Pennsylvania State Capitol. Photo credit: Zack Frank/Shutterstock.com

Domestic Violence

The state House of Representatives on Sept. 25 approved a measure to require persons to surrender their firearms within 24 hours of conviction on misdemeanor domestic violence charges or entry of a final protection from abuse order.

House Bill 2060, sponsored by state Rep. Marguerite Quinn, R-Bucks, passed on a 131-62 vote. “The fact is that guns and domestic violence are a deadly mix,” Quinn said to The Associated Press. “The fact is that this bill does not apply to any reasonable gun owner. The fact is, if you don't want to be told by the bench that you need to relinquish your guns, don't commit a crime of domestic violence.”

Gov. Tom Wolf has pledged to sign the bill once it gets to his desk.

“I want to congratulate the many domestic violence and gun safety advocates, who have worked year after year just to get a vote on this commonsense reform,” he said in a statement in the wake of the House vote.

The Pennsylvania Senate in March this year approved a similar legislation, Senate Bill 501. HB 2060 now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The bill was supported by the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and an array of gun-safety groups. The National Rifle Association dropped objections to the bill and took a neutral stance after last-minute negotiations, the AP reported.

Sexual Abuse

The state House on Sept. 25 approved a bill aimed at expanding the ability of child sexual abuse victims to seek redress through the courts.

Senate Bill 261 passed the House on a 173-21 vote. The House version of the bill would expand the civil statute of limitations from 12 years to 32 years, allowing persons claiming child sexual abuse to file a civil suit any time before their 50th birthday. Currently the possibility of legal action is effectively ended once the accuser turns 30. It also would wipe out the criminal statute of limitations for a variety of charges related to child sexual abuse.

The House changed the bill from its Senate version by allowing those whose right to sue has been curtailed by the current statute of limitations a two-year window, from the time the bill would take effect if passed, to file a civil suit.

State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, pressed for the amendment to create the two-year window. “All victims ever wanted was an opportunity for justice, to be able to walk into that court of law and expose their perpetrators. And maybe we can protect future kids from being abused,” said Rozzi, who has himself come forward as a victim of sexual abuse by a priest.

The vote came a month after the release of an explosive grand jury report detailing seven decades of systematic abuse of children in the Catholic Church and subsequent cover-ups of the crimes.

Wolf praised the House for passing Rozzi's amendment.

“This is a huge step forward for the abused and would reaffirm Pennsylvania's role as a national leader in standing up for victims,” he said after the vote.

The Senate in February unanimously approved the bill, which was sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson. The measure now goes back to the Senate to consider changes made in the House.

Bills Approved

The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously approved three bills on Sept. 25. All of them now go to the state House of Representatives for consideration:

• Senate Bill 1066, sponsored by Sen. Bob Mensch, R-Montgomery, which would create first-time homebuyers savings accounts. The measure would permit eligible Pennsylvanians to take state tax deductions for savings toward expenses such as a down payment and closing costs. The bill is aimed at reversing a trend that has taken hold since the 2008 financial crisis, with fewer homes being purchased by first-time buyers.

• Senate Bill 1134, a bipartisan measure introduced by Sens. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, and Randy Vulakovich, R-Allegheny, which would criminalize “sextortion,” or coercion of sexual contact. The bill defines sextortion as occurring when sex or sexual images are demanded in lieu of money or other items with financial value. The act is recognized as a form of sexual assault and has been criminalized in five states including California and Texas.

• Senate Bill 1205, introduced by Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, which would require insurance companies to provide specific information on their corporate structure, including a list of board members and their officers on an annual basis, beginning in 2020. The disclosures are needed so the Department of Insurance may conduct financial stability examinations of insurance companies doing business in Pennsylvania.

Early Childhood

Wolf on Sept. 27 announced the creation of a “Ready to Start” task force focused on informing the strategy to address health, human services and education policy for infants and toddlers from birth to age 3.

According to a Wolf administration statement, the task force is expected to identify broad themes for approaching early childhood development policy, and develop specific recommendations. Goals of the group include improving health outcomes, strengthening home environments and preparing infants and toddlers for future school success.

As with other Wolf-appointed task forces, the “Ready to Start” group is slated to begin with a listening tour throughout the state this fall.

“The environment in which babies live and learn in their first three years has an enormous impact on their cognitive, social, and emotional development,” Wolf said in the statement. “The task force's goal is to identify programs and policies to help infants and children age 0 to 3 get a strong, focused beginning toward a healthy, happy, fulfilling life here in the commonwealth.” •