Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 3 D · 2 R cosponsors

HB 1195 — An Act amending Title 8 (Boroughs and Incorporated Towns) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in vacancies in office, further providing for filling vacancies in elective borough offices.

Last action — Corrective Reprint, Printer's No. 1674

  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 April 15, 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.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

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

Prognosis

Advancing 60% · high confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (3 D · 2 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote 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

64 added · 62 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill HB 1195 removes a provision that previously allowed a vacancy board to appoint someone to hold a borough office until a municipal election that occurs more than 60 days after the vacancy. Instead, it specifies that the vacancy board will appoint someone to fill the position only until the first Monday in January after the next municipal election. This change is significant because it ensures that vacancies are filled more quickly and that there is a clear timeline for accountability in local governance, which helps maintain stability within borough councils.

→
Previous
Latest
PRINTER'S NO.
CORRECTIVE REPRINT PRINTER'S NO.
1674 PRIOR PRINTER'S NO.
* * * (a.1) Vacancy by resignation.--Except as provided in subsection (e), the following shall apply:
* * * (a.1) Vacancy by resignation.--Except as provided in subsection (f), the following shall apply:
* * * (c) [Unfilled vacancies.--If the council of any borough refuses, fails, neglects or is unable, for any reason whatsoever, to fill any vacancy within 30 days after the vacancy happens, as provided in this section, the vacancy shall be filled within 15 additional days by the vacancy board.] Vacancy board.-- (1) A vacancy board shall be convened to fill any vacancy within 15 days if the council of any borough, for any reason, fails to fill a vacancy after 30 days.
◄ * * * (c) [Unfilled vacancies.--If the council of any borough refuses, fails, neglects or is unable, for any reason whatsoever, to fill any vacancy within 30 days after the vacancy happens, as provided in this section, the vacancy shall be filled within 15 additional days by the vacancy board.] Vacancy board.-- (1) A vacancy board shall be convened to fill any vacancy within 15 days if the council of any borough, for any reason, fails to fill a vacancy after 30 days.
(d) [Board] Vacancy board petition.--[If the vacancy is not filled by the vacancy board within 15 days, the] The vacancy board chair shall, or, in the case of a vacancy in the chair, the remaining members of the vacancy board shall, petition the court of common pleas to fill the vacancy by the appointment of a registered elector of the borough, or ward in the case of a ward, to hold the office, if the term continues that long, until 20250HB1195PN1344 - 2 - the first Monday in January after the first municipal election occurring more than 60 days after the vacancy occurs, at which election an eligible individual shall be elected to the office for the remainder of the term[.
(d) [Board] Vacancy board petition.--[If the vacancy is not filled by the vacancy board within 15 days, the] The vacancy board chair shall, or, in the case of a vacancy in the chair, the remaining members of the vacancy board shall, petition the court of common pleas to fill the vacancy by the appointment of a registered elector of the borough, or ward in the case of a 20250HB1195PN1674 - 2 - ward, to hold the office, if the term continues that long, until the first Monday in January after the first municipal election occurring more than 60 days after the vacancy occurs, at which election an eligible individual shall be elected to the office for the remainder of the term[.
20250HB1195PN1344 - 3 -
20250HB1195PN1674 - 3 -
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)

Action History

  1. Corrective Reprint, Printer's No. 1674

  2. Laid on the table

  3. First consideration

  4. Reported as committed

  5. Referred to Local Government

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 248 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (248)

248 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 248 →

"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 (Local Government): Report Bill As Committed

Passed 26 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 14000
Republican 12000
Total 26000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (26)
Member Party Vote
Abigail Salisbury Democratic Yea
Brian Munroe Democratic Yea
Carol Kazeem Democratic Yea
Christina D. Sappey Democratic Yea
Dave Madsen Democratic Yea
Ismail Smith-Wade-El Democratic Yea
Jim Haddock Democratic Yea
Jim Prokopiak Democratic Yea
Justin C. Fleming Democratic Yea
Kyle Donahue Democratic Yea
Lisa A. Borowski Democratic Yea
Liz Hanbidge Democratic Yea
Robert Freeman Democratic Yea
Tarah Probst Democratic Yea
Alec J. Ryncavage Republican Yea
Andrew Kuzma Republican Yea
Brett R. Miller Republican Yea
Chad G. Reichard Republican Yea
Dane Watro Republican Yea
Eric J. Weaknecht Republican Yea
Jacob D. Banta Republican Yea
Jill N. Cooper Republican Yea
Parke Wentling Republican Yea
Roman Kozak Republican Yea
Tom Jones Republican Yea
Wendy Fink Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

elections
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 1195?
HB 1195 is sponsored by R. Lee James (Republican), Robert Freeman (Democratic), Christina D. Sappey (Democratic), Ismail Smith-Wade-El (Democratic), and Brett R. Miller (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 1195?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced April 15, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 1195?
Track HB 1195 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 1195

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 1195

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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

Track this bill →