Pennsylvania Senate Bill SB83

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/22/25
• Refer: 1/22/25
• Refer: 6/4/25

Caption

An Act amending Title 44 (Law and Justice) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in constables, further providing for restricted account and for fees.

Summary

SB83 amends Title 44 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, specifically the provisions governing constables. Based on the bill caption, it makes further changes to the constables’ restricted account and to the fee structure associated with constable services. The bill appears to be a targeted fiscal and administrative update within the constable system rather than a broad overhaul of law enforcement policy. In practical terms, the measure would affect how money is collected, deposited, and used in the restricted account tied to constable operations, and it would adjust the fees constables may charge or receive for certain services. Those changes could affect constables, courts, counties, and parties who pay constable-related fees, as well as the state’s accounting and oversight of those funds.

Impact

SB83 would amend statutory provisions in Title 44 governing constables, altering the rules for the constables’ restricted account and fee schedule. The bill would therefore change state law on the administration of constable finances and compensation, with downstream effects on constables, court-related service users, and any entities responsible for collecting or distributing those fees. Because the bill is limited to a specific chapter of law, its impact is narrow but operationally important for the constable system.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was received favorably in the Senate Law and Justice Committee, where it was reported as committed on a unanimous 11-0 vote. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to indicate opposition or concerns at that stage. The re-referral to Appropriations indicates the bill advanced procedurally and likely raised fiscal review issues, but the committee vote itself reflects clear support.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials because there are no committee transcripts and the recorded committee vote was unanimous. The most likely areas for debate, based on the bill’s subject, would be the adequacy and use of the restricted account, whether fee changes are too high or too low, and how the changes would affect constables, counties, and fee-paying parties. Any opposition would likely center on fiscal impacts or administrative fairness rather than the bill’s overall purpose.