Armanini, Kephart Oppose Democrats’ Soft-on-Crime Policies

July 23, 2026

HARRISBURG – State Reps. Mike Armanini (R-Clearfield/Elk) and Dallas Kephart (R-Clearfield/Cambria) released the following statement in reaction to legislation passed today by the House of Representatives. The measure was intended to change the sentencing framework for anyone convicted of second-degree murder, commonly called felony murder. However, an amendment greatly broadened the scope of the measure and added provisions that include opportunities for inmates to be released for medical reasons.
 
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in March that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for people convicted of felony murder are unconstitutional. The Court provided the Legislature with an opportunity to create sentencing guidelines within 120 days. Faced with that July 24 deadline, House Democrats, who control the voting calendar, waited until the very last days and produced a legislative response that is purely offensive to the families of victims of these heinous crimes.
 
“House Bill 1042, which we supported in its original form as a way of building on Pennsylvania’s commitment to reducing recidivism, instead could prematurely open the prison cell doors for society’s worst offenders, which currently hold death row inmates and men like Jerry Sandusky.
 
“It would require victims’ families to relive the painful circumstances surrounding the loss of their loved one’s life and face the ongoing possibility that those who perpetrated these crimes could be back on the streets of their neighborhood rather than facing life behind bars.   
 
“The amendment to House Bill 1042 now asks the Senate to approve legislation that is not agreed to and goes against the original bipartisan compromise that was struck.
 
“Likewise, House Bill 1042 was endorsed overwhelmingly by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. What this amended bill does is force the Legislature to go beyond the court-required 120-day deadline to act. It also asks the Senate to consider agreeing to legislation that would benefit violent murderers and sex offenders.”  




Representative Michael Armanini
75th Legislative District
Representative Dallas Kephart
73rd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little