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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 28, 2012 02:35 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Kim L. Ward |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Memo #13 – Witnesses of Violent Offenses (aka, “Jennifer’s Law”) |
I plan to reintroduce Senate Bill 641 of last session, better known as “Jennifer’s Law,” which will add a new section to Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) in regards to a duty of a witness to report of violent offense. The bill is named “Jennifer’s Law” in memory of Jennifer Daugherty, a young woman with intellectual disabilities who was murdered in Greensburg a few years ago. Three men and three women were charged in connection with the torture and stabbing death of Jennifer. Westmoreland County District Attorney, John Peck, believes this statute would have enabled him to file additional charges in this case. The new section, 18 Pa. C.S. §306.1 (duty of witness of violent offense), will require an individual who witnesses the actual commission of a violent offense to notify law enforcement unless the individual has a reasonable belief that making such a report would place that individual in danger of immediate physical harm. An individual who fails to provide notification would commit a misdemeanor of the third degree. A violent offense would be defined as: murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, incest, sexual assault, arson, kidnapping, burglary and an attempt, conspiracy or solicitation to commit any of these offenses. Previous co-sponsors of this legislation include Senators: D. WHITE, FONTANA, BROWNE, ALLOWAY, EICHELBERGER and WASHINGTON. If you have any questions regarding this legislation or would like to see the draft language, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 717-787-6063. |
Introduced as SB422