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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 25, 2014 10:55 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator David G. Argall |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Preventing future child abuse by mandating running water for child’s home |
| Last year, four children and two adults were killed in a horrible house fire in Pottsville. In the resulting investigation, authorities found the home’s water service had been shut off two weeks prior to the fire. In addition, the children had recently been returned to the home by social services. Lack of running water makes a building unfit for human habitation by code enforcement standards. These properties usually face numerous code violations and fall dangerously close to the definition of a blighted property. But yet, under current law, social service agencies can return children to these dwellings. It is my hope, that if current law is amended to include failure to provide shelter with running water in the definition of “serious physical neglect,” we can prevent another tragedy. In the near future, I will introduce legislation that will address this issue. The measure would amend the definition of a child’s “serious physical neglect” to include failure to provide shelter with running water. Please contact Jon Hopcraft of my office at 787-2637 or at jhopcraft@pasen.gov with any questions. |
Introduced as SB1502