Child Protection Bills Before Full House

Child protection bills before full house

The House Judiciary Committee approved several bills last week in a continuing effort to enhance protections for Pennsylvania’s children says State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

House Bill 20 would increase the penalty for concealing the death of a child from a misdemeanor to a felony, which would also come with a larger fine and potentially longer prison sentence. Under the bill, any individual residing in the same household as the child or anyone responsible for the child’s welfare may be charged with the crime of concealing the death of a child.

House Bill 494 would create a new crime of failure to report the disappearance of a child. Under this bill, a parent of a child under age 14 can be charged with the offense if he or she acts with reckless disregard for the child’s welfare and fails to report the disappearance of the child to a law enforcement agency within 24 hours of knowing the child has gone missing.

House Bill 1045 would create the offense of making false reports of child abuse. A person will be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine, if he or she knowingly or intentionally makes a false report of child abuse or induces a child to make a false report of child abuse under the Child Protective Services Law.

House Bill 1594 would increase the grading for luring a child into a motor vehicle or structure from a first-degree misdemeanor to a second-degree felony if the child is younger than 13 years old.

The legislation now goes to the full House for consideration.

Child Protection Bills Before Full House

 Child Protection Bills Before Full House

 

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