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SB 807

An Act amending the act of November 6, 1987 (P.L.381, No.79), known as the Older Adults Protective Services Act, in administration, further providing for immunity from civil and criminal liability; in reporting suspected abuse by employees, further providing for reports to department and coroner, for restrictions on employees, for confidentiality of and access to confidential reports and for penalties; providing for Older Adult Abuse Registry; and imposing penalties.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Lisa Baker and 9 co-sponsors

Creates an Older Adult Abuse Registry to document and bar abusive workers, enabling facilities to screen hires and impose penalties for noncompliance.

Referred to Aging & Youth
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Bill Summary · SB 807

Bill at a glance

  • Bill: SB 807 (2025-2026 Session, Pennsylvania)
  • Title: An Act amending the Older Adults Protective Services Act; creating an Older Adult Abuse Registry; imposing penalties; and related provisions
  • Introduced: June 18, 2026
  • Primary subject: Strengthening protections for older adults from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment; establishing an Older Adult Abuse Registry; clarifying immunity, reporting, and penalties
  • Referred to: Aging and Youth

Purpose and intent

  • Declare a strong state interest in protecting older adults from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment.
  • Establish an Older Adult Abuse Registry to document incidents and bar individuals who have harmed older adults from employment in settings serving vulnerable populations.
  • Provide a framework to improve public safety while balancing privacy considerations through limited, regulated disclosures.

Key provisions and changes

Immunity from liability

  • Amends immunity provisions to shield the agency, director, agency employees, protective services workers, or department employees from civil or criminal liability for decisions or actions taken in good faith under this act, provided there is no willful misconduct or gross negligence.

Older Adult Abuse Registry (Chapter 9)

  • Creates a new chapter establishing the Older Adult Abuse Registry.
  • Definitions:
    • “Crime against a recipient”: offenses against an older adult where the victim is the recipient and the perpetrator is an employee (including certain assaults, sexual offenses, robbery, financial exploitation).
    • “Recipient abuse”: abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment by an employee.
    • “Temporary health care services agency”: entities providing or procuring temporary care workers.
  • Registry establishment and administration:
    • Department must establish the registry within 180 days of the bill’s effective date, with notice published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
    • The registry will maintain case files and profiles for individuals meeting placement criteria and may outsource operations to a third party.
  • Profiles and content:
    • Profiles include personal identifying information, status of investigations, findings, and dispositions, with continuous updates.
    • Final dispositions and statuses are permanent on a profile unless a finding was erroneous, a not-guilty result occurs, or the department is notified of the person’s death.
    • Case files are permanent and accessible only to the department; a separate permanent case file tracks sources and false reports, among other details.
  • Access, accuracy, and privacy:
    • Facilities and temporary health care services agencies will have continuous access to registry profiles for employment decisions.
    • The registry contains thresholds and statuses (e.g., investigation ongoing, substantiated, terminated).
    • Names of individuals suspected or reported for abuse are generally excised from publicly accessible materials, with exceptions.
    • Reporting sources are treated as confidential except as provided for law enforcement.
  • Mandatory reporting and timelines:
    • Facilities, agencies, law enforcement, and courts must report to the department within 48 hours of new reports, investigations, or disciplinary actions.
    • The department must create case files within five days of receipt.
  • Notifications:
    • When an individual is placed on the registry, the department must notify the individual and their legal counsel within five days, and the individual must respond with required verification information within five days.
    • Notification also goes to employers (most recent employer and the reporting entity), and to the older adult or their guardian.
  • Appeals:
    • Individuals may appeal registry placement within 90 days of notification.
    • Administrative review occurs within 60 days unless waived, followed by a hearing under standard Commonwealth agency procedures.
    • If an appeal is granted, the registry entry can be removed; final determinations are communicated to involved parties within specified timelines.
  • Duties of individuals on the registry:
    • Annually attest to the accuracy of registry information and provide a recent photo.
    • Notify the department of a change of address within 10 days.
    • The department may establish procedures to verify or limit the release of registry information to prevent inappropriate hiring.
  • Prohibitions for facilities and agencies:
    • Beginning with registry establishment, facilities and agencies must check the registry before employing individuals and may not employ those with a registry profile.
  • Pre-registry attestations:
    • Before registry establishment, facility administrators must obtain attestations from current and prospective employees that they do not meet registry criteria.
  • Penalties (administrative and criminal):
    • Administrative penalties up to $10,000 for facilities or agencies that fail to comply or retaliate against compliant employees.
    • Criminal penalties for noncompliance by administrators or facility owners, including potential fines up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to 2 years.
    • Civil penalties for failure to report by individuals required to report; escalating penalties based on duration and severity of noncompliance.
  • Temporary regulations:
    • Department may issue temporary regulations to implement Chapter 9, with sunset and regulatory flexibility provisions (temporary regulations expire within two years unless replaced by permanent rules).

Who is affected

  • Older adults and their guardians or representatives (potential recipients of care supported by this framework).
  • Facility administrators, owners, directors, operators, and supervisory personnel within long-term care facilities and similar environments.
  • Temporary health care services agencies and their employees.
  • Protective services agencies and their employees.
  • Law enforcement and courts involved in protection and prosecution related to recipient abuse.
  • Department of Human Services (or its successor) responsible for establishing and administering the Older Adult Abuse Registry.
  • Potential job applicants and current employees in validated facilities, subject to registry checks and annual attestations.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Registry establishment: within 180 days of the bill’s effective date.
  • Effective date: the act takes effect 60 days after enactment.
  • Temporary regulations: department may issue temporary regulations for up to two years; long-term regulations follow standard rulemaking processes.
  • Data retention: registry entries are permanent unless corrected for error, not guilty, or death.
  • Access and notification timelines: strict 5- to 90-day windows for notifications, appeals, and verification steps.
  • Right to appeal: 90-day window to appeal placement; 60-day administrative review window if appealed.

Practical implications

  • Enhanced screening: facilities will have ongoing access to registry data to prevent hiring individuals with a history of recipient abuse.
  • Accountability and deterrence: clear penalties for noncompliance and retaliation, plus an official registry to deter abuse.
  • Privacy protections: careful balancing of information sharing with protections for reporters and subject profiles, including excisions of names where appropriate.
  • Implementation cost and complexity: new registry operations, data sharing with facilities, and staff training; potential financial penalties for noncompliance.

Alice’s Law is the nickname given to this bill, reflecting its focus on protecting older adults through enhanced reporting, enforcement, and a centralized abuse registry.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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