Alicia's Law is now Act 71, after a year on the House table and a unanimous finish

Pennsylvania will create a state grant program to pay for investigations and prosecutions of people who use the internet to target children, under a bill Gov. Josh Shapiro signed on Oct. 22, City & State Pennsylvania reported.

House Bill 1098, known as Alicia's Law, is named for a Pittsburgh-area survivor of an abduction, according to City & State. The prime sponsor is Rep. Jason Ortitay, a Republican, working with Rep. Jessica Benham, an Allegheny County Democrat. "This legislation puts Pennsylvania on the offensive," Ortitay said, City & State reported.

For families, the point is more resources for the investigators and prosecutors who handle cases of adults targeting children online.

What the records add

Co-sponsors. The bill page lists 16 co-sponsors: 13 Democrats and three Republicans (Reps. Bud Cook, Valerie Gaydos and Brenda Pugh).

A year on the table. The House Judiciary Committee approved an amended version 26-0 on May 5, 2025 (committee vote). That same day, the bill was "laid on the table," and it stayed there for 364 days, until May 4, 2026, according to its history. A bill on the table can't get a floor vote until the majority moves it.

Then it moved fast. Two days after coming off the table, the House passed it 201-0 on May 6, 2026.

Senate wait. The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 7 and reported out on Sept. 28, 144 days later. The Senate Appropriations Committee amended it on Oct. 20, and the full Senate passed it 50-0 on Oct. 21.

Final step. Because the Senate changed it, the bill went back to the House, which agreed to the Senate's version 203-0 the same day. It was signed on Oct. 22 as Act 71 of 2026, 569 days after it was introduced.

Across every floor vote, no member of either chamber voted no.

Related laws signed the same day

City & State also reported that Shapiro signed House Bill 1935, which directs the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing to develop a sentencing enhancement for swatting and lets courts order restitution for costs tied to swatting, including first responders' wages.

Another new law, House Bill 2443, creates a Child Victim Recovery Fund paid for by fees on people convicted of certain offenses against children. Its Senate vote was 47-3 after a reconsideration, with Democratic Sens. Timothy Kearney, Sharif Street and Lindsey Williams voting no.

What happens next

The grant program's details, including which agency runs it and when it starts, are in the final text.

Act 71 was one of 58 bills signed on Oct. 22. See our roundup for others.