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HB 462PENNSYLVANIASession 2025-2026State Billpassed chamber

Passed

Pennsylvania House Bill 462 extends the time limit for sexual abuse lawsuits and removes immunity defenses for government agencies

Original title: An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in limitation of time, further providing for infancy, insanity or imprisonment; in matters affecting government units, further providing for exceptions to sovereign immunity and for exceptions to governmental immunity; and making a repeal.

Last action · June 24, 2026: Resolution to discharge committee from further consideration of this bill dropped from calendar, June 23, 2026Sponsors: Nate Davidson and 33 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Would Do

House Bill 462 allows individuals who experienced sexual abuse as minors up to 37 years after turning 18 to file civil lawsuits, provides a temporary two-year window to revive expired claims, and lifts sovereign and for state and local agencies found negligent in abuse cases.

Why it matters

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse whose claims were previously blocked by expired time limits gain a new two-year window to seek civil damages, and public bodies can now be held financially liable for negligence related to abuse.

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

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Individuals gain an extended timeline to file civil claims and a temporary two-year window to revive previously expired lawsuits.

Directly affected

Commonwealth parties and local agencies

State and local government units lose sovereign and governmental immunity protections in civil suits where their negligence caused injuries related to sexual abuse.

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

Can I sue a local government agency or the Commonwealth if negligence led to sexual abuse?

Yes, the bill amends exceptions to sovereign and , allowing liability and damages claims against Commonwealth parties and local agencies whose negligence caused injuries from sexual abuse.

What happens if the statute of limitations for my case has already expired?

The bill creates a temporary two-year window from the effective date of the subsection for individuals who were under 18 at the time of the abuse to revive and commence an action, provided the case is not already subject to a final unappealed judgment or a nonjudicial settlement.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

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

Procedural history

13 actions

Jun 24, 2026Senate
Resolution to discharge committee from further consideration of this bill dropped from calendar, June 23, 2026
Jun 24, 2026Senate
Resolution to discharge committee from further consideration of this bill presented, May 4, 2026
Jun 18, 2025SenateCommittee
Referred to JUDICIARY, June 18, 2025
Jun 18, 2025Senate
In the Senate
Jun 9, 2025HouseFloor
Third consideration and final passage, June 9, 2025 (122-80)
Jun 9, 2025HouseCommittee
Re-reported as committed, June 9, 2025

Show 7 earlier actions

May 14, 2025House
Re-committed to APPROPRIATIONS, May 14, 2025
May 14, 2025HouseFloor
Second consideration, May 14, 2025
May 13, 2025House
Removed from table, May 13, 2025
May 6, 2025House
Laid on the table, May 6, 2025
May 6, 2025HouseIntroduced
First consideration, May 6, 2025
May 6, 2025HouseCommittee
Reported as committed, May 6, 2025
Feb 4, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to JUDICIARY, Feb. 4, 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.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift98% confidence

Removal of Immunity for Government Agencies in Abuse Cases

The bill explicitly allows negligence claims against both Commonwealth parties and local agencies regarding sexual abuse, reversing prior immunity protections.

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Connected Entities

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

OrganizationSupreme Court of Pennsylvania“Granted extraordinary jurisdiction to hear challenges or render declaratory judg”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.palegis.us

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy75
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz45
Current news / social attention level

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