea
Kyle Donahue Democratic Yea
La'Tasha D. Mayes Democratic Yea
Liz Hanbidge Democratic Yea
Malcolm Kenyatta Democratic Yea
Melissa L. Shusterman Democratic Yea
Tim Briggs Democratic Yea
Andrew Kuzma Republican Yea
Jim Rigby Republican Yea
Joe Hamm Republican Yea
Joe Kerwin Republican Yea
Joshua D. Kail Republican Yea
Kate A. Klunk Republican Yea
Rob W. Kauffman Republican Yea
Robert Leadbeter Republican Yea
Stephanie Borowicz Republican Nay
Timothy R. Bonner Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety
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

Who sponsors HB 166?
HB 166 is sponsored by Timothy R. Bonner (Republican), Tarik Khan (Democratic), Chris Pielli (Democratic), Danilo Burgos (Democratic), Craig T. Staats (Republican), David M. Delloso (Democratic), G. Roni Green (Democratic), Perry S. Warren (Democratic), and Liz Hanbidge (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 166?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 16, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 166?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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