Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 22 D · 1 R cosponsors

HR 143 — A Resolution recognizing March 18, 2025, as "Public Defender Day" in Pennsylvania.

Last action — Laid on the table (Pursuant to House Rule 71)

  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 March 24, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 62% · high confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 23 sponsors

    1 primary, 22 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (22 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

28 added · 27 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill HR 143 includes an acknowledgment of the ongoing challenges faced by public defenders and emphasizes the critical role they play in safeguarding individual rights within the criminal justice system. It also highlights Pennsylvania's low ranking in funding for indigent defense, stressing the necessity for additional state resources to ensure fair legal representation. This change is significant because it draws attention to the importance of adequately supporting public defenders, which ultimately affects the quality of justice for vulnerable individuals.

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PRINTER'S NO.
PRIOR PRINTER'S NO.
1123 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE RESOLUTION Session of No.
1123 PRINTER'S NO.
1152 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE RESOLUTION Session of No.
WILLIAMS, MARCH 24, 2025 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 24, 2025 A RESOLUTION Recognizing March 18, 2025, as "Public Defender Day" in Pennsylvania.
WILLIAMS, MARCH 24, 2025 AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MARCH 26, 2025 A RESOLUTION Recognizing March 18, 2025, as "Public Defender Day" in Pennsylvania.
and WHEREAS, The lack of resources strains even the best attorneys and negatively impacts the quality of a legal defense, jeopardizing the integrity of the criminal legal system;
and WHEREAS, The lack of resources strains even the best <-- attorneys and negatively impacts the quality of a legal defense, jeopardizing the integrity of the criminal legal system;
20250HR0143PN1123 - 2 -
20250HR0143PN1152 - 2 -
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Action History

  1. Laid on the table (Pursuant to House Rule 71)

  2. Reported as amended

  3. Referred to Judiciary

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 22 co-sponsors · 230 not signed on · 2 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (22)

Not signed on (230)

230 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 230 →

"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 Amended

Passed 23 Yea · 3 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 11200
Republican 10000
Unaffiliated 2100
Total 23300
% of votes cast 88%12%0%0%
How each member voted (26)
Member Party Vote
Torren Ecker — Yea
Stephenie Scialabba — Yea
Dan Miller — Nay
Andre D. Carroll Democratic Yea
Benjamin V. Sanchez Democratic Yea
Chris Pielli Democratic Yea
Christopher M. Rabb Democratic Nay
Emily Kinkead Democratic Nay
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 Yea
Timothy R. Bonner Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Committee vote (Judiciary): Report Bill As Committed

Passed 26 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 13000
Unaffiliated 3000
Republican 10000
Total 26000
% of votes cast 100%0%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 Yea
Timothy R. Bonner Republican Yea

Official roll call →

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

Who sponsors HR 143?
HR 143 is sponsored by Joanna E. McClinton (Democratic), Chris Pielli (Democratic), Carol Hill-Evans (Democratic), Arvind Venkat (Democratic), Jose Giral (Democratic), Maureen E. Madden (Democratic), Joseph C. Hohenstein (Democratic), Greg Vitali (Democratic), Benjamin V. Sanchez (Democratic), Carol Kazeem (Democratic), Michael H. Schlossberg (Democratic), Malcolm Kenyatta (Democratic), Sean Dougherty (Democratic), Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (Democratic), Nikki Rivera (Democratic), Greg Scott (Democratic), Dan K. Williams (Democratic), G. Roni Green (Democratic), Melissa Cerrato (Democratic), Tim Briggs (Democratic), Joe Ciresi (Democratic), Steven R. Malagari (Democratic), and Brett R. Miller (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 143?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced March 24, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 143?
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