Pa. lawmakers return to Harrisburg facing packed agenda

Pennsylvania’s legislators are back in Harrisburg with a number of key issues to act on, including skill games and nonprofit fundraising.

• Haley O'Brien/WITF
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  Haley O'Brien joined WITF in 2026. A native of Scranton, she enjoys exploring Pennsylvania's diverse communities. Haley previously worked at NPR/PBS stations in Northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, and has won awards for video storytelling and beat reporting.

As Pennsylvania’s lawmakers returned to Harrisburg on Monday, the state Capitol was buzzing with officials and advocates pushing for action on issues ranging from skill games to trail funding and nonprofit fundraising.

The day began with a rally on the Capitol steps by advocates for the skill games industry.

They chanted “Skills pay the bills,” a message lawmakers have heard all summer from the organizations and businesses that rely on the revenue generated by the machines.

If lawmakers don’t regulate skill games this session, they will be seized from the businesses that house them later in October because the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that skill games are slot machines under state law.

The Pa. House and Senate have just 11 session days to move bills forward through the divided legislature.

Representatives from several organizations focused on outdoor recreation also gathered at the capitol Monday calling for greater support for Pennsylvania trails.

Nathan Reigner is the director of outdoor recreation for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

“Critically, we need to grow our resources for maintaining our trails,” he said. “We need to ensure that they are here tomorrow, next year and next century.”

First Lady Lori Shapiro, who has been hiking the Pennsylvania section of the Appalachian Trail this summer, spoke at the Keystone Trail Association’s first Hike Harrisburg Trail Advocacy Day.

“It’s a hard job keeping our trails safe and accessible in the face of erosion, plant growth, and of course, Pennsylvania’s many, many rocks,” Shapiro said. “I’m so grateful to the trail associations and the volunteers who give their time and energy to help keep our trails in good condition for hikers to enjoy.”

Another issue drawing attention Monday was nonprofit fundraising.

Republican Sen. Devlin Robinson wants lawmakers to pass SB416 to modernize the small games of chance bill.

Nonprofit organizations, including fire companies that hold online raffles, were told to eliminate that fundraising method in August. Paul Kennedy is public information officer for Good Intent Hose Company No. 1 in Schuylkill County.

“These raffles have provided an incredible resource for our organization,” he said. “Volunteer fire companies and other nonprofit organizations throughout Pennsylvania rely on fundraising to purchase equipment, maintain facilities, train their members, and continue providing essential services. As technology evolves, the laws governing nonprofit fundraising need to evolve with it.”

The bill has bipartisan support and has been sitting in committee since last year.

“We need to continue pushing until this bill is fully across the finish line. And we only have a few more session days to get it done,” said Robinson (R-37). “This bill is a chance to give volunteers, firefighters, and community organizations that give their time to make Pennsylvania communities stronger the tools they need to continue operating.”

Robison announced during a news conference Monday morning that the bill will be considered for a vote on Tuesday.

Speaking at Monday’s Press Club lunch, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-41) said Pennsylvania’s divided government makes it difficult to get things done.

“Often we see our policy movements between the 49-yard lines as we have these debates here in Harrisburg about the competing visions that we have for the future of this commonwealth,” he said. “It’s okay to have deep philosophical visions on policy, but it also requires us have give and take and compromise on issues when the moment arises and requires it.”

Pittman said he is proud of the agenda the state Senate advanced.

He said he’d like to see the House pass a bill to provide sentencing for felony murder and the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which would require public school and higher education athletic teams to be exclusively for men, women or coed.

“Despite some of the partisan challenges, we’ve worked on a lot in a bipartisan way,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, we are all elected by our own constituencies, but we have our obligation to come to the capitol and recognize that all 203 of us were elected just as each and every one of us… and we have just as much a voice.”