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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 26, 2024 12:21 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Christina D. Sappey |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Creating a Permanent Office of Child Advocate |
| The Office of Child Advocate (OCA) was created, and continues to operate, through an executive order to protect our children from abuse and exploitation. OCA provides our state’s most vulnerable children with a direct line to assistance, serving a critical role in our government to ensure the children of Pennsylvania have a voice. Due to its creation through an executive order, this office is in peril of being dissolved by a future administration. For this reason, I am proposing legislation that will codify the Office of Child Advocate as a permanent independent agency. 34 other states have created permanent OCAs and it is time for Pennsylvania to join them. Both the Joint State Government Commission Advisory Committee on Services to Children and Youth and the Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Task Force have recommended OCA be a permanent office. Please join me in cosponsoring this important legislation. Similar legislation was introduced last session by Former State Representative Pam Delissio as HB 2913. Previous cosponsors included Kinsey, Boback, Hanbidge, Madden, Hill-Evans, Guenst, T. Davis, Howard, Sanchez, Sappey, Ciresi, Hohenstein and Delloso. |
Introduced as HB2175