Pennsylvania HB 300: An Act amending the act of October 27, 1955 (P.L.744, No.222), known as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, further providing for the title of the act, for findings and declaration of policy, for right to freedom from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation, for definitions, for unlawful discriminatory practices and for prohibition of certain real estate practices; providing for protection of religious exercise; and further providing for powers and duties of the commission and for construction and exclusiveness of remedy.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1797
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 300
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY KENYATTA, BENHAM, FRANKEL, SMITH-WADE-EL, MAYES,
SCOTT, SALISBURY, CARROLL, FIEDLER, RABB, WAXMAN, KINKEAD,
SAMUELSON, BRENNAN, HANBIDGE, HILL-EVANS, FREEMAN, VENKAT,
PROBST, PIELLI, SCHLOSSBERG, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, BOROWSKI, KHAN,
RIVERA, WEBSTER, McNEILL, INGLIS, MALAGARI, SANCHEZ, POWELL,
OTTEN, KRAJEWSKI, T. DAVIS, BURGOS, SHUSTERMAN, FLEMING,
SCHWEYER, O'MARA, HOHENSTEIN, HOWARD AND STEELE, JUNE 2, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, JUNE 2, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of October 27, 1955 (P.L.744, No.222), entitled
"An act prohibiting certain practices of discrimination
because of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age or
national origin by employers, employment agencies, labor
organizations and others as herein defined; creating the
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in the Governor's
Office; defining its functions, powers and duties; providing
for procedure and enforcement; providing for formulation of
an educational program to prevent prejudice; providing for
judicial review and enforcement and imposing penalties,"
further providing for the title of the act, for findings and
declaration of policy, for right to freedom from
discrimination in employment, housing and public
accommodation, for definitions, for unlawful discriminatory
practices and for prohibition of certain real estate
practices; providing for protection of religious exercise;
and further providing for powers and duties of the commission
and for construction and exclusiveness of remedy.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The title and sections 2 and 3 of the act of
October 27, 1955 (P.L.744, No.222), known as the Pennsylvania
Human Relations Act, are amended to read:
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AN ACT
Prohibiting certain practices of discrimination because of race,
color, religious creed, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, age or national origin by
employers, employment agencies, labor organizations and
others as herein defined; creating the Pennsylvania Human
Relations Commission in the Governor's Office; defining its
functions, powers and duties; providing for procedure and
enforcement; providing for formulation of an educational
program to prevent prejudice; providing for judicial review
and enforcement and imposing penalties.
Section 2. Findings and Declaration of Policy.--
(a) The practice or policy of discrimination against
individuals or groups by reason of their race, color, familial
status, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, national origin, handicap or
disability, use of guide or support animals because of the
blindness, deafness or physical handicap of the user or because
the user is a handler or trainer of support or guide animals is
a matter of concern of the Commonwealth. Such discrimination
foments domestic strife and unrest, threatens the rights and
privileges of the inhabitants of the Commonwealth, and
undermines the foundations of a free democratic state. The
denial of equal employment, housing and public accommodation
opportunities because of such discrimination, and the consequent
failure to utilize the productive capacities of individuals to
their fullest extent, deprives large segments of the population
of the Commonwealth of earnings necessary to maintain decent
standards of living, necessitates their resort to public relief
and intensifies group conflicts, thereby resulting in grave
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injury to the public health and welfare, compels many
individuals to live in dwellings which are substandard,
unhealthful and overcrowded, resulting in racial segregation in
public schools and other community facilities, juvenile
delinquency and other evils, thereby threatening the peace,
health, safety and general welfare of the Commonwealth and its
inhabitants. Public policies, reflecting an open and welcoming
environment and ensuring equal opportunity, foster economic
growth and prosperity which benefit the inhabitants of this
Commonwealth. Conversely, the absence of nondiscrimination
protections hinders efforts to recruit and retain the diversity
of talented individuals and successful enterprises required for
a thriving economy and strong public sector on which the
inhabitants of this Commonwealth depend.
(b) It is hereby declared to be the public policy of this
Commonwealth to foster the employment of all individuals in
accordance with their fullest capacities regardless of their
race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin,
handicap or disability, use of guide or support animals because
of the blindness, deafness or physical handicap of the user or
because the user