Pennsylvania House Bill HB1192

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/15/25
• Refer: 4/15/25

Caption

In courts of common pleas, further providing for problem-solving courts; and, in minor courts, providing for the Mothers Treatment Court Pilot Program.

Summary

HB1192 amends Pennsylvania’s Judicial Code to expressly include mothers treatment courts within the state’s problem-solving court framework and to create a new Mothers Treatment Court Pilot Program. The bill authorizes courts of common pleas and the Philadelphia Municipal Court to establish specialized problem-solving courts, including mothers treatment courts, where defendants can be placed in court-supervised individualized treatment programs. It also creates a new subchapter in Title 42 establishing the pilot program within the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) to support counties in developing, implementing, and administering these courts for mothers involved in the criminal justice system. Under the bill, the AOPC must issue guidelines and procedures within six months of the effective date. Those guidelines must address how mothers are identified and referred to treatment courts, how the program will respond to issues specific to mothers in the justice system, and how data will be collected and reported on effectiveness. Counties that choose to participate must record and report uses of the program, participant outcomes, and the offenses involved, and the AOPC must publish an annual report on its website without personally identifiable information. The act takes effect in 60 days.

Impact

The bill would amend 42 Pa.C.S. § 916 to recognize mothers treatment courts as a form of problem-solving court and would add a new Chapter 14, Subchapter A, establishing a statewide pilot framework for these courts. It shifts administrative responsibility to the AOPC for setting standards, collecting data, and publishing annual reports, while leaving county participation voluntary. The measure would affect courts of common pleas, the Philadelphia Municipal Court, county criminal justice programs, and defendants—particularly mothers—who may be eligible for treatment-based diversion or supervision.

Sentiment

The available context suggests generally supportive sentiment, as the bill was introduced by a broad group of House members and is framed around treatment, support, and data-driven implementation rather than punishment. The absence of recorded committee debate or votes means there is no documented opposition in the provided materials. Overall, the bill appears to reflect a rehabilitative and family-supportive approach to justice system involvement.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are likely to be the scope of the program, the administrative burden on counties and the AOPC, and how eligibility and referrals will be determined in practice. Because the bill requires counties to collect and report participant and offense data, privacy, workload, and funding could also be concerns, even though the published reports must exclude personally identifiable information. Another possible issue is that participation is voluntary for counties, which may lead to uneven availability across the Commonwealth.