Lawmakers return to Harrisburg with a short fall runway
Pennsylvania lawmakers return to Harrisburg today after a 10-week recess with a limited window to move legislation before the Nov. 3 election and the scheduled Nov. 30 end of the two-year session. Data centers, energy policy, and skill games will be among the key issues to watch.
More than a dozen legislative committees are scheduled to meet this week. The House has scheduled most of the committee work so far, while the Senate schedule could expand.
The House and Senate currently have nine session days scheduled between Monday and the Nov. 3 election, with additional session days planned afterward. Post-election session days typically focus on legislative caucus organization and preparation for the coming year; however, a so-called “lame-duck” session with substantive votes is possible as well. Either way, the calendar leaves lawmakers little time to advance legislation, particularly before the election, when all 203 House seats and half of the Senate seats will be on the ballot.
Skill games face impending deadline
Skill games could become one of the first major tests of the fall session.
A Commonwealth Court ruling this summer concluded that skill games are unlawful and set an Oct. 13 deadline for the General Assembly to act, presumably on legislation to legalize, regulate, and tax the gaming terminals found in thousands of restaurants, bars, private clubs, and other establishments throughout the Commonwealth. With only a handful of session days scheduled before that deadline, lawmakers have questioned whether there is enough time to reach an agreement.
Two House lawmakers recently circulated co-sponsorship memoranda for proposals that would instead extend the deadline six months to April 13, 2027, while maintaining the status of skill games in the interim.
The issue has also drawn attention from the Pennsylvania State Police, which recently told owners of skill-game machines to remove them by Oct. 14 or face prosecution in accordance with the state Supreme Court decision.
Data centers and energy
Data center development may be another key business issue as lawmakers return.
The House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to consider legislation that would prevent data centers from being treated as public utilities, as well as a separate measure regarding utility rate increases.
The House Energy Committee is scheduled to consider legislation on Wednesday that would require data center projects to submit grid interconnection applications.
The proposals come as Pennsylvania weighs how to accommodate billions of dollars in potential data center and technology investment while addressing electricity demand, grid capacity, and costs.
Other committee activity this week will cover AI, health care, workforce issues, and higher education.
With the two-year session winding down, bills that have already passed one chamber and are moving through the other generally have the clearest path to final passage. The coming weeks will show which issues can gain traction before the election and which will be left for the final post-election session dates.
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