House Chairmen Applaud Movement of House Child Protection Bills

HARRISBURG – Reps. Kathy Watson (R-Bucks/144^th), chairman of the House Children and Youth Committee, and Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, today applauded advancement of several pieces of legislation developed by the House to further protect children in Pennsylvania.

The Jerry Sandusky indictment highlighted the need to update Pennsylvania’s child protection laws, and the General Assembly responded through the passage of Marsico’s resolution creating the Task Force on Child Protection. The task force presented a 427-page final report last November which included a number of recommendations for improving Pennsylvania’s child welfare system.

“In the beginning of this session, members of the House Children and Youth Committee, along with the House Judiciary Committee, worked diligently to develop and thoroughly examine legislation resulting from the recommendations of the Task Force on Child Protection,” Watson said. “Using the task force’s blueprint as a guide, our House committees, in bipartisan fashion, worked together to hold numerous hearings to gather nearly 50 submissions of testimony from numerous agencies and individuals.”

The committees held five public hearings this session alone and more than 10 voting meetings, along with countless discussions with key groups involved in child welfare issues.

Those hearings resulted in more than two dozen pieces of legislation – all designed to help protect children and ensure that state laws are as strong as possible. By the end of June, the House passed more than 20 of the bills in the comprehensive package. A number of them mirrored the recommendations from the Task Force on Child Protection. 

“We have accomplished a great deal in a short period of time to increase the safety of the children in the Commonwealth,” said Marsico. “It is wonderful to have widespread bipartisan support in both chambers, as well as the governor’s office, in achieving such enormous results in such a succinct fashion and I will continue to make child protection legislation a priority.”

“As evidenced by the number of hearings, voting meetings and staff discussions, these bills were thoroughly vetted in an effort to make them as strong as possible,” Watson said. “Not only did we use the task force recommendations as a basis for our legislation, but we also went beyond its suggestions to ensure that the child is the main focus of every bill we developed.”

This week, Senate committees advanced 10 of those measures, including proposals to:

·         Enhance the criminal sentence for the offense of child pornography.

·         Strengthen the definition of child abuse so that those who commit these horrendous acts against children are held accountable.

·         Ensure that those who must report suspicions of child abuse are trained and face tougher penalties if they fail to act.

·         Increase the penalties for mandated reporters who fail to report child abuse, including a third-degree felony for someone who witnesses the most serious acts of child abuse and fails to make a report.

·         Enhance due process protections for those who are incorrectly suspected of abuse.

·         Elevate the penalties for luring a child under the age of 13 into a motor vehicle or structure a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. The law currently states that this crime is a first-degree misdemeanor with a fine of $10,000.

·         Increase information-sharing among government agencies, so that courts in a child custody matter have access to records related to the potential child abuse of the child and parents involved.

·         Update the list of health care-related boards that district attorneys must notify upon the conviction of an individual licensed by the health care-related board.

·         Protect the names of child victims of sexual or physical abuse from disclosure to the public.

·         Fund child advocacy centers.

“Children who are abused are among crime victims with the most critical need of immediate, comprehensive services. Fortunately, Pennsylvania is home to several child advocacy centers which offer a multidisciplinary approach to assisting abused children recover from physical and emotional harm, while also helping law enforcement and prosecutors develop testimonial and expert evidence necessary to arrest and prosecute perpetrators,” said Marsico.  “Under a bill I authored, the sale of DARE license plates will be discontinued and all money in the DARE license plate fund will be transferred to the Commission on Crime and Delinquency to provide grants to child advocacy centers.”

“I am pleased that the Senate has followed our lead in advancing these important child protection bills, and it is our hope they can move quickly to the governor’s desk,” Watson said. “Our overall goal is to help protect our children from the horrors of physical and sexual abuse, and I firmly believe these reforms will go a long way in helping children to live happier, healthier lives.”

The House Children and Youth and Judiciary Committees reported out five Senate bills on Nov. 19, and both are expected to meet on Dec. 10 to consider at least three more. Many of the Senate bills being sent to the House floor include the concepts of numerous House-initiated proposals.