Jan. 25, 2017
HARRISBURG – House Judiciary Committee Majority Chairman Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin) moved legislation to establish the Pennsylvania Officer Down Advisory today during the committee’s scheduled weekly voting meeting.
“The Pennsylvania Officer Down Advisory will act in a similar fashion to Amber Alert, which has seen huge success,” said Marsico. “It is vital that we capture assailants as swiftly as possible, in order to keep our law enforcement officers and our communities safe. These are the people who risk their lives in order to protect the Commonwealth and this legislation will, in turn, provide them with some additional protection while they serve. That is why I made it a priority to get it on the committee’s voting agenda as soon as possible. And, I was pleased to see it pass unanimously through committee today.”
House Bill 31 establishes the Pennsylvania Officer Down Advisory to use media broadcasts and messaging signs along highways to provide information identifying the vehicle of a suspected law enforcement officer’s assailant. The legislation would require that the following criteria be met to activate the system: A law enforcement officer was killed or seriously injured by an offender; the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement; the offender’s vehicle, vehicle tag, or partial tag is available for broadcast; and the law enforcement agency recommends activation of the system.
In addition to
House Bill 31, several other bills moved through the committee today:
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House Bill 44 would provide that courts considering proceedings pursuant to the Protection from Abuse Act be made aware of investigations into allegations of child abuse by the defendant by a county agency or by the district attorney. This bill is one of the recommendations made by the Task Force on Child Protection.
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House Bill 128 would increase the grading for the offense of “Dealing in Infant Children” from a misdemeanor of the first degree to a felony of the first degree.
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House Bill 159 would clarify existing law to state that a minor’s failure to comply with a summary offense sentence constitutes a “delinquent act,” thereby ensuring the juvenile courts retain jurisdiction over enforcement of such cases.
The legislation will now go to the full House for consideration.
Representative Ronald Marsico
105th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
RonMarsico.com
Media Contact: Autumn R. Southard, 717.652.3721
asouthar@pahousegop.com