HB 1845 — An Act amending the act of May 1, 1984 (P.L.206, No.43), known as the Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act, further providing for definitions and for public nuisances.

PRINTER'S NO.    2281

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1845
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY M. BROWN, KAUFFMAN AND BERNSTINE,
        SEPTEMBER 4, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of May 1, 1984 (P.L.206, No.43), entitled "An
 2      act providing for safe drinking water; imposing powers and
 3      duties on the Department of Environmental Resources in
 4      relation thereto; and appropriating certain funds," further
 5      providing for definitions and for public nuisances.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8      Section 1.    Section 3 of the act of May 1, 1984 (P.L.206,
 9   No.43), known as the Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act, is
10   amended by adding a definition to read:
11   Section 3.   Definitions.
12      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
13   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
14   context clearly indicates otherwise:
15      "Abortion drug."    Any medicine, drug or other substance, or a
16   combination thereof, and excluding a medicine, drug or substance
17   used for contraceptive purposes, when used to intentionally:
18          (1)   kill the unborn baby of a woman known to be
19      pregnant; or
 1            (2)   terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be
 2      pregnant, other than the production of a live birth, or
 3      removal of a dead unborn baby.
 4      * * *
 5      Section 2.    Section 12 of the act is amended by adding
 6   subsections to read:
 7   Section 12.    Public nuisances.
 8      * * *
 9      (c)   Abortion drugs.--No person shall cause an abortion drug
10   to enter wastewater or public water supply, public water system
11   or the waters of this Commonwealth. The manufacturer or
12   manufacturers of an abortion drug shall be responsible for
13   ensuring proper disposal of the abortion drugs when discarded
14   and for mitigating and remediating an environmental effect of
15   the abortion drug, including endocrine-disrupting chemical
16   byproducts of the abortion drug, that may enter a disposal
17   system, sewage system, public water supply, public water system
18   or the waters of this Commonwealth as a result of the disposal
19   of tainted human remains from an at-home abortion using the
20   abortion drug.
21      (d)   Manufacturer liability.--If endocrine-disrupting
22   chemicals from an abortion drug are found in wastewater, a
23   public water system, public water supply or the waters of this
24   Commonwealth, the manufacturer or manufacturers of the abortion
25   drug shall be strictly, absolutely, jointly and severally liable
26   for the cleanup, remediation and any further preventative
27   measure that the department may require. The department shall
28   fine the manufacturer or manufacturers for violations of
29   subsection (c) or this subsection in an amount determined by the
30   department to be sufficient in deterring future violations. If

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1   the department is unable to identify the specific manufacturer
2   of the abortion drug found in the wastewater, public water
3   supply, public water system or waters of this Commonwealth,
4   liability shall be apportioned among all manufacturers of
5   abortion drugs in proportion to each manufacturer's share of the
6   national production for abortion drugs at the time of the
7   finding.
8      Section 3.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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