Updated July 23, 2022. HB2013 has run out of time in order to be presented to the voters in 2023. We’re not giving up on this constitutional amendment but are disappointed that leadership refused to run the bill on the floor for discussion and vote. Thank you for all the calls to leadership and to your legislators.
Listen to our Legislative Committee update via video at Instagram, Facebook, Gab, MeWe, Telegram, or YouTube!
HB2013 A House Bill introduced as a Joint Resolution Proposing An Amendment To The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Providing For Right to Medical Freedom
§ 30. Right to medical freedom.
The right of an individual to refuse any medical procedure, treatment, injection, vaccine or prophylactic may not be questioned or interfered with in any manner. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged to any person in this Commonwealth because of the exercise of the right under this section.
Amending the constitution does not involve the governor. Instead, a proposed constitutional amendment, must pass both chambers of the General Assembly two sessions in a row and then it becomes referenda that voters can approve or reject in the following election. If a majority of voters approve an amendment, and it survives any legal challenges, it goes into effect and becomes part of the constitution. If HB2013 passes both the House and Senate in both 2022 and 2023, it would be put on the ballot in May 2023 for PA voters, where it would need to be passed by a simple majority. The earliest it could be passed is spring 2023. The Governor of PA can not veto this bill. If this bill dies it can not be resubmitted for at least five more years. Details on the PA Constitutional Amendment process and requirements are listed in Article XI “Amendments” within the PA Constitution.
Representative Russ Diamond and PCIC’s Capitol Area Leaders discuss key points about THE BILL we’ve all been waiting for in this six minute video.
Watch this eight minute video for a message from our Legislative Committee member Stevie as she describes HB2013 and your role in the legislative process.
Do you know how your PA Representative will vote when the time comes? Please let the Legislative Committee know via email pciccapitalarea@gmail.com.
EDUCATION AND DOWNLOADS
Key Information for Legislators
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Current Co-Sponsors: DIAMOND (Prime Sponsor), ARMANINI, BERNSTINE, BOROWICZ, COOK, COX, DAVANZO, DOWLING, ECKER, FLOOD, GAYDOS, GILLEN, GLEIM, GREINER, GROVE, HAMM, HELM, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, IRVIN, JAMES, JONES, JOZWIAK, KAIL, KAUFFMAN, KEEFER, KERWIN, KNOWLES, LEWIS, LEWIS DELROSSO, M. MACKENZIE, R. MACKENZIE, MAJOR, MALONEY, MARSHALL, MASSER, MERCURI, METCALFE, MIHALEK, MOUL, MUSTELLO, E. NELSON, O’NEAL, ORTITAY, PENNYCUICK, PUSKARIC, RADER, ROAE, ROTHMAN, ROSSI, ROWE, RYAN, SANKEY, SILVIS, SMITH, STAMBAUGH, STAATS, STRUZZI, TWARDZIK and ZIMMERMAN < 59 of 203 Total House Members *58 Co-sponsors, 1 Prime Sponsor
Past Action Alerts: June 2022 – Ask Your Representative to Vote Yes and Ask Majority Leader Benninghoff to Bring this Bill to a Vote! – April 2022 – Ask your Friends to Join Us! March 2022 – Contact House Leadership and your PA House Representative, Watch this short video from Stevie of the PCIC Legislative Committee for a March 24th update, February 2022 – Contact your PA House Representative to request co-sponsorship. December 2021 – Contact House Leadership to bring this bill to the floor for a vote.
“The people themselves must be the ultimate makers of their own Constitution, and where their agents differ in their interpretations of the Constitution the people themselves should be given the chance, after full and deliberate judgment, authoritatively to settle what interpretation it is that their representatives shall thereafter adopt as binding.” Theodore Roosevelt