(The Center Square) – To put a bow on 2025, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed six new laws in Harrisburg.
Six bills that beat the odds in the divided Pennsylvania legislature are now part of the state’s legal fabric. Here’s a round-up of the new additions.
A bipartisan bill updating unemployment law to assist victims of domestic violence was the first to be signed. It will allow people to submit confidential evidence of abuse to expedite unemployment claims.
The law requires victims to self-affirm that they or their family members’ safety would be jeopardized by continued employment. They then have 120 days to provide additional documentation, which can be a statement from a qualified professional, evidence of a protective order, or any other evidence that proves domestic violence has occurred.
When someone is arrested for driving under the influence, they may be given the option of Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, or ARD, a program that allows them to get treatment and provide community service to expunge the offense from their record. The Supreme Court recently ruled that if someone has previously accepted ARD, it can’t be considered as a prior offense in new arrests. The new development means prosecutors are unlikely to pursue ARD at all.
A bipartisan effort creating a Driving Under the Influence Treatment Program now establishes in law a new structure allowing for the treatment success to lead to expungements while still allowing the courts to factor such offenses into their consideration of new offenses.Convenience stores and other retailers selling vaping products will soon see a change.
A law creating a directory of legal electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) will create clarity within the market awash with unvetted and sometimes dangerous products. The directory mirrors existing legislation for tobacco products.
An additional law changes requirements for funerals and memorial services to allow catering businesses who serve liquor to obtain permits within a 24-hour period rather than the current seven-day wait.
A clarification on the state’s Second Class Township Code establishes that “if a majority of seats on a township’s board of supervisors are vacant, the Court of Common Pleas shall fill the vacancies upon petition by either the remaining supervisors or fifteen registered electors of the township.”
Lastly, a bill to add some semiquincentennial flare to the Capitol was signed into law. The state will be displaying a commemorative bell at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex.
