Pennsylvania House Bill 619 requires employers to provide two hours of paid leave for employee voting

Original title: An Act amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, providing for employee voter leave.

Last action · February 20, 2025: Referred to LABOR AND INDUSTRY, Feb. 20, 2025Sponsors: Mary Isaacson and 18 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

House Bill 619 requires public and private employers in Pennsylvania to provide employees with up to two hours of paid time off to vote without loss of pay or vacation leave. Employees must provide at least two working days' notice prior to the election, and employers may deduct pay if the employee fails to provide written proof of voting signed or stamped by an election officer.

Why it matters

All Pennsylvania workers gain the legal right to take up to two paid hours off during a shift to cast a ballot, backed by employer fines ranging from $100 to $500 for violations, while businesses face mandatory workplace posting requirements and payroll adjustments if proof of voting is not submitted.

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

Employees

Employees receive up to two hours of paid time off to vote, subject to notice requirements and proof of voting.

Directly affected

Employers

Employers must grant paid time off, post notices in the workplace, refrain from asking about voting preferences, and face fines for noncompliance.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much paid time off am I entitled to for voting?

Employers are required to allow a total of up to two hours of time off for voting without any loss of pay or vacation leave.

When must I notify my employer that I need time off to vote?

If you know or have reason to believe you need time off on the third working day prior to an election, you must give your employer at least two working days' notice.

What happens if I take paid time off to vote but do not actually vote?

If an employee fails to verify voting using written evidence signed or stamped by an election officer, the employer may make appropriate deductions from the employee's salary or wages for the absent period.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

1 action

Feb 20, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to LABOR AND INDUSTRY, Feb. 20, 2025

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →