# Pennsylvania HB 1505: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in preliminary provisions, providing for standardized testing study; in grounds and buildings, repealing provisions relating to lead testing and providing for lead testing; providing for school facilities; in certification of teachers, further providing for special education certificate grade spans and age levels and duties of department, for program of continuing professional and paraprofessional education, for continuing professional education for school or system leaders and for Pennsylvania school leadership standards, repealing provisions relating to permit for classroom monitors and * * * Pennsylvania HB 1505, An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in preliminary provisions, providing for standardized testing study; in grounds and buildings, repealing provisions relating to lead testing and providing for lead testing; providing for school facilities; in certification of teachers, further providing for special education certificate grade spans and age levels and duties of department, for program of continuing professional and paraprofessional education, for continuing professional education for school or system leaders and for Pennsylvania school leadership standards, repealing provisions relating to permit for classroom monitors and * * *, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Liz Hanbidge (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-07-12 (Act No. 20 of 2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/PA-HB1505-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Pennsylvania HB 1505 - State: Pennsylvania - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in preliminary provisions, providing for standardized testing study; in grounds and buildings, repealing provisions relating to lead testing and providing for lead testing; providing for school facilities; in certification of teachers, further providing for special education certificate grade spans and age levels and duties of department, for program of continuing professional and paraprofessional education, for continuing professional education for school or system leaders and for Pennsylvania school leadership standards, repealing provisions relating to permit for classroom monitors and * * * - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-05-28 - Last action: 2026-07-12, Act No. 20 of 2026 - Sponsor: Liz Hanbidge (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 30 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 8 (394 yes, 9 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 37 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Schools must act on high lead: benefit, medium. Starting in 2026–27, schools may test drinking water for lead each school year. If lead exceeds 0.005 milligrams per liter, schools must immediately prevent exposure and provide alternative drinking water. Schools must report high results to the Department of Education and post them online. Schools… - Weekly wellness checks for virtual students: benefit, medium. Districts must check students who learn only through their virtual program for the full school year. Checks require live visual contact during weeks with at least three full or partial instructional days. Excused absences and documented home internet or power outages allow exemptions or reschedulin… - Schools get safety and mental-health grants: benefit, medium. For 2026–27, districts that apply receive $100,000 plus a share based on 2024–25 adjusted average daily membership. Intermediate units, area career and technical schools, and charter, regional charter, and cyber charter schools receive $70,000 each. Spending supports school security, behavioral hea… - Colleges must improve Grow aid information: benefit, low. The State System and its universities must advertise Grow Pennsylvania tuition waivers and scholarships and prominently post information online. Participating scholarship colleges must certify applicant eligibility within 30 calendar days after the agency requests it. Colleges must report eligible… - Cyber students get weekly wellness checks: benefit, low. Cyber charters must visually check each student live, online or in person, during weeks with at least three full or partial instructional days. Excused absences and documented home internet or power outages have special rescheduling or exemption rules. Missed checks trigger family contact, notices,… - Educators can use out-of-state training: benefit, low. Educators certified and employed outside Pennsylvania can count that state's approved training credits or hours toward Pennsylvania continuing education. Pennsylvania's Education Department may reject training that is not comparable to its approved options. When educators report an out-of-state mov… - Higher scholarship income and award limits: benefit, low. The Ready-to-Succeed Scholarship household income limit rises from $200,000 to $208,000. The agency can raise it in future award years using regional consumer inflation. Students must still meet the program's other eligibility requirements. Beginning July 1, 2026, the program's maximum award must b… - More college courses can qualify: benefit, low. A course can qualify under the applicable aid program if it matches a Grow Pennsylvania in-demand occupation and receives agency approval. A program at another college can also count as a trade. It must share a Classification of Instructional Programs code with a program at Pennsylvania College of… - Parents gain school measurement privacy choices: benefit, low. Parents can opt children out of school height and weight measurements through a written request. Schools must explain how to request this exemption. A school nurse or other health care practitioner, not a teacher, must take measurements and protect student privacy. For required health reporting, a… - Penn College can add applied degrees: benefit, low. Pennsylvania College of Technology may offer applied-science bachelor's degrees tied to technical education, workforce needs, and high-priority Pennsylvania occupations. Programs must build on or connect with associate programs, emphasize career-focused learning, include general education, and rece… - Students can appeal career-program approval decisions: benefit, low. Students can seek agency review of whether their course of study leads to an in-demand job. Their college must consent to the appeal. General or pre-major students must certify with their college that they are not undeclared and intend to enter a qualifying program. Students already enrolled in a q… - Students gain privacy in health lessons: benefit, low. Schools cannot calculate a student's body mass index during lessons on personal health, nutrition, or physical fitness. Lessons that collect students' height and weight must protect their privacy. The ban does not cover separate calculations used for the law's reporting purposes. - Charter schools get special education help: benefit, low. Starting in 2026–2027, $5 million each year supports qualifying charter schools established in a first-class school district. The money covers extraordinary special education costs for students with disabilities. The Education Secretary must approve the costs, which follow the law's calculation met… - Classroom monitors face clear teaching limits: benefit, low. Through June 30, 2029, permitted classroom monitors may deliver assignments already planned by the classroom's professional or temporary professional employee. Monitors cannot plan lessons or create or grade student work. One assignment cannot exceed 20 cumulative school days. Schools must request… - Extended help for financially troubled schools: benefit, low. The Education Department may use up to $7 million in qualifying unused education funds during fiscal years 2025–2026 and 2026–2027. Assistance is limited to districts in financial recovery, financial watch, or transition-period oversight. The law extends the assistance period through 2026–2027. - Extra funding for four school districts: benefit, low. Four qualifying districts receive additional basic education payments for 2025–2026: $2.5 million, $1 million, $3.5 million, and $1 million. Eligibility depends on county class, 2021–2022 adjusted average daily membership, and current spending criteria. These payments also count toward each recipie… - Families get eating disorder awareness resources: benefit, low. Schools must annually post eating-disorder resources for families and key staff serving grades 6–12. The Education and Health Departments must provide multilingual materials on prevention, warning signs, risks, and support, updated at least every five years. Schools need not incur costs or print, m… - More preschool providers and instruction standards: benefit, low. Intermediate units can become state pre-kindergarten grant providers if they meet all Education Department quality standards. Grant-funded providers must offer at least 180 instructional days, or 900 hours for full-day programs or 450 for half-day programs. Full-day programs must provide at least f… - More ways to teach money skills: benefit, low. Rigorous coursework focused on personal finance can satisfy the applicable school requirement within business, economics, math, social studies, technical, or related courses. Qualifying options include college-level courses and concentrated career and technical programs. The Education Department mu… - Residential schools can receive tuition help: benefit, low. For fiscal year 2026–2027, the Education Department may use qualifying unused funds from the orphans and placed-children tuition appropriation. Funds can help licensed residential private academic schools cover tuition for students placed by courts or agencies in 2025–2026. The student's home schoo… - School emergency maps face security rules: benefit, low. New school mapping contracts funded partly or fully by Pennsylvania must meet accuracy, technical, and security standards. Maps must include site-verified floor plans and hazards, work with public-safety systems, and keep contract data within U.S. borders. Authorized police and emergency responders… - School safety leaders get prevention training: benefit, low. Training standards for school safety coordinators must include suicide awareness and prevention, plus bullying and cyberbullying prevention. The committee must set these standards by December 31, 2026, or 180 days after this provision takes effect, whichever is later. The yearly training limit rema… - Students get social media safety standards: benefit, low. State education standards must address how social media and mobile devices affect students and learning. They must cover safe use, suspicious online behavior, and personal security on mobile devices. The Education Department must provide materials to public and nonpublic schools and offer related e… - Technical programs gain earlier completion flexibility: benefit, low. The Education Secretary must waive the rule that career and technical programs end in twelfth grade. Programs can end earlier, but cannot continue beyond twelfth grade. Waiver authority ends three years after the provision takes effect or when final regulations are issued, whichever comes first. St… - Community colleges keep funding and pilot: benefit, low. For fiscal year 2026–2027, each community college receives operating support equal to its 2025–2026 operating-cost reimbursement. Its economic development stipend also matches its 2025–2026 amount. The community college pilot lasts five full school years instead of three, beginning with 2023–2024.… - Stricter cyber school attendance and transfers: cost, medium. Cyber charter students taking self-paced lessons must receive an absence when they miss the required weekly attendance benchmark. Schools cannot substitute another consequence. Before midyear enrollment, cyber charters must request attendance and truancy records; prior schools have five business da… - More school leaders face training rules: cost, low. People holding qualifying Education Department commission qualification letters are covered by professional educator continuing education rules. School leader education and leadership standards also cover those serving under qualifying letters. Those leader rules now include assistant directors of… - Penn College graduate degrees need approval: cost, low. Pennsylvania College of Technology cannot offer graduate degrees unless the General Assembly authorizes them in a separate law. The restriction does not apply to graduate programs at other colleges. - School maintenance grants await dedicated funding: cost, low. The school maintenance project grant program no longer has a fixed July 1, 2026 start date. It begins in the first fiscal year with money specifically appropriated for the school facilities article. Schools cannot rely on the former date to access grants. - Universities lose unused waiver reimbursements: cost, low. The state no longer makes a later payment to the State System when fewer than 300 tuition waivers are awarded. The repealed payment was based on the gap between 300 waivers and the number awarded. This removes institutional funding, not individual students' waiver eligibility. - Grow aid eligibility and work commitments: mixed, medium. Grow Pennsylvania tuition waivers and scholarship grants exclude applicants who already hold a bachelor's degree, its equivalent, or a master's degree. Students in accelerated master's programs may complete that degree before fulfilling their post-study work agreement. Recipients must live in Penns… - More state funding for school districts: mixed, medium. For 2026–2027, districts receive $526.44 million in adequacy supplements and $32.202 million in tax equity supplements. Each district's share follows the state's funding formulas. An extra payment brings combined supplements up to $50,000 when they fall below that amount. Recipients cannot seek cer… - Yearly residency proof for cyber-school families: mixed, low. Cyber charter schools must notify a student's home district within 10 days of enrollment. Each year, schools must notify families between July 1 and September 15 to submit residency proof by September 30. Schools must send that information to districts by October 15. Students identified as homeless… - Libraries receive aid using prior-year shares: mixed, low. For fiscal year 2026–27, each library's state aid follows its share of the 2025–26 subsidy. The State Librarian can distribute remaining funds. Standards can be waived if funding falls below the inflation-adjusted 2002–03 level. Library-system boards can set local distributions, but changes affecti… - Cyber school payments require residency proof: mixed, low. Districts may hold cyber charter tuition payments when required enrollment notices and residency proof are missing. The Education Department cannot deduct that student's tuition from district funds until proof is provided. Once documents arrive, districts must pay outstanding current-year tuition w… - Districts can fund later school starts: mixed, low. Districts may use specified existing appropriations and available unreserved or undesignated balances to plan, implement, or operate later start times. Before adoption, districts must post the proposal online and seek comments at two advertised public board meetings. Afterward, they must report the… - School aid carries tax-exception limits: mixed, low. Districts accepting the specified adequacy or tax equity supplements cannot seek a Taxpayer Relief Act referendum exception. The ban covers the 2025–26, 2026–27, and 2027–28 school years. Districts do not have to apply for or accept this funding. The law does not specify a household tax savings amo… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Liz Hanbidge (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Benjamin V. Sanchez (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Carol Hill-Evans (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Chris Pielli (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Dane Watro (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Danielle Friel Otten (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Dave Madsen (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Gina H. Curry (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Greg Scott (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jacklyn Rusnock (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jeanne McNeill (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jennifer O'Mara (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Joe Ciresi (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Joe Webster (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Justin C. Fleming (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Keith S. Harris (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kristine C. Howard (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: La'Tasha D. Mayes (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Maureen E. Madden (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Melissa Cerrato (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Nancy Guenst (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Nikki Rivera (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Robert Freeman (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Robert E. Merski (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Scott Conklin (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Steven R. Malagari (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Tarah Probst (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Tarik Khan (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Tim Briggs (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Tina M. Davis (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-07-12 | Senate | House Bill 1505 PN3764, Final Passage | pass | 45 | 5 | | | 2026-07-11 | committee | 21 1 | pass | 21 | 1 | | | 2026-07-11 | committee | 21 1 | pass | 21 | 1 | | | 2026-06-23 | committee | 10 0 | pass | 10 | 0 | | | 2025-07-07 | committee | 37 0 | pass | 37 | 0 | | | 2025-07-07 | House | House Bill 1505 PN1760, FINAL PASSAGE | pass | 202 | 1 | | | 2025-07-01 | committee | 33 0 | pass | 33 | 0 | | | 2025-06-17 | committee | 25 1 | pass | 25 | 1 | | ## Actions (24) - 2026-07-12: Act No. 20 of 2026 (Governor) - 2026-07-12: Approved by the Governor (Governor) - 2026-07-12: Presented to the Governor (House) - 2026-07-12: Signed in Senate (House) - 2026-07-12: Signed in House (House) - 2026-07-12: House concurred in Senate amendments (172-30) (House) - 2026-07-12: Re-reported on concurrence, as committed (House) - 2026-07-12: Referred to Rules (House) - 2026-07-12: Third consideration and final passage (45-5) (Senate) - 2026-07-11: Re-reported as amended (Senate) - 2026-06-24: Re-referred to Appropriations (Senate) - 2026-06-24: Second consideration (Senate) - 2026-06-23: First consideration (Senate) - 2026-06-23: Reported as committed (Senate) - 2025-07-14: Referred to Education (Senate) - 2025-07-07: Third consideration and final passage (202-1) (House) - 2025-07-07: Re-reported as committed (House) - 2025-07-01: Re-committed to Appropriations (House) - 2025-07-01: Second consideration (House) - 2025-07-01: Re-reported as committed (House) - 2025-06-17: Re-committed to Rules (House) - 2025-06-17: First consideration (House) - 2025-06-17: Reported as committed (House) - 2025-05-28: Referred to Children & Youth (House) ## Bill text - PN 3764, 2026-07-11: [HTML](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/HTM/2025/0/HB1505/PN3764), [PDF](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/DOC/2025/0/HB1505/PN3764), [PDF](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2025/0/HB1505/PN3764) - PN 1760, 2025-05-28: [HTML](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/HTM/2025/0/HB1505/PN1760), [PDF](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/DOC/2025/0/HB1505/PN1760), [PDF](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2025/0/HB1505/PN1760) ## Related bills - HB 2545: An Act providing for insurance coverage for vaginal estrogen for the treatment of menopausal symptoms and urinary tract infections. (passed house) - HB 1827: An Act providing for medical assistance coverage and insurance coverage of screening, prevention and treatment measures for osteoporosis as a result of menopau… (passed house) - HB 2826: An Act amending Title 40 (Insurance) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for firefighter cancer screening and for firefighter cancer screening… (passed house) - HB 2023: An Act amending the act of April 6, 1951 (P.L.69, No.20), known as The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, in recovery of possession, further providing for hearin… (passed house) - HB 1345: An Act amending the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Human Services Code, in public assistance, providing for medical assistance coverage for… (passed house) - HB 1346: An Act amending the act of May 17, 1921 (P.L.682, No.284), known as The Insurance Company Law of 1921, in casualty insurance, providing for menopause treatment… (passed house) ## Sources - [PN 3764 (HTML)](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/HTM/2025/0/HB1505/PN3764) - [PN 3764 (PDF)](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/DOC/2025/0/HB1505/PN3764) - [PN 3764 (PDF)](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2025/0/HB1505/PN3764) - [PN 1760 (HTML)](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/HTM/2025/0/HB1505/PN1760) - [PN 1760 (PDF)](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/DOC/2025/0/HB1505/PN1760) - [PN 1760 (PDF)](https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2025/0/HB1505/PN1760) ## Related - [HB 2545: An Act providing for insurance coverage for vaginal estrogen for the treatment…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/PA-HB2545-2025-2026) - [HB 1827: An Act providing for medical assistance coverage and insurance coverage of scre…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/PA-HB1827-2025-2026) - [HB 2826: An Act amending Title 40 (Insurance) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes,…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/PA-HB2826-2025-2026) - [HB 2023: An Act amending the act of April 6, 1951 (P.L.69, No.20), known as The Landlord…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/PA-HB2023-2025-2026) - [HB 1345: An Act amending the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Human Se…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/PA-HB1345-2025-2026) - [HB 1346: An Act amending the act of May 17, 1921 (P.L.682, No.284), known as The Insuran…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/PA-HB1346-2025-2026) - [Pennsylvania bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/pennsylvania/bills) - [Pennsylvania state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/pennsylvania) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/PA-HB1505-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-17).