Schlossberg votes to protect Pennsylvanians from rapid development of data centers
Rep. Mike Schlossberg June 24, 2026
HARRISBURG, June 24 – Rep. Mike Schlossberg celebrated passage of two bills aimed at protecting Pennsylvanians and local communities from rapid data center growth.
“I’ve said all along that the issues of data centers require statewide legislative response to give local officials the tools they need to protect communities,” Schlossberg said. “Hopefully these bills show to residents of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Senate Republican leaders, the House takes this issue seriously and is eager to pass legislation tackling the many problems to Pennsylvania through the rapid development of data centers.”
The legislation approved today includes H.B. 2496 (Rep. Paul Friel) which allows a municipality to impose a six-month pause on the submission of development proposals, and H.B. 2650 (Rep. Joe Webster) which codifies the protections proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in order for state agencies to fast-track any state-level permitting required for a data center to be developed.
In addition to the two bills approved today, Schlossberg indicated he will vote in favor of two additional bills ready for consideration in the near future. The first is H.B. 2198 (Rep. Greg Vitali), expected for final vote in the House June 25, would end the sales tax exemption for data centers, requiring companies to pay their fair share and take the burdens off of Pennsylvania’s taxpayers. Additionally, H.B. 2359 (Rep. Joe Ciresi), to be considered the week of June 29, prohibits municipalities from entering into non-disclosure agreements with data center developers.
“I fully expect these bills to pass the House when they come to a vote,” Schlossberg said. “After that, the Republican leaders in the Senate will have to decide whether they want to listen to their members and the residents of Pennsylvania or continue to do nothing.”
In addition to these bills, the House already approved H.B. 1834 (Rep. Rob Matzie) to place comprehensive guardrails on data centers, H.B. 2246 (Webster) and H.B. 2150 (Rep. Kyle Mullins) to require data centers to disclose how much water and energy they use, and H.B. 2151 (Rep. Kyle T. Donahue) to help municipalities craft model legislation to protect against data centers. These bills were approved in spring 2026 and await consideration by the Senate.
“Unfortunately, in May, the Senate majority leader said the Senate wouldn’t vote on individual data center bills,” Schlossberg noted. “Since then, some of the Senate majority’s members have posed their own legislation doing some of what the House has proposed. Well, now is the time for the Senate majority leaders to listen to their members and the public on these issues. Put these measures up for a vote. Let the public see where their lawmakers stand on these bills. Too many communities are threatened. The House hears those concerns and has acted. Now the Republicans in the Senate need join House Democrats in doing the same,” Schlossberg concluded.