Pennsylvania House passes bill to send a free book each month to all children under 5. Nearly every Republican voted no.

North Penn Now reported that Pennsylvania House Bill 1663 passed the House by a 116-87 vote in December 2025. That supports the central assertion that the House approved legislation intended to provide free books to children across the state. However, the excerpt does not identify the bill’s final eligibility language or provide a party-by-party breakdown of the vote.northpennnow.comnorthpennnow.comLegislation to put free books in the hands of children across Pa. passes the... Earlier reporting from WESA described proposed legislation to expand Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Pennsylvania, while the Philadelphia Citizen later characterized Hanbidge’s proposal as sending one free book each month to every Pennsylvania child from birth through age 5. Those accounts support the general description of the program, but they concern proposed legislation and do not by themselves establish the final text of HB 1663. The phrase “under 5” may also differ from “from birth to age 5,” depending on the bill’s precise definition of eligibility.wesanews.orgwesanews.orgDolly Parton wants to send all kids free books, and some Pa. lawmakers want the...+1 more

The provided search results do not document the individual votes or show whether “nearly every Republican” voted against the measure. The 116-87 total alone cannot establish that partisan characterization, because it does not identify how the yes and no votes divided between Republicans and Democrats. Other listed results concern unrelated Pennsylvania legislation, including school-book access restrictions, education funding, and a housing bill, so they do not resolve the vote claim.pbs.orgpbs.orgHouse Republicans pass 'parents' rights' bill in fight over schoolscbsnews.comcbsnews.comPennsylvania Senate passes bill critics say targets books about LGBTQ+ and...+5 more

The available evidence therefore confirms House passage of a related free-books measure, but it is insufficient to verify every material part of the statement, particularly the final eligibility terms and Republican voting pattern.