Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee 15 R cosponsors

HB 94 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in school health services, providing for face covering or mask mandate opt out.

Last action — Referred to Health

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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 14, 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.

  • 16 sponsors

    1 primary, 15 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (15 R).

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

3 changes Share ↗

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

This bill adds a new section to the Public School Code allowing parents to opt their children out of face covering or mask mandates in schools.

  • Section 1419.1

    Face Covering or Mask Mandate Opt Out.--(a) A parent or legal guardian of a child of school age may opt out the child from wearing a face covering or mask, which the child's school imposes as a result of a recommendation or mandate from the Secretary of Health or a local board or department of health, that is primarily responsible for the prevention and control of communicable and noncommunicable disease, including disease control in public and private schools under section 3 of the act of April 23, 1956 (1955 P.L.1510, No.500), known as the 'Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955.' (b) A parent or legal guardian of a child of school age may opt out the child from wearing a face covering or mask, which the child's school imposes as a result of a recommendation or mandate from the school board. (c) The child's school shall be required to develop and post, on the school's publicly accessible Internet website, a form to allow for a parent or legal guardian of the child to opt out the child from wearing a face covering or mask. The form may not require the parent or legal guardian to provide an excuse for the opt out. (d) The form shall also state that a child of school age whose parent or legal guardian has opted out the child from wearing a face covering or mask shall not be subject to any harassment or discriminatory treatment, including being: (1) Relegated to certain physical locations. (2) Isolated during school activities. (3) Excluded from any school-sponsored events or activities.

    This section permits parents to exempt their children from mask requirements and prevents discrimination against those children.

  • Section 1419.1

    "Face covering or mask" means material covering the nose and mouth that is secured to the head with ties, straps or loops over the ears or is wrapped around the lower face. The face covering may be made of a variety of synthetic or natural fabrics, including cotton, silk or linen. The face covering may be factory-made, sewn by hand or be improvised from household items, including scarfs, bandanas, t-shirts, sweatshirts or towels.

    Defines what constitutes a face covering or mask for the purposes of the opt-out provision.

  • Section 1419.1

    "Local board or department of health" means the term as defined under section 2(f) of the "Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955."

    Clarifies the definition of 'local board or department of health' within the context of the added section.

Action History

  1. Referred to Health

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 15 co-sponsors · 237 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (15)

Not signed on (237)

237 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 237 →

"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

healthcare education
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 94?
HB 94 is sponsored by Stephenie Scialabba, Stephanie Borowicz (Republican), Marla Brown (Republican), Joe Hamm (Republican), Rob W. Kauffman (Republican), Milou Mackenzie (Republican), Charity Grimm Krupa (Republican), Robert Leadbeter (Republican), Dane Watro (Republican), Craig T. Staats (Republican), Brian Smith (Republican), Aaron Bernstine (Republican), David H. Zimmerman (Republican), Jonathan Fritz (Republican), Wendy Fink (Republican), and Jacob D. Banta (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 94?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 14, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 94?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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