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HB 156PENNSYLVANIASession 2025-2026State Billpassed chamber

Passed

Pennsylvania House Bill 156 Requires Carbon Monoxide Alarms in Child Care Facilities and Family Homes

Original title: An Act amending the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Human Services Code, in departmental powers and duties as to licensing, providing for carbon monoxide alarm standards in child care centers and family child care homes.

Last action · April 14, 2025: Referred to HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, April 14, 2025Sponsors: Jeanne McNeill and 28 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

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Floor Vote

Passed

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What This Bill Would Do

Pennsylvania House Bill 156 requires child care centers and family child care homes that use fossil-fuel-burning heaters, appliances, fireplaces, or attached garages to install approved, operational carbon monoxide alarms within 18 months of the act taking effect. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is authorized to take enforcement action for noncompliance and must provide written notice of these requirements to affected facilities within 12 months.

Why it matters

Child care operators statewide must install compliant carbon monoxide alarms within specified distances of fossil-fuel sources and on every facility level, facing potential regulatory enforcement by the Department of Human Services for violations.

Background

The Human Services Code is Pennsylvania's primary statutory framework governing public welfare laws, departmental licensing powers, and the regulation of social service facilities. context

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Child care centers

Child care centers must install approved carbon monoxide alarms within 15 feet of fossil-fuel sources and on every level within 18 months, and are subject to department enforcement.

Directly affected

Family child care homes

Family child care homes must install approved carbon monoxide alarms within 15 feet of fossil-fuel sources and on every level within 18 months, and are subject to department enforcement.

Directly affected

Department of Human Services

The department is tasked with providing written notice of requirements to facilities within 12 months and is authorized to take enforcement action for violations.

Key Facts

Child care centers and family child care homes using fossil-fuel-burning heaters, appliances, fireplaces, or attached garages must have an operational, centrally located and approved carbon monoxide alarm within 18 months of the subsection's effective date.
Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed within 15 feet of any fossil-fuel-burning heater, appliance, fireplace, or attached garage.
Carbon monoxide alarms must be placed on every level of a child care center or family child care home.
The Department of Human Services may take enforcement action against facilities for violations in accordance with Article IX, the Human Services Code, and applicable regulations.

Show all 8 facts

The department must provide written notice of the requirements to each child care center or family child care home within 12 months of the subsection's effective date.
The act does not modify the authority and responsibilities of the Department of Labor and Industry under the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act.
An approved carbon monoxide alarm is defined under section 2 of the Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act.
The act takes effect in 90 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which facilities are required to install carbon monoxide alarms?

Child care centers and family child care homes that are in operation and use a fossil-fuel-burning heater or appliance, fireplace, or attached garage must install the alarms.

Where must the carbon monoxide alarms be located within the building?

Alarms must be within 15 feet of any fossil-fuel-burning heater, appliance, fireplace, or attached garage, and on every level of the facility.

What agency is responsible for enforcing these new standards?

The Department of Human Services may take enforcement action for violations against child care centers and family child care homes.

When do these requirements go into effect?

The act takes effect in 90 days, giving facilities 18 months from the subsection's effective date to install the alarms and the department 12 months to provide written notice.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Where This Stands

Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.

Procedural history

11 actions

Apr 14, 2025SenateCommittee
Referred to HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, April 14, 2025
Apr 14, 2025Senate
In the Senate
Apr 9, 2025HouseFloor
Third consideration and final passage, April 9, 2025 (176-27)
Apr 9, 2025HouseCommittee
Re-reported as committed, April 9, 2025
Apr 8, 2025House
Re-committed to APPROPRIATIONS, April 8, 2025
Apr 8, 2025HouseFloor
Second consideration, with amendments, April 8, 2025

Show 5 earlier actions

Mar 25, 2025House
Removed from table, March 25, 2025
Mar 19, 2025House
Laid on the table, March 19, 2025
Mar 19, 2025HouseIntroduced
First consideration, March 19, 2025
Mar 19, 2025House
Reported as amended, March 19, 2025
Jan 16, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to CHILDREN AND YOUTH, Jan. 16, 2025

Version history & redline

3 versions on file

Comparing Printer's No. 1047 → Printer's No. 1302

removed addedOfficial text

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 116 NOS. 116, 1047 PRINTER'S NO. 1047 1302 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE BILL No. 156 Session of 2025 INTRODUCED BY McNEILL, CONKLIN, HILL-EVANS, PIELLI, GIRAL, SCHLOSSBERG, HADDOCK, FREEMAN, HANBIDGE, PROBST, SANCHEZ, MALAGARI, DONAHUE, NEILSON, SAMUELSON, HOWARD, CIRESI, HOHENSTEIN, SHUSTERMAN, DALEY, DEASY, GREEN, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, CERRATO, ISAACSON AND ISAACSON, MAYES, FLEMING AND KHAN, JANUARY 16, 2025 AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE AMENDED ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MARCH 19, APRIL 8, 2025 AN ACT Amending the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), entitled "An act to consolidate, editorially revise, and codify the public welfare laws of the Commonwealth," in departmental powers and duties as to licensing, providing for carbon monoxide alarm standards in child care centers CHILDREN'S INSTITUTION children's institution and family child care homes. AMENDING THE ACT OF JUNE 13, 1967 (P.L.31, NO.21), ENTITLED "AN ACT TO CONSOLIDATE, EDITORIALLY REVISE, AND CODIFY THE PUBLIC WELFARE LAWS OF THE COMMONWEALTH," IN DEPARTMENTAL POWERS AND DUTIES AS TO LICENSING, PROVIDING FOR CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM STANDARDS IN CHILD CARE CENTERS AND FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows: Section 1. The act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Human Services Code, is amended by adding a section to read: Section 1017. Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards in Child Care Centers CHILDREN'S INSTITUTIONS Children's Institutions and Family Child Care Homes.-- (a) Homes.--(a) Within eighteen months of the effective date of this subsection, each building in which a child care center CHILDREN'S INSTITUTION children's institution or family child care home is in operation, which uses a fossil-fuel-burning heater or appliance, fireplace or attached garage, must have an operational, <-- <-- <-- <-- <--

Redline computed from the official version text (record lane).View this version →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Related Legislation

State Bill

Pennsylvania House Bill 358 requires newly constructed apartment buildings and condominiums of at least two stories to install and maintain at least two elevators

Pennsylvania House Bill 358 requires newly constructed apartment buildings and condominiums that are at least two stories above grade to have a minimu

State Bill

House Bill 216 updates penalties and expands prohibited acts under the Human Services Code for medical assistance fraud

Pennsylvania House Bill 216 expands the list of prohibited acts, refines criminal penalties based on the dollar amount of excess payments, and mandate

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Expansion of Child Care Safety Mandates

Amends the existing Human Services Code to explicitly incorporate carbon monoxide alarm requirements into the licensing and departmental oversight powers.

Department of Human Services

Connected Entities

Department of Labor and Industry, Department of Human Services

OrganizationDepartment of Labor and Industry“Maintains authority under the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act.”Map →

OrganizationDepartment of Human Services“Authorized to take enforcement action and provide written notice to facilities.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.palegis.us

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance60
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz25
Current news / social attention level

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What This Bill Would Do

Who It Would Affect

Key Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

News Coverage

Where This Stands

Procedural history

Version history & redline

Lobbying Activity

Full breakdown

Sponsors

Related Legislation

Pennsylvania House Bill 358 requires newly constructed apartment buildings and condominiums of at least two stories to install and maintain at least two elevators

House Bill 216 updates penalties and expands prohibited acts under the Human Services Code for medical assistance fraud

Discoveries

Expansion of Child Care Safety Mandates

Connected Entities

Sources

Analysis Score

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