Posted: | December 2, 2014 03:37 PM |
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From: | Senator David G. Argall |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | State Corrections Officers Bill of Rights |
In the near future, I will introduce legislation creating the Corrections Officers Bill of Rights. This legislation will ensure that Pennsylvania’s corrections officers maintain certain rights and will provide them with the ability to appeal during disciplinary proceedings. The Corrections Officers Bill of Rights is being introduced in light of recent headlines regarding abuse allegations at SCI Pittsburgh. Eight corrections officers were suspended without pay and benefits for almost a year without the ability to ask questions related to why they were suspended or to defend themselves. These officers were never even given the benefit of a hearing. With two state corrections facilities located in the Senate district which I represent, I strongly believe any corrections officer found guilty of a crime should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law; however, this legislation will guarantee preservation of the constitutional rights for our corrections officers. This bill will be similar to legislation I sponsored last session (Senate Bill 476 of 2013), which was overwhelmingly approved in the Senate on Oct. 8, 2014 by a vote of 48-2. |
Introduced as SB404