The Pennsylvania House voted 190-13 on Monday, Oct. 19, to pass the state's first rules for automated license plate readers.

The vote carries weight in Bucks County, where roughly 60 of the cameras had been mapped as of Aug. 11, according to BucksCo.Today. At least two local police agencies, Middletown Township and Newtown Township, have signed contracts for fixed readers, BucksCo.Today reported. The cameras scan every passing vehicle whether or not the driver is suspected of a crime.

House Bill 2771, first reported by The Center Square via Central Bucks Now, would restrict when police can use the cameras, ban pairing them with facial recognition and require that collected data be deleted within 72 hours. Local municipalities could pass even stricter rules.

Under the bill, the cameras could be used only to identify vehicles tied to active felony or homicide arrest warrants, stolen vehicles, missing persons or felony investigations. Personal or political use would be banned, as would targeting communities based on race, ethnicity or income. Data would have to be owned by a government entity and would not be available through Right-to-Know requests.

A legislative analysis estimated the bill would cost state government about $2 million in its first full year and about $1 million annually after that, covering new analyst positions, administrative staff and training.

Rep. Jennifer O'Mara, the Delaware County Democrat who sponsored the bill, said she knew there was not enough time for it to become law this session. The Senate has only two voting days left before the November election. O'Mara said the goal was to complete the research and legwork so a bill is ready to pass in the 2027-28 session starting in January.

"No legislation passes right away," O'Mara said.

Rep. Rob Kauffman, a Franklin County Republican, agreed the bill could not reach the finish line this session but called it an important issue, according to The Center Square. Rep. Tim Bonner, a Mercer County Republican and former prosecutor, said the cameras have helped solve crimes and that the bill goes too far. Only 13 lawmakers voted no, including 12 Republicans and one Democrat, Rep. Manny Guzman of Berks County.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has voiced opposition to the cameras themselves. In late August, Shapiro said Flock cameras are not something he supports and called them not in the public interest, Central Bucks Now reported. The Pennsylvania State Police does not use Flock cameras, and PennDOT does not allow them on state-owned roadways.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania has called the expanding camera networks a form of mass surveillance. Liz Randol, the group's legislative director, said in a statement that the cameras create a detailed record of residents' religious practices, medical visits and political activities, as Spotlight PA reported. Sixteen states already have laws restricting automated license plate readers, or ALPRs. No state has passed an outright ban.

The bill now goes to the state Senate, where its fate before the session ends remains uncertain.