Shapiro signs 58 bills after the last pre-election votes. Four voting days are left

The Pennsylvania General Assembly sent dozens of bills to Gov. Josh Shapiro this week before leaving Harrisburg for the election, and by Thursday afternoon he had signed 58 of them, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported.

Even with that burst, Spotlight PA's analysis found the legislature is on track to pass fewer individual bills in this two-year session than in any session since at least 1973-74. Spotlight noted that budget deals now bundle many unrelated measures, which makes exact counts harder (Spotlight PA). The House has been under Democratic control and the Senate under Republican control for this entire session.

What made it through

From the official bill histories, a sample of what became law on Oct. 22:

• Child Victim Recovery Fund. House Bill 2443, sponsored by Rep. Kyle Mullins, a Lackawanna County Democrat, creates a fund for organizations that support child abuse victims, paid for with an added court fee. Its 44 co-sponsors include 33 Democrats and 11 Republicans. The House passed it 202-0 in June. The Senate amended it and passed it 47-3 on Oct. 21, and the House agreed to the changes 203-0 the same day. It is Act 84 of 2026.
• Rental application fees. House Bill 558, from Rep. MaryLouise Isaacson (D-Philadelphia), limits fees to a landlord's actual administrative costs. Senate Republicans split 13-14 on it. It is Act 67.
• Open meetings. Senate Bill 1150, from Sen. Patrick Stefano (R-Fayette), closes a Sunshine Act loophole on last-minute agenda items. It is Act 103.
• Game Commission searches. Senate Bill 1431, from Sen. Daniel Laughlin (R-Erie), ends Game Commission officers' power to enter private property and investigate without a warrant or probable cause. It passed both chambers unanimously, and the Capital-Star reported it takes effect in December (Capital-Star).
• Abuse material reporting. House Bill 2474, from Rep. Nikki Rivera (D-Lancaster), requires people who work with children to report suspected child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated images, according to the Capital-Star.

The cellphone ban for K-12 schools, Senate Bill 1014, was presented to the governor on Oct. 22. Spotlight PA reported he plans a public signing.

The Senate's last day, by the numbers

On Oct. 21, the Senate voted on 29 bills and confirmed 33 executive nominees 50-0, according to the Senate Democratic caucus's session report. Most of the bills passed with fewer than 10 no votes. The closest were HB 369, which lets more municipalities create land banks (35-15), and HB 558, the rental fee cap (36-14).

What's left on the calendar

The House session schedule lists two more days, Nov. 9 and 10, and the Senate schedule lists Nov. 17 and 18. Those days come after the Nov. 3 election and before new members take office. Spotlight PA reported that these post-election sessions have rarely produced much action.

While the legislature is in session, the governor has 10 days to sign or veto a bill once it reaches him, or it becomes law without his signature, the Capital-Star noted.

What didn't make it

Bills that don't pass both chambers by the end of the session die. Spotlight PA's list of measures likely to fail includes skill games regulation, a constitutional amendment giving child sexual abuse survivors a window to sue, voter ID, a new sentencing law for second-degree murder, several data center bills, rules for automated license plate readers and a ban on most gifts to lawmakers (Spotlight PA). Shapiro's office blamed the Senate Republican majority. "The impediment to progress in our Commonwealth is the Senate Republican majority's intransigence," spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky told Spotlight. Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Westmoreland County Republican, told Spotlight that it is hard to get things done "when you can't trust the person sitting across the table from you."

The next two-year session begins in January, and every bill will start over with a new number.