Pennsylvania’s House voted 190-13 on Monday to set the state’s first rules for automated license plate readers, advancing House Bill 2771 to a Senate with almost no session left to act on it.
Sponsored by Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, a Delaware County Democrat, the measure restricts reader use to law enforcement, limited parking enforcement, securing access to restricted sites, missing persons cases and checks on uninsured or unregistered vehicles. Personal, political and commercial use would be barred outright, as would selling, trading or sharing captured data.
What the framework requires
Under the bill, agencies must delete records within 72 hours unless they relate to a qualifying investigative hit, which may be held a further seven days. Accessing or sharing data would need a probable-cause warrant. End-to-end encryption is mandatory, facial recognition software is banned, and audit logs would fall under the Right-to-Know Law.
Agencies would also have to adopt policies covering audits, employee training and screening. A legislative analysis put the first-year cost to state government at about $2M. Roughly 4,000 readers are believed active in Pennsylvania, the ninth-highest documented count in the country.
Why the timing matters more than the vote
Both backers and opponents concede the bill will likely expire. Only four scheduled voting days remain before the two-year session ends on November 30, and the chamber rarely moves substantive legislation after an election. O’Mara said the intent was to finish the drafting work so a ready-made bill can pass in the 2027-28 session that opens January 5.
The 13 no votes came from 12 Republicans and one Democrat, Rep. Manuel Guzman of Berks County. At least nine competing proposals are circulating in Harrisburg, ranging from outright bans on networked camera systems to warrant and signage requirements.
