Rep. Day: House Bill 1042 Opposition Was Necessary

July 27, 2026

HARRISBURG – Following his vote against House Bill 1042, Rep. Gary Day (R-Lehigh) issued this statement:

“Although the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s July 24 deadline has now passed, voting against the revised House Bill 1042 when House Democrats forced a vote on July 23 was necessary. The previous version, which would have earned my wholehearted support, established a clear mandatory minimum sentence for second-degree murder while allowing sentences to reflect an offender’s actual level of participation and culpability.

“Instead of advancing that responsible compromise to the governor, House Democrats replaced it with a last-minute rewrite containing inadequate sentencing provisions, opportunities for forum shopping and unrelated medical-release language with serious loopholes for convicted murderers and sex offenders.

“It is therefore disingenuous to blame those who voted ‘no’ for the missed deadline or claim that their votes endangered public safety. The deadline could have been met by restoring and passing the previous version of House Bill 1042. House Democrats chose instead to force a vote on deeply flawed legislation.

“A looming deadline could not justify abandoning accountability, weakening protections for victims or potentially making it easier for violent offenders to obtain release.”

Representative Gary Day
187th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Chris Comisac
717-772-9845
ccomisac@pahousegop.com
StateRepGaryDay.com/ / Facebook.com/StateRepGaryDay