Pennsylvania HB 24: An Act providing for off-campus student housing rights.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 5
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 24
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY CIRESI, KHAN, SANCHEZ, GIRAL, HILL-EVANS,
SCHLOSSBERG, FRANKEL, HOHENSTEIN, FREEMAN, KENYATTA, CEPEDA-
FREYTIZ, GALLAGHER AND OTTEN, JANUARY 8, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
JANUARY 8, 2025
AN ACT
Providing for off-campus student housing rights.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Off-Campus
Student Housing Tenant Rights Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Bill of rights." The student bill of rights provided for
under section 3.
"Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
"Institution of higher education." A public or private two-
year or four-year or postsecondary institution of higher
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education in this Commonwealth that has been accredited at the
college level by an accrediting agency recognized by the United
States Secretary of Education.
Section 3. Student bill of rights.
(a) Creation.--The department shall create and distribute a
bill of rights to institutions of higher education in this
Commonwealth. The bill of rights shall include information about
renting, including harassment and discrimination, and include
the following rights:
(1) To live in a habitable dwelling.
(2) To residential privacy.
(3) To a hearing prior to eviction.
(4) To receive a writ of possession prior to eviction.
(5) For an individual with disabilities to request
reasonable accommodations.
(6) To visitors.
(7) To utility access.
(b) Notice.--An institution of higher education shall
distribute a bill of rights to each student who is enrolled at
the institution of higher education, and each newly enrolled
student thereafter. The institution of higher education shall
provide to each student enrolled, along with the bill of rights,
a list of the most recent contact information for the municipal
code enforcement office where the institution of higher
education is located and for all municipal code enforcement
offices in adjacent municipalities.
Section 4. Off-campus student certification course.
(a) Course creation.--The department shall create an online
course to educate new students of their rights as tenants.
(b) Course requirements.--The following criteria shall apply
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to the online course under subsection (a):
(1) The online course shall be one instructional session
which can be viewed via a secure Internet website.
(2) The online course shall provide:
(i) Tenant rights provided under Federal, State or
local law, ordinance or court precedent.
(ii) The actions students may take when experiencing
unsafe housing.
(iii) Other relevant information the department
deems appropriate for inclusion in the online course.
(3) All students of the institution of higher education
enrolled after the effective date of this paragraph shall be
required to view the online course. Documentation of the
successful completion of the online course by each student
shall be maintained by the institution of higher education.
An institution of higher education may charge a fee of not
more than $50 to a student who fails to view the online
course under this section by the end of the student's first
semester.
(4) An institution of higher education may create and
administer the institution's own off-campus student
certification online course. Written notification and all
electronic files, documents and a completed copy of the
online course must be provided to the department.
Section 5. Effective date.
This act shall take effect January 1, 2026, or immediately,
whichever is later.
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