'Porch Pirating' Law, 4 Other PA Measures Now In Effect

PENNSYLVANIA — As 2024 enters its second month, several new laws affecting Pennsylvania residents are now in effect or will go into effect soon.

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed more than 30 bills into law in December after the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed waves of new legislation targeting probation, health care, food safety, religious garb in schools, speed cameras and more.

See the full list of bills signed by Shapiro. Meanwhile, here are five new laws Pennsylvanians should know:

Enhanced child care tax credit

Pennsylvanians could see changes to their tax returns this year after Shapiro approved a major expansion to the Pennsylvania Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit. The change is intended to ease child care costs for working families, according to the governor's office.

An example of the expansion: For a low-income family with two kids in child care, their refundable state tax credit will go from $630 to $2,100 under the new law.

Automatic voter registration

Registering to vote in Pennsylvania is now as easy as renewing your driver's license. Under this new law, eligible residents are automatically registered to vote when they renew their driver's license or state identification card. Residents are given the choice to opt out of registration.

By implementing automatic voter registration, Pennsylvania joins a group of 23 states including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia who have taken this step.

Since the change, data compiled by Pennsylvania’s elections office shows a 45 percent increase in voter registrations at driver’s license centers compared with those during a similar period two years ago.

'Porch pirating' a felony (SB 527)

As Pennsylvanians increasingly rely on Amazon, online grocery shopping, and delivery services, criminals have seen it as an opportunity to steal directly off a person's doorstep. According to the bill signed into law in December, the average cost of a package stolen in Pennsylvania is $43 and close to 2 million Pennsylvanians have experienced this crime.

Under the new law, which goes into effect on Feb. 12, SB 527 creates a new third-degree felony offense of theft of mail and focuses on repeat offenders. Penalties include up to seven years in prison for repeat offenders convicted of stealing packages worth more than $2,000.

Dog licensing fees increase (SB 746)

Act 18, signed by Shapiro in October, will gradually increase dog license fees from $5 to $10 over the next three years. It also increases the cost of lifetime licenses from $30 to $49. The law includes discounts for senior citizens and also increases kennel fees by 25 percent.

Under the new law, dogs now need to be licensed by the time they are three months old or at the point of transfer to a new owner.

The increased fees will be used to create a state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, officials said. The law went into effect on Jan. 21.

No pelvic, prostate, rectal exams without consent (HB 507)

HB 507 requires hospitals and medical facilities to obtain prior informed consent before medical students can perform pelvic, rectal or prostate examinations on patients under general anesthesia.

Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) proposed the legislation calling to end the practice after receiving a letter from a constituent who learned it was a common practice and thought it happened to her.

"It’s a shocking and disturbing realization for many people that medical students may perform a pelvic exam on a female patient who is under anesthesia for an unrelated procedure," a memo attached to the bill reads.

The law went into effect on Jan. 20.