House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

Posted:	May 5, 2015 04:22 PM
From:	Representative Bryan Barbin
To:	All House members
Subject:	State Tax Refund Intercept / Restitution

In the near future, I will be introducing a bill to improve restitution collections in Pennsylvania. The legislation amends the Crime Victims Act to require the Department of Revenue to intercept any state tax refund due to someone who has an outstanding restitution order and apply it instead to the restitution obligation. This legislation was introduced last session as part of a package of bills aimed at improving restitution collections in Pennsylvania. In 2011, the Office of Victim Advocate convened The Restitution in Pennsylvania Task Force to study and develop recommendations for improving the restitution process in Pennsylvania on both the State and local levels. The Task Force conducted a thorough review of restitution processes at the state and local level in order to identify gaps and develop recommendations to maximize the effectiveness of both the criminal and juvenile systems in collecting restitution for victims. Following publication of the Task Force’s report, a bi-partisan working group of the House Judiciary Committee identified a package of bills as a starting point for reform, all focused on enhancing the collection of restitution from those convicted of crimes. Please join me in sponsoring this legislation which provides an additional tool to help make crime victims whole.
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Introduced as HB1167