Pennsylvania SB 1367: An Act providing for social bias and cultural competence training for public employees and licensees and imposing duties on the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1781
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1367
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY L. WILLIAMS, COLLETT, HAYWOOD, FONTANA,
TARTAGLIONE, KIM, KEARNEY, COSTA, CAPPELLETTI AND SCHWANK,
JUNE 5, 2026
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 5, 2026
AN ACT
Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled
"An act concerning elections, including general, municipal,
special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates,
primary and election expenses and election contests; creating
and defining membership of county boards of elections;
imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth,
courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners;
imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying,
revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and
repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to
elections," in preliminary provisions, further providing for
definitions; in voting by qualified absentee electors,
further providing for approval of application for absentee
ballot and for canvassing of official absentee ballots and
mail-in ballots; in voting by qualified mail-in electors,
further providing for approval of application for mail-in
ballot; and, in Election Integrity Grant Program, further
providing for funding for elections.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Sections 102(q.1), 1302.2(c), 1308(g)(1.1) and
(2), 1302.2-D(a)(3) and 1602-A(j)(1) of the act of June 3, 1937
(P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, are
amended to read:
Section 102. Definitions.--The following words, when used in
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this act, shall have the following meanings, unless otherwise
clearly apparent from the context:
* * *
(q.1) The word "pre-canvass" shall mean the inspection and
opening of all envelopes containing official absentee ballots or
mail-in ballots, the removal of such ballots from the envelopes
and the [counting, computing and tallying of the votes reflected
on the ballots.] preparation of the ballots for scanning,
including unfolding, straightening and duplicating, if the
ballot is damaged in some way that prevents it from being
scanned, but where the voter's intent is still clear. The term
includes scanning the ballot into a voting machine or other
automatic tabulating device, if the equipment used by the county
board of elections permits a ballot to be scanned without
tabulating or counting the votes on the ballot scanned. The term
does not include the examination of unopened absentee or mail-in
ballot envelopes for processing, detecting voter errors or
recording or publishing of the votes reflected on the ballots.
* * *
Section 1302.2. Approval of Application for Absentee
Ballot.--
* * *
(c) The county board of elections, upon receipt of any
application of a qualified elector required to be registered
under the provisions of preceding section 1301, shall determine
the qualifications of such applicant by verifying the proof of
identification and comparing the information set forth on such
application with the information contained on the applicant's
permanent registration card. If the board is satisfied that the
applicant is qualified to receive an official absentee ballot,
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the application shall be marked "approved." Such approval
decision shall be final and binding, except that challenges may
be made only on the ground that the applicant was not a
qualified elector. Such challenges must be made to the county
board of elections prior to five o'clock p.m. on the Friday
prior to the election or prior to the pre-canvass of an
elector's absentee ballot, whichever is earlier: Provided,
however, That a challenge to an application for an absentee
ballot shall not be permitted on the grounds that the elector
used an application for an absentee ballot instead of an
application for a mail-in ballot or on the grounds that the
elector used an application for a mail-in ballot instead of an
application for an absentee ballot.
* * *
Section 1308. Canvassing of Official Absentee Ballots and
Mail-in Ballots.--* * *
(g) * * *
(1.1) The county board of elections shall meet no earlier
than [seven] nine o'clock A.M. on the seventh day prior to
election day and no later than seven o'clock A.M. on election
day to pre-canvass all ballots received prior to the meeting.
The pre-canvass meeting may continue until eight o'clock P.M. on
election day. A county board of elections shall provide at least
forty-eight hours' notice of a pre-canvass meeting by publicly
posting a notice of a pre-canvass meeting on its publicly
accessible Internet website. One authorized representative of
each candidate in an election and one representative from each
political party shall be permitted to remain in the room in
which the absentee ballots and mail-in ballots are pr