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HB 979PENNSYLVANIASession 2025-2026State Billin committee

High Impact

Pennsylvania requires executive agencies to assess improper payments and publish data online

Original title: An Act amending Title 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for the assessment of improper payments by Commonwealth agencies and for public information on payments and programs of Commonwealth agencies.

Last action · March 19, 2025: Referred to STATE GOVERNMENT, March 19, 2025Sponsors: Valerie Gaydos and 7 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

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What This Bill Would Do

Pennsylvania executive agencies must conduct biennial assessments of s for non-Federal programs starting within 120 days of enactment, establish corrective action plans for high-risk programs to reduce error rates below 3%, and publish the findings on a public website maintained by the Office of the Budget.

Why it matters

Commonwealth agencies must redirect resources to track, report, and correct financial overpayments, underpayments, and funds sent to ineligible recipients, with full data made accessible to taxpayers and fiscal oversight bodies.

Background

House Bill 979 was introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly during the 2025-2026 legislative session by Representative Gaydos. 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

Commonwealth agencies

Executive agencies must conduct biennial improper payment risk assessments, utilize statistical sampling, file reports with fiscal oversight offices, and implement corrective action plans.

Directly affected

Office of the Budget

The office must build and maintain a public internet website displaying agency assessments, error rates, and recovery statistics.

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 programs are evaluated under this measure?

Commonwealth executive agencies must evaluate any program that utilizes Federal or State funds and is not explicitly required under Federal law.

Where can members of the public view the results of these assessments?

The Office of the Budget is required to maintain a publicly accessible internet website detailing each agency's assessments, error rates, high-risk programs, and corrective action plans.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

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

Procedural history

1 action

Mar 19, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to STATE GOVERNMENT, March 19, 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 requires state agencies to join federal Do-Not-Pay Initiative to curb improper payments

Pennsylvania state agencies that handle federal funds are required to sign a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to j

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift95% confidence

Mandatory Error Rate Caps

The bill introduces a concrete 3% error rate ceiling that high-risk programs are legally required to target through corrective action plans.

Commonwealth agency Office of the Budget

Connected Entities

Department of the Auditor General, Treasury Department, Office of the Inspector General and 4 more

OrganizationDepartment of the Auditor General“Receives electronic copies of agency improper payment assessments and excluded f”Map →

OrganizationTreasury Department“Excluded from the definition of a Commonwealth agency under the bill.”Map →

OrganizationOffice of the Inspector General“Receives electronic copies of biennial improper payment assessments.”Map →

OrganizationOffice of the Budget“Maintains a publicly accessible Internet website informing the public of imprope”Map →

OrganizationIndependent Fiscal Office“Receives electronic copies of biennial improper payment assessments.”Map →

PersonSecretary of the Budget“Receives electronic copies of biennial improper payment assessments.”Map →

OrganizationOffice of Attorney General“Excluded from the definition of a Commonwealth agency under the bill.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.palegis.us

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy15
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

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