HB 355
Chris began to spread the word about the injustice being done to our children and started working with state representatives to change the statue so that police officers, who are hired to protect and serve, can receive the same felony charge for assaulting a child as a teacher, an employee of a state or county juvenile detention facility, a mental health professional working at a licensed residential facilities serving children and youth, a principal, a librarian, a school coach, or an employee of a childcare facility would.
In November of 2023, Pennsylvania State Representative Joe D'Orsie, introduced HB 1847 which would enhance the charge from a first-degree misdemeanor to a felony of the third degree in instances where the accused is a police officer or school employee and is in the position of instructor or mentor of the abused child. HB 1847 would close the loophole that officers currently have available to them by increasing the first degree misdemeanor charge to a third degree felony, and including up to seven years of prison time, when the assailant is a peace officer.
When in a position of authority, the consequences should be more severe, just as the consequences are more severe when someone in the general public hurts a police officer. For example, in the state of Pennsylvania, a simple assault to a civilian is a misdemeanor, however, assault of a police officer is aggravated assault, which carries a felony charge.
Update January, 2025
When HB1847 wasn't voted or passed during the 2024 legislative session, it was reintroduced as HB355. What is really makes HB355 different for HB 1847 is that it was co-sponsored by 8 democrats and republicans, making this a true bipartisan bill. This bill is common sense and needs to be in place to hold predators accountable for their crimes against children.
HB355 clears the Judiciary Committee
On March 25, 2025, HB355 was UNANIMOUSLY approved by the Judiciary Committee! This sends a very strong message to all members of the Pennsylvania House that this is a good bill and they need to support it. While this is a huge win, the fight is not over. The bill now moves to the Senate and awaits a vote with the entire House.
Wanna Help With the Fight?
Are you a resident of Pennsylvania? I encourage you to contact your representative and demand they support this bill. You can locate your representative by clicking on the button below.
It's pretty simple to share your thoughts, they are your elected official and they want to hear from you. It's likely that you will only be able to speak to a member of their staff but they are good about sharing messages with the representative. Below is a sample of what a phone call could sound like:
"Hello, my name is ________ and I am a constituent in your district. I recently learned about HB355 and I would like to know if you support this bill? It simply closes a loophole that allows members of law enforcement who sexually assault children to receive a felony instead of a misdemeanor. It also increases the sentencing guidelines so that they receive more than just probation. Its sends a message that we value our children and holds the bad cops accountable for their behavior. The Fraternal Order of Police have reviewed the bill and are not opposing it which tells us that they don't like bad cops either. I hope this office will support this bill, as it is bi-partisan and will help keep our children safe".
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