HB 732 — An Act amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in protection from abuse, further providing for relief and providing for shared telephone plans.

PRINTER'S NO.   756

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                             HOUSE BILL
                             No. 732
                                                    Session of
                                                      2025

     INTRODUCED BY HILL-EVANS, FREEMAN, HOHENSTEIN, GIRAL, PROBST,
        PIELLI, KENYATTA, M. JONES, HOWARD, CERRATO, SANCHEZ,
        SCHLOSSBERG, DALEY, WARREN, CIRESI, DEASY AND BOROWSKI,
        FEBRUARY 25, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, FEBRUARY 25, 2025


                                         AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in protection from abuse, further
 3      providing for relief and providing for shared telephone
 4      plans.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.         Section 6108 of Title 23 of the Pennsylvania
 8   Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a subsection to read:
 9   § 6108.    Relief.
10      * * *
11      (e.1)    Shared telephone plans.--
12             (1)   If a plaintiff is a party to a telephone plan
13      contract held by and in the name of the defendant, or a
14      relative of the defendant, in a protection order or consent
15      agreement approved by the court in accordance with subsection
16      (a), the court shall:
17                   (i)    Order the defendant to remove the plaintiff as a
18             party to the telephone plan contract within three
 1        calendar days.
 2              (ii)   Order the defendant to pay a surcharge, early
 3        termination fee or other penalty that may be incurred as
 4        a result of removing the plaintiff as a party to the
 5        telephone plan contract.
 6        (2)   Failure to remove the plaintiff as a party to the
 7    shared telephone contract shall be subject to the penalties
 8    as prescribed in sections 6113 (relating to arrest for
 9    violation of order) and 6114 (relating to contempt for
10    violation of order or agreement).
11        (3)   As used in this subsection, the following words and
12    phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
13    paragraph unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
14        "Shared telephone plan."     A package of services offered
15    to subscribers at a set monthly access fee or rate by a
16    telecommunications service provider, including, but not
17    limited to, voice, messaging, data, Internet access and
18    television content under a telephone plan contract.
19        "Telecommunications service provider."      A company,
20    including a provider of cable television, that supplies
21    customers with telecommunications services, including land
22    line and wireless telephone services, Internet access, data
23    and the delivery of television content.
24        "Telephone plan contract."       A shared telephone plan that
25    allows a customer to share minutes and other services with
26    another individual under one account or as parties to one
27    contract with a telecommunications service provider,
28    regardless of whether the plan is a shared-minute plan or
29    family plan.
30    * * *

20250HB0732PN0756                  - 2 -
 1      Section 2.        Title 23 is amended by adding a section to read:
 2   § 6108.8.      Shared telephone plans.
 3      (a)   Opt out.--
 4            (1)    A telecommunications service provider shall allow an
 5      individual who is a party to a telephone plan contract with
 6      the provider and a victim of domestic violence involving
 7      another individual who is a party to the same telephone plan
 8      contract to opt out of the telephone plan contract without
 9      charge. A request to opt out of a telephone plan contract
10      must be in writing and include one of the following documents
11      which must relate to the domestic violence:
12                  (i)    A valid police report.
13                  (ii)    A valid protection from abuse order.
14                  (iii)    A signed affidavit from a licensed medical or
15            mental health care provider, an employee of a court
16            acting within the scope of employment, a social worker, a
17            rape crisis counselor, a domestic violence counselor or
18            an advocate acting on behalf of an agency that assists
19            domestic violence victims.
20            (2)    A request to opt out of a telephone plan contract
21      shall be made in good faith and the telecommunications
22      service provider shall waive the otherwise applicable fees or
23      charges for the individual making the request.
24            (3)    If an individual requests an accommodation under
25      this section, the telecommunications service provider shall
26      provide, at no additional charge to the individual, a new
27      telephone number within 24 hours from the time the request is
28      made.
29      (b)   Deadline for providing documents.--A document provided
30   to a telecommunications service provider by an individual

20250HB0732PN0756                       - 3 -
 1   seeking to opt out of a telephone plan contract in accordance
 2   with subsection (a) must be:
 3            (1)   submitted to the telecommunications service provider
 4      at the time the request to opt out is made; and
 5            (2)   issued no more than six months before the opt-out
 6      request.
 7      (c)   Retention and confidentiality of documents.--
 8            (1)   A telecommunications service provider that receives
 9      a written request accompanied by the necessary documentation
10      to opt out of a telephone plan contract in accordance with
11      this section may retain the documentation or return it to the
12      individual seeking to opt out.
13            (2)   Documentation provided to a telecommunications
14      service provider by a victim of domestic violence shall be
15      considered confidential communications and, if retained by
16      the telecommunications service provider, shall be subject to
17      the confidentiality requirements under Federal or State law.
18      (d)   Applicability.--This section shall apply to telephone
19   plan contracts entered into on or after the effective date of
20   this section.
21      (e)   Definitions.--For the purposes of this section, the
22   terms "telecommunications service provider" and "telephone plan
23   contract" shall have the meanings given to them in section
24   6108(e.1)(3) (relating to relief).
25      Section 3.    This act shall take effect as follows:
26            (1)   The addition of 23 Pa.C.S. § 6108(e.1) shall take
27      effect immediately.
28            (2)   This section shall take effect immediately.
29            (3)   The remainder of this act shall take effect in 60
30      days.

20250HB0732PN0756                    - 4 -