Pennsylvania HB 2695: An Act providing for the establishment of an education program to assist physicians, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse practitioners in recognizing and understanding cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, for continuing medical education for physicians and physician assistants, for continuing nursing education for clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse practitioners and for report of diagnosis by physicians.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 3762
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2695
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY PARKER, SOLOMON, SANCHEZ, TIBURCIO, WAXMAN,
GUZMAN, HADDOCK, PROBST, HILL-EVANS, CARROLL, MAYES,
D. WILLIAMS, CIRESI, PASHINSKI, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, INGLIS,
CURRY, FLEMING, BOYD, HOHENSTEIN, K. HARRIS AND KINKEAD,
JULY 8, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, JULY 11, 2026
AN ACT
Amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in support matters generally, further
providing for assistance recipients to seek support, for
cooperation required and for enforcement of cooperation
requirements.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 4378(a) of Title 23 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended and the section is amended by
adding a subsection to read:
§ 4378. Assistance recipients to seek support.
(a) Seeking support required.--[Prior] Except as provided
under subsection (a.1), prior to authorization, every applicant
for assistance whose circumstances include the reported absence
of a legally responsible relative from the household or the
presence of a putative father shall appear before the domestic
relations section or other applicable division of the court of
common pleas. Upon the request of a family court or domestic
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relations section, the secretary is authorized to waive the
requirement of personal appearance before a family court or
domestic relations section if another procedure would be as
efficient and effective. Subject to Federal approval, only when
necessary, assistance shall not be authorized by the department
until it has been certified that the applicant has cooperated in
determining paternity and enforcing support.
(a.1) Cooperation by nonparents of relative children.--
(1) Subject to Federal approval and only when necessary,
an applicant for assistance who is a nonparent of a relative
child may choose whether to cooperate in seeking and
obtaining support payments for a relative child with respect
to whom the assistance is claimed if:
(i) the parent is suffering from or in recovery from
drug or alcohol addiction;
(ii) the parent suffers from a mental health
problem;
(iii) the parent's whereabouts are unknown to the
nonparent relative caregiver;
(iv) the parent is incarcerated or otherwise
institutionalized;
(v) the parent has been convicted of a crime;
(vi) the parent is deceased;
(vii) the nonparent relative is eligible to file for
custody, has filed for custody or has received an
adjudication awarding custody of the child;
(viii) the nonparent relative is exercising care and
control of the child as a result of action taken by a
children and youth social service agency; or
(ix) the nonparent relative has been awarded
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guardianship of the child.
(2) The department shall accept as verification a self-
attestation of the nonparent applicant on a form provided by
the department that one or more of the factors under
paragraph (1) are met.
(3) As used in this subsection, the following words and
phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
paragraph unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Blood relative." An individual of whole or half blood.
"Fifth degree of kinship." A great-great grandparent,
great-great-great grandparent and other relationship prefixed
by great, great-great, grand or great-grand. The term does
not include a second cousin or more remote cousin.
"First cousin once removed." The child of an
individual's first cousin or the first cousin of an
individual's parent.
"Nonparent of a relative child." In relation to a
dependent child, a grandparent, step-grandparent or other
blood relative who is within the fifth degree of kinship to
the dependent child, including a first cousin once removed.
* * *
Section 2. Sections 4379(1)(iv) and 4380(a) of Title 23 are
amended to read:
§ 4379. Cooperation required.
In accordance with a child support plan approved by the
Federal Government, the department shall have the power and its
duty shall be to:
(1) Require as a condition of eligibility for assistance
that an applicant or recipient:
* * *
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(iv) [Cooperate] Subject to section 4378(a.1)
(relating to assistance recipients to seek support),
cooperate in obtaining support payments for such
applicant or recipient and for a child with respect to
whom such assistance is claimed or in obtaining any other
payment or property due such applicant, recipient or such
child unless the department determines that the applicant
or recipient has good cause for failing to do so.
* * *
§ 4380. Enforcement of cooperation requirements.
(a) Cooperation required.--It is essential to the effective
and responsible utilization of assistance