Altoona Times

On January 8, 2025, Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper announced the adoption of new rules for the House of Representatives for the 2025-26 legislative session. These changes aim to enhance member voices and encourage meaningful discussions in policy debates.

"Facing unprecedented circumstances, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives came together yesterday to adopt operating rules governing the entire 2025-26 Legislative Session that reflect how the House should work in an environment of closely divided government," said Topper. "They are a fair and reasonable representation of the political realities facing our Commonwealth and give members a greater opportunity to be the voice of their constituents in Harrisburg."

The new rules include several key changes:

- Committee splits will now be 14-12 on all standing committees with 13 votes needed to report a bill out of committee. Previously, splits were 14-11 with only 12 votes required.

- The ability to table all amendments to legislation in one bundled group has been removed.

- The process used to discharge bottled-up legislation out of a committee has been revised for fairness.

- There is now a limitation on cutting off debate on matters before the House.

"The House Republican Caucus looks forward to continuing to share our ideas and having a fair hearing on issues of importance to our members and the districts they represent during the course of this session," added Topper.

Republican Leader Jesse Topper represents Pennsylvania's 78th Legislative District. For further information, media contact Jason Gottesman at jgottesman@pahousegop.com or call 717-512-0620.