---
type: "Bill"
title: "An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in obstructing governmental operations, providing for unlawful use of an audio or video device in court."
description: "An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in obstructing governmental operations, providing for unlawful use of an audio or video device in court."
jurisdiction: "us/states/pa"
legislature: "Pennsylvania General Assembly"
session: "2017-2018"
identifier: "HB 149"
citation: "Pennsylvania HB 149 (2017-2018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Knowles"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 28
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2017-01-23T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2018-10-24T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d508fbdb-94c2-4607-8eec-5069d1f20c34"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2017&sind=0&body=H&type=B&BN=149"
source_hash: "585480d3bb5bb9bd3383e6797aaf64e3cd814773ca038a7a7334b0d4fd5b0d8a"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-pa"]
---

# Pennsylvania HB 149 (2017-2018) — An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in obstructing governmental operations, providing for unlawful use of an audio or video device in court.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Printer's No. 0113** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2017&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=0149&pn=0113)
2. **Printer's No. 4251** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2017&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=0149&pn=4251)

## Votes

- FINAL PASSAGE — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- FINAL PASSAGE — **194–0** (pass) · lower
- Committee vote (JUDICIARY): Reported as Committed — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- HB 149 PN 4251, CONCUR — **187–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Knowles — primary (person)
- A. Harris — cosponsor (person)
- B. Miller — cosponsor (person)
- Barbin — cosponsor (person)
- Boback — cosponsor (person)
- Davis — cosponsor (person)
- Driscoll — cosponsor (person)
- Gabler — cosponsor (person)
- Gillen — cosponsor (person)
- Jozwiak — cosponsor (person)
- Kauffman — cosponsor (person)
- Kortz — cosponsor (person)
- Mcginnis — cosponsor (person)
- Ortitay — cosponsor (person)
- Pickett — cosponsor (person)
- Readshaw — cosponsor (person)
- Rozzi — cosponsor (person)
- Schlossberg — cosponsor (person)
- Simmons — cosponsor (person)
- Solomon — cosponsor (person)
- V. Brown — cosponsor (person)
- Ward — cosponsor (person)
- Zimmerman — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-01-23T05:00:00+00:00** PN 0113 Referred to JUDICIARY `referral-committee`
- **2017-05-09T04:00:00+00:00** Reported as committed `committee-passage`
- **2017-05-09T04:00:00+00:00** First consideration `reading-1`
- **2017-05-09T04:00:00+00:00** Laid on the table
- **2017-05-10T04:00:00+00:00** Removed from table
- **2017-05-22T04:00:00+00:00** Second consideration `reading-2`
- **2017-05-22T04:00:00+00:00** Re-committed to APPROPRIATIONS `referral-committee`
- **2017-05-23T04:00:00+00:00** Re-reported as committed `committee-passage`
- **2017-05-23T04:00:00+00:00** Third consideration and final passage `passage, reading-3`
- **2017-05-31T04:00:00+00:00** Referred to JUDICIARY `referral-committee`
- **2018-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** Reported as committed `committee-passage`
- **2018-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** First consideration `reading-1`
- **2018-04-17T04:00:00+00:00** Second consideration `reading-2`
- **2018-04-25T04:00:00+00:00** Laid on the table
- **2018-04-25T04:00:00+00:00** Removed from table
- **2018-06-13T04:00:00+00:00** Laid on the table
- **2018-06-13T04:00:00+00:00** Removed from table
- **2018-10-02T04:00:00+00:00** Laid on the table
- **2018-10-02T04:00:00+00:00** Removed from table
- **2018-10-15T04:00:00+00:00** PN 4251 Amended on third consideration
- **2018-10-16T04:00:00+00:00** Third consideration and final passage `passage, reading-3`
- **2018-10-17T04:00:00+00:00** Referred to RULES `referral-committee`
- **2018-10-17T04:00:00+00:00** Re-reported on concurrence, as committed `committee-passage`
- **2018-10-17T04:00:00+00:00** House concurred in Senate amendments
- **2018-10-17T04:00:00+00:00** Signed in House
- **2018-10-17T04:00:00+00:00** Signed in Senate
- **2018-10-17T04:00:00+00:00** Presented to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2018-10-24T04:00:00+00:00** Approved by the Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d508fbdb-94c2-4607-8eec-5069d1f20c34`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Pennsylvania legislature records).