The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Pennsylvania House Bill 403 Preempts Municipal Immigration Policies and Mandates Federal Cooperation
Last action · January 31, 2025: Referred to JUDICIARY, Jan. 31, 2025Sponsors: Ryan Warner and 22 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Pennsylvania House Bill 403 prohibits municipalities and local law enforcement agencies from adopting policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, requiring them to honor immigration detainers and share inmate release information. The measure establishes civil penalties for non-compliant municipalities and creates a state fund to support local immigration enforcement cooperation, effective January 1, 2026.
Local governments and police departments face mandatory compliance with federal immigration requests and potential lawsuits from affected residents if local sanctuary-style policies are maintained, while the state assumes legal defense costs for agencies complying in good faith.
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.
Municipalities
Municipalities are barred from enacting or enforcing limits on immigration cooperation and face potential civil liability and large statutory damages if non-compliant policies are maintained.
Law enforcement agencies
Law enforcement agencies are required to honor federal immigration detainers, share inmate release information, and are provided state-funded legal defense for good-faith compliance.
Individuals in custody subject to immigration detainers
Individuals in local custody who are subject to federal immigration detainers must be held according to federal requests and notified of the detainer, unless proof of lawful status is provided.
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
What happens if a local municipality maintains a policy limiting immigration cooperation?
Are local police required to comply with every immigration detainer request?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 31, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to JUDICIARY, Jan. 31, 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.
Sponsors
Show 18 more sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.palegis.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy90Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
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