Nov. 10, 2015
HARRISBURG – House Judiciary Committee Majority Chairman Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin) moved several important pieces of legislation today during the Judiciary Committee’s scheduled weekly voting meeting.
“The House Judiciary Committee has been extremely busy with considering legislation that is vital to the success and safety of Pennsylvania,” said Marsico. “Today the committee voted on five pieces of legislation that would work towards achieving that goal.”
House Bill 1581 would establish the crime of strangulation and make it a second-degree felony, or a first-degree felony in certain cases. The aim of this legislation is to protect victims of domestic violence. Studies have shown that last year, in Pennsylvania, there were 141 domestic violence-related fatalities; of the 97 victims killed, 6 were strangled. Additionally, one study showed that the odds of becoming a homicide victim increased by 800% for women who had been strangled by their partner.
House Bill 1538, as amended, would prohibit the release of information during the investigation of a law enforcement officer involved in a shooting incident. The information would be released if the officer is charged, unless doing so would create a risk of harm to the officer or his family.
House Bill 1574 would prohibit the hazing of any person, rather than just college students, as mandated by current law. The bill also requires high schools to enact anti-hazing policies.
“I introduced House Bill 1574 because I felt that Pennsylvania’s current hazing law needed to go further. My legislation would propose that hazing should apply to all persons, not just to students,” said Marsico. “This way it would also apply, for example, to sports teams or clubs that are not school-affiliated. Secondary schools should also be required to have anti-hazing policies with enforcement programs, like colleges and universities must have today.”
“The reason why I felt so strongly about enacting this legislation, is that studies from leading anti-hazing advocacy groups show that 47 percent of high school students experience hazing, and that it is reported by male and female students alike,” said Marsico. “Fully 25 percent of these students report having been the victims of hazing before the age of 13. This is deplorable.”
In addition to the above mentioned bills, two other bills moved through the committee this week.
House Bill 322, as amended, would provide for a court-ordered evaluation for a gambling disorder of a person who voluntarily lists himself on a casino “self-exclusion list” but then commits trespass by entering a casino’s gaming floor.
House Bill 1682 would prohibit the use of devices to capture, record, transmit or broadcast a photo, video or audio of a person or proceeding inside a courtroom and near its doorways. The offense would be graded as a second-degree misdemeanor.
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