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Pennsylvania Lawmakers Pass Domestic Violence Bill Without Anti-Gun Control Amendment

The Pennsylvania state legislature Thursday morning passed a bill to protect victims of domestic violence from home eviction after calling the police for emergency help. The legislation passed without the unrelated anti-gun control amendment that Republican lawmakers had tacked on at the last minute.

The legislation passed without the unrelated anti-gun control amendment that Republican lawmakers had tacked on at the last minute. Shutterstock

The Pennsylvania state legislature Thursday morning passed a bill to protect victims of domestic violence from home eviction after calling the police for emergency help. The legislation passed without the unrelated anti-gun control amendment that Republican lawmakers had tacked on at the last minute.

The Pennsylvania legislature did still pass the gun amendment, attaching it to a bill about metal theft.

As RH Reality Check reported Wednesday, state Republicans were moving to add an anti-gun control measure to the bill, HB 1796, that was unrelated to the bill. HB 1796, introduced last October and passed by the legislature Thursday morning, will prohibit landlords from evicting domestic violence victims under the state nuisance ordinance, which allows landlords to evict residents who attract law enforcement to the property.

This week, state lawmakers had said they would be adding an NRA-backed amendment to the bill giving people and membership groups like the NRA the legal standing to sue Pennsylvania cities for enacting gun control legislation that is more stringent than the state’s.

Pennsylvania lawmakers Thursday announced that, due to pressure from constituents, they would be moving forward with the domestic violence protection legislation without the gun amendment.

A second unrelated amendment meant to prohibit municipalities from enacting employment leave legislation was also removed and will be taken up next year. HB 1796 was passed by the senate Thursday morning and will move to the governor’s desk for signature.