Legislative Priorities
PAR monitors hundreds of bills impacting real estate and property owners each legislative session, advocating for policies that positively impact the real estate industry and consumers.
2025-2026 Legislative Session
The Pennsylvania General Assembly kicked off its new legislative session with Inauguration Day on Jan. 7, 2025. The makeup of the assembly is slated to remain virtually the same, with House Democrats retaining their one-seat majority and Senate Republicans retaining their six-seat majority. With elections in the rearview, lawmakers will have to navigate the political waters to negotiate all the hard-hitting issues that matter to Pennsylvanians.
In addition, Pennsylvania’s political climate will be influenced by key changes in leadership, specifically among House Republicans. Rep. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford) will lead the Republican House Caucus. This new leadership will navigate negotiating with a seasoned leadership team within the House Democrats and the Senate Chamber.
PAR will continue to monitor all legislation during this session as it advocates for homeownership across the commonwealth.
2023-2024 Legislative Session
30
legislative committee meetings
35
bills considered
20
bills supported
6
supported bills signed into law
Key Legislation PAR is Monitoring
| Bill Number | Prime Sponsor | Brief Description | PAR Position | Category | Status | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Bill 30 | Guzman, D-Berks | Amends the Real Estate Appraisers Certification Act to allow appraisers-in-training to work with multiple supervisors to gain experience. | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 818 | Bizarro, D-Erie | First-Time Homebuyer Savings Account (SB 803 companion) | Supports | Housing | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 803 | Brown, R-Monroe/Wayne | First-Time Homebuyer Savings Account (HB 818 companion) | Supports | Housing | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1095 | Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster | Sealing of eviction records | Supports | Housing | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 558 | Isaacson, D-Philadelphia | Capping of application fees | Supports | Housing | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 2391 | Conklin, D-Centre | Allows residential mortgage loans primarily used for personal, family, or household to be paid off without incurring prepayment penalties. | Opposes | Housing | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 815 | Picozzi, R-Philadelphia | RTT exemption for first-time homebuyers (HB 214 companion) | Supports | Taxes | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 214 | Kutz, R-Cumberland | RTT exemption for first-time homebuyers (SB 815 companion) | Supports | Taxes | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 96 | Pielli, D-Chester | Allows a property owner to designate an individual to receive a notification regarding delinquent real estate taxes on the property owner's real property. | Supports | Taxes | Signed by Governor | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 986 | Cephas, D-Philadelphia | Defines and prohibits "unfair real estate service agreement". | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1103 | Cephas, D-Philadelphia | Discount mortgage points | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Signed by Governor | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1406 | Rabb, D-Philadelphia | Criminal offense for deed fraud | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 838 | Culver, R-Coloumbia/Luzerne/Montour/Northumberland/Snyder | Amends Private Licensed Schools Act | Supports (priority) | Professionalism and practice | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 300 | Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia | The Fairness Act (SB 150 companion) | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 150 | Santarsiero, D-Bucks | The Fairness Act (HB140 companion) | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Awaiting vote | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 140 | Krajewski, D-Philadelphia | Algorithmic rent-setting | Opposes | Professionalism and practice | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 2357 | Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster | Includes "source of income" as a protected class under the Human Relations Act. | Opposes | Professionalism and practice | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 907 | Farry, R-Bucks | Licensure of home inspectors | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 1152 | Muth, D-Bucks/Chester/Montgomery | Prohibits housing discrimination based on lawful source of income. | Opposes | Professionalism and practice | Awaiting vote | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1048 | Cerrato, D-Montgomery | Public funds to replace or repair private water or sewer laterals connected to public systems. | Supports | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 273 | Merski, D-Erie | Municipal Codes Enforcement Grant Program | Neutral | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 734 | Madsen, D-Dauphin | Voluntary tenant relocation assistance | Supports | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 743 | Salisbury, D-Allegheny | Designating blighted or abandoned property as available for acquisition by a land bank. | Opposes | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1062 | Markosek, D-Allegheny | Statewide blight data collection system using property code violations. | Seeks amendments | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1250 | Hanbidge, D-Montgomery | Prohibits manufactured housing rent increases beyond CPI. | Opposes | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1498 | Rabb, D-Philadelphia | Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act amendment | Supports | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 890 | Bartolotta, R-Washington | Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act amendment | Supports | Local issues | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 567 | Fontana, D-Allegheny | Property reassessments every 5 years | Supports | Local issues | Awaiting vote | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1574 | Davis, D-Bucks | Allow redevelopment authorities or land banks to purchase or redevelop blighted properties. | Supports | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 62 | Farry, R-Bucks | Allow redevelopment authorities or land banks to purchase or redevelop blighted properties. | Supports | Local issues | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1446 | Siegel, D-Lehigh | Directs DCED to create best practices for the redevelopment of "underutilized properties". | Supports | Local issues | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 2023 | Scott, D-Montgomery | Stays evictions during inclement weather | Opposes | Local issues | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1277 | Stefano, R-Fayette | Increases property tax abatement under LERTA to 20 years. | Supports | Local issues | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 1278 | Picozzi, R-Philadelphia | Creates the Residential Economic Development District (REDD) Grant Program | Supports | Local issues | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 2423 | Solomon, D-Philadelphia | Creates the Residential Economic Development District (REDD) Grant Program | Supports | Local issues | Awaiting vote | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 1281 | Rothman, R-Cumberland | Pre-approved housing plans | Supports | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 2434 | Solomon, D-Philadelphia | Pre-approved housing plans | Supports | Local issues | Awaiting vote | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 1236 | Keefer, R-Cumberland/York | Increases NPDES permit waivers for sites with less than 5 acres of land disturbance | Supports | Local issues | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 925 | Dush, R-Cameron/Centre/Clinton/Elk/Jefferson/Mckean/Potter | Increases NPDES permit waivers for sites with less than 2 acres of land disturbance. | Supports | Local issues | Awaiting vote | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 1704 | Warren, D-Bucks | Requires sellers to provide flood disclosure as part of the home-buying process. | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Out of chamber of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| House Bill 2645 | Davis, D-Bucks | Licensure of home inspectors | Supports | Professionalism and practice | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 345 | Argall, R-Luzerne/Schuykill | Increases the allowable fee that can be collected by a county by $1, with yearly inflation adjustments. | Opposes | Local issues | Out of committee of origin | 7/28/2026 |
| Senate Bill 546 | Cappeletti, D-Delaware/Montgomery | Statewide rental rate protections. | Opposes | Housing | Awaiting vote | 7/28/2026 |
Past Legislative Priorities
Session 2023-2024
Residential Wholesaling
On July 8, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law Act 52 of 2024, formerly Senate Bill 1173. This bill was a key priority for the PAR Legislative Committee and based on recommendations of a PAR-member task force.
SB 1173 requires those conducting residential wholesaling in the commonwealth to obtain a real estate salesperson license under the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA). Additionally, this bill ensures that consumers are made aware they are engaging in a wholesale transaction by receiving proper disclosures.
Read more about this priority on JustListed.
Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act
House Bill 1567 was signed into law on Oct. 2 as Act 93 of 2024. PAR’s Legislative Committee voted to make House Bill 1567 (Malagari, D-Montgomery) priority legislation after its introduction in June.
HB 1567, introduced by Realtor® champion Rep. Steven Malagari from Montgomery County, clarifies the Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act (MCOCA) to ensure property transfers are not arbitrarily stopped by municipalities or their components or result in the displacement of renters from properties that are changing ownership. It further clarifies that temporary use permits can still be issued for renter-occupied property transfers, ensuring existing renters are not displaced due to minor code violations.
Session 2021-2022
Private Roadway Maintenance Agreements
HB 523 was signed into law as Act 75 of 2021. This law requires homeowners that access their properties through a private road to contribute to maintenance of the road. Read more about private roadway maintenance agreements.
Livestream Real Estate Education
HB 1849 was signed into law as Act 25 of 2022. This law permits real estate education providers to livestream remotely to students. Read more about livestream continuing education.
1031 Like-kind Exchanges
HB 1342 was signed into law as Act 52 of 2022. This law allows investors to exchange investment property for another similar property, deferring on capital gains at the time of the swap. Read more about 1031 like-kind exchanges.
