Sen. Jarrett Coleman, the Republican who represents Pennsylvania’s 16th Senate District, cast the only vote in the entire Senate against House Bill 1210. It passed 47–1 on November 13, 2024, and became law as Act 146. (Roll Call 722)
What the law does
It lets a protection-from-abuse order cover a pet. A judge can give the victim temporary ownership of the animal and order the abuser not to take, contact or move it.
Why it matters
Abusers often threaten or hurt pets to control their victims. Someone who would leave to protect herself may not leave if it means abandoning a pet to the person threatening it. So victims delay leaving — and some never do.
This law closes that gap. It costs the state nothing and creates no new agency. It simply lets a judge who’s already issuing an order include one more thing.
It wasn’t close
Forty-seven senators from both parties voted yes. The House passed it. Gov. Shapiro signed it. Animal welfare and domestic violence groups backed it together.
One senator voted no.
A fair question
A lone “no” vote isn’t self-explanatory. Lawmakers sometimes vote against popular bills for good reasons — a drafting problem, a legal concern. But the most common reason doesn’t apply here: the bill spends no money.
Coleman hasn’t publicly explained his vote. He’s welcome to.
Pinsley asks the same question in this video: maybe Coleman had a real concern about the bill’s wording or due process — but if so, what was his alternative? What amendment did he offer? What other bill did he support? “Voting no is easy,” Pinsley says. “The harder question is: What do you do instead?”
The contrast
Mark Pinsley, the Democratic nominee, has been Lehigh County Controller since 2020. His best-known work is a report that found inaccurate child abuse allegations by a physician at Lehigh Valley Health Network — after which nearly all of the families got their children back.
His view of the job is simple: notice when a system is failing the people least able to protect themselves, and do something about it. Letting a judge protect a family’s pet from the person the judge is already ordering away from the family is that kind of measure. It’s small and cheap — and for the person it protects, it can be the difference between leaving and staying.
District 16 covers parts of Lehigh and Bucks counties. The general election is November 3, 2026.
