Pennsylvania HB 2596: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, providing for supplemental online course initiative; and establishing the Online Course Clearinghouse Restricted Account.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 3522
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2596
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY HOWARD, KHAN, GUZMAN, WAXMAN, HILL-EVANS, BURGOS,
FREEMAN, SANCHEZ, INGLIS AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, JUNE 3, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER PROTECTION, TECHNOLOGY AND
UTILITIES, JUNE 4, 2026
AN ACT
Providing for public utility credit reporting; and imposing
duties on public utilities.
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 Public
Utility Credit 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:
"Public utility." Any of the following:
(1) A person or corporation owning or operating in this
Commonwealth equipment or facilities for:
(i) Producing, generating, transmitting,
distributing or furnishing natural or artificial gas,
electricity or steam for the production of light, heat or
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power to or for the public for compensation.
(ii) Diverting, developing, pumping, impounding,
distributing or furnishing water to or for the public for
compensation.
(iii) Transporting passengers or property as a
common carrier.
(iv) Use as a canal, turnpike, tunnel, bridge, wharf
and other transportation facilities for the public for
compensation.
(v) Transporting or conveying natural or artificial
gas, crude oil, gasoline or petroleum products, materials
for refrigeration, oxygen or nitrogen or other fluid
substance, by pipeline or conduit, for the public for
compensation.
(vi) Conveying or transmitting messages or
communications by telephone or telegraph or domestic
public land mobile radio service, including, but not
limited to, point-to-point microwave radio service for
the public for compensation.
(vii) Wastewater collection, treatment or disposal
for the public for compensation.
(viii) Providing limousine service in a county of
the second class under 66 Pa.C.S. Ch. 11 Subch. B
(relating to limousine service in counties of the second
class).
(2) The term does not include:
(i) An individual or corporation, not otherwise a
public utility, that furnishes service only to the
individual or itself.
(ii) A bona fide cooperative association that
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furnishes service only to its stockholders or members on
a nonprofit basis.
(iii) A producer of natural gas not engaged in
distributing the gas directly to the public for
compensation.
(iv) A building or facility owner/operator who holds
ownership over and manages the internal distribution
system serving the building or facility and who supplies
electric power and other related electric power services
to occupants of the building or facility.
(v) An electric generation supplier company, except
for the limited purposes described in 66 Pa.C.S. §§ 2809
(relating to requirements for electric generation
suppliers) and 2810 (relating to revenue-neutral
reconciliation).
(vi) Service as follows:
(A) A water or sewer service provided to
independently owned user premises by an individual or
corporation that owns and operates as a primary
business a resort where:
(I) the service provided is from a point
within the boundaries of the resort's property
and is provided to no more than 100 independently
owned user premises for each type of service;
(II) the service is verified by the resort,
in a form and manner prescribed by the
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, to be
incidental to the supplier's primary resort
business, as evidenced by the gross annual
revenues derived from each type of service
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provided to independently owned user premises
being less than 1% of the annual gross revenues
of the primary resort business;
(III) rates to independently owned user
premises do not exceed the average of the rates
for comparable service provided by two municipal
corporations or municipal authorities or any
combination of the two that are reasonably
proximate to the resort or within the same county
if rural;
(IV) service will not be terminated to any
independently owned user premises in the resort,
unless termination is requested by the user, if
necessary due to nonpayment or to prevent misuse
of the system by a user that impairs or
jeopardizes service to other users and the resort
or if termination is directed by law, regulation
or by a Federal or State agency or governmental
body;
(V) the water and sewer service provided to
the independently owned user premises is the same
service that the resort owner provides to
themselves or their affiliates;
(VI) the resort adopts a resolution
providing that it will not serve any additional
independently owned user premises except if
lawfully directed by any Federal or S