The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.

HB 879PENNSYLVANIASession 2025-2026State Billdead

Did Not Advance

Pennsylvania House Bill 879 grants the Attorney General concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute certain felonies

Original title: An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in riot, disorderly conduct and related offenses, providing for concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute.

Last action · April 13, 2026: Laid on the table (Pursuant to House Rule 71), April 13, 2026Sponsors: Mary Isaacson and 21 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 Proposed

Official description

An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in riot, disorderly conduct and related offenses, providing for concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute.

Why it matters

Establishes a formal protocol by which state prosecutors can step in to handle local felony cases if county district attorneys fail to respond to requests or formally invite state intervention.

Background

The Pennsylvania Attorney General operates under powers initially defined by the Commonwealth Attorneys Act of 1980. context

Who It Would Have Affected

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

Directly affected

Attorney General

Gains explicit concurrent jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute specified felonies and is required to publish a best practices manual online.

Directly affected

District Attorneys

Must respond to state requests to prosecute felonies within specified timeframes or face automatic deemed approval of state intervention.

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

When can the Attorney General step in to prosecute a local felony case under this bill?

The Attorney General can step in if the local district attorney requests assistance, or if the Attorney General submits a written request to the district attorney and the district attorney fails to respond after 90 days plus an additional 10 days following a certified follow-up notice.

What is required of the Attorney General regarding public transparency?

The Attorney General must develop and maintain a manual of best practices for the investigation and institution of criminal proceedings under this subchapter and publish it on their official website.

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

This bill did not become law - Tabled in the House.

Procedural history

6 actions

Apr 13, 2026House
Laid on the table (Pursuant to House Rule 71), April 13, 2026
Nov 17, 2025House
Removed from table, Nov. 17, 2025
Oct 27, 2025House
Laid on the table, Oct. 27, 2025
Oct 27, 2025HouseIntroduced
First consideration, Oct. 27, 2025
Oct 27, 2025HouseCommittee
Reported as committed, Oct. 27, 2025
Mar 11, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to JUDICIARY, March 11, 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 →

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 895 Creates Citizens' Intervention in Conspiracies Act and Establishes Whistleblower Rewards

Pennsylvania House Bill 895 establishes the Citizens' Intervention in Conspiracies Act, requiring the Office of Attorney General to set up reporting c

Connected Entities

Commonwealth Attorneys Act, Attorney General

otherCommonwealth Attorneys Act“Act of October 15, 1980 governing Attorney General authority”Map →

OrganizationAttorney General“State office granted authority to investigate and institute criminal proceedings”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.palegis.us

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance20
Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
Controversy70
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz35
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools