PRINTER'S NO. 1023
No. 892 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY KATZ, APRIL 19, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, APRIL 19, 1977
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of October 17, 1969 (P.L.263, No.106), entitled
2 "An act providing for the Traffic Court of Philadelphia,"
3 granting additional powers to judges of the Traffic Court of
4 Philadelphia.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. The act of October 17, 1969 (P.L.263, No.106),
8 entitled "An act providing for the Traffic Court of
9 Philadelphia," is amended by adding a section to read:
10 Section 4.1. All judges of the Traffic Court of Philadelphia
11 shall have the power to inflict summary punishments for contempt
12 of court involving the misbehavior of any person in the presence
13 of the court which obstructs the administration of justice. The
14 maximum punishment for such contempt shall be imprisonment for
15 not more than seven days or a fine of one hundred dollars ($100)
16 or both. The court may order the sheriff or other proper officer
17 of the county to take into custody and commit to jail, any
18 person fined for contempt until such fine be paid or discharged.
19 If such person shall be unable to pay such fine, he may be
1 committed to jail by the court for not more than seven days.
2 Section 2. Section 5 of the act is amended to read:
3 Section 5. Where a summons has been issued and the defendant
4 has not paid in full the fine and costs set forth in the
5 summons, there shall be no disposition of any case without a
6 hearing held in open court. If after a hearing held in open
7 court, the judge determines that the defendant has willfully
8 refused to pay the fine and costs set forth in the summons the
9 judge may commit the defendant to jail for a period not in
10 excess of seven days.
11 Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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