PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 576, 964, 1575           PRINTER'S NO. 2107

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


SENATE BILL

No. 544 Session of 1979


                     Report of the Committee of Conference

        To the Members of the Senate and House of Representatives:

           We, the undersigned, Committee of Conference on the part of
        the Senate and House of Representatives for the purpose of
        considering Senate Bill No. 544, entitled:
        "An act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the
        Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further PROVIDING CRIMINAL
        PENALTIES FOR CARRYING WEAPONS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY AND defining
        aggravated assault and increasing the grading for certain types
        of aggravated assault on a second and subsequent conviction AND
        AUTHORIZING PROSECUTION FOR OBSCENITY VIOLATIONS WHETHER OR NOT
        THE ACTIVITY IS ENJOINED."



        respectfully submit the following bill as our report:

                                           MICHAEL A. O'PAKE

                                           MICHAEL P. SCHAEFER

                                           PHILIP PRICE, Jr.

                                  (Committee on the part of the Senate.)

                                           D. MICHAEL FISHER

                                           FRED C. NOYE

                (Committee on the part of the House of Representatives.)



                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
     2     Consolidated Statutes, further providing criminal penalties
     3     for carrying weapons on school property and defining
     4     aggravated assault and increasing the grading for certain
     5     types of aggravated assault on a second and subsequent
     6     conviction and authorizing prosecution for obscenity
     7     violations whether or not the activity is enjoined.

     8     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     9  hereby enacts as follows:
    10     Section 1.  Title 18, act of November 25, 1970 (P.L.707,
    11  No.230), known as the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, is
    12  amended by adding a section to read:
    13  § 912.  Possession of weapon on school property.
    14     (a)  Definition.--Notwithstanding the definition of "weapon"
    15  in section 907 (relating to possessing instruments of crime),
    16  "weapon" for purposes of this section shall include but not be
    17  limited to any knife, cutting instrument, cutting tool, nun-
    18  chuck stick, firearm, shotgun, rifle and any other tool,
    19  instrument or implement capable of inflicting serious bodily
    20  injury.
    21     (b)  Offense defined.--A person commits a misdemeanor of the
    22  first degree if he possesses a weapon in the buildings of, on
    23  the grounds of, or in any conveyance providing transportation to
    24  or from any elementary or secondary publicly-funded educational
    25  institution, any elementary or secondary private school licensed
    26  by the Department of Education or any elementary or secondary
    27  parochial school.
    28     (c)  Defense.--It shall be a defense that the weapon is
    29  possessed and used in conjunction with a lawful supervised
    30  school activity or course or is possessed for other lawful
    31  purpose.


     1     Section 2.  Section 2702 and subsections (a) and (h) of
     2  section 5903 of Title 18 are amended and section 5903 is amended
     3  by adding a subsection to read:
     4  § 2702.  Aggravated assault.
     5     (a)  Offense defined.--A person is guilty of aggravated
     6  assault if he:
     7         (1)  attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another,
     8     or causes such injury intentionally, knowingly or recklessly
     9     under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the
    10     value of human life;
    11         (2)  attempts to cause or intentionally, knowingly or
    12     recklessly causes serious bodily injury to a police officer
    13     making or attempting to make a lawful arrest;
    14         (3)  attempts to cause or intentionally or knowingly
    15     causes bodily injury to a police officer making or attempting
    16     to make a lawful arrest; [or]
    17         (4)  attempts to cause or intentionally or knowingly
    18     causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon; or
    19         (5)  attempts to cause or intentionally or knowingly
    20     causes bodily injury to a teaching staff member, school board
    21     member, other employee or student of any elementary or
    22     secondary publicly-funded educational institution, any
    23     elementary or secondary private school licensed by the
    24     Department of Education or any elementary or secondary
    25     parochial school while acting in the scope of his or her
    26     employment or because of his or her employment relationship
    27     to the school.
    28     (b)  Grading.--Aggravated assault under [paragraphs]
    29  subsection (a)(1) and [(a)] (2) [of this section] is a felony of
    30  the second degree. Aggravated assault under [paragraphs]
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     1  subsection (a)(3), [and (a)](4) and (5) [of this section] is a
     2  misdemeanor of the first degree. Whenever any person has been
     3  previously convicted or adjudicated a delinquent in this
     4  Commonwealth for the offense set forth in subsection (a)(5), a
     5  subsequent petition, indictment or information of aggravated
     6  assault under subsection (a)(5) shall be classified as a felony
     7  of the third degree.
     8  § 5903.  Obscene and other sexual materials.
     9     (a)  Offenses defined.--No person, knowing the obscene
    10  character of the materials involved, shall:
    11         (1)  display or cause or permit the display of any
    12     [obscene] explicit sexual materials as defined in subsection
    13     (c), in or on any window, showcase, newsstand, display rack,
    14     billboard, display board, viewing screen, motion picture
    15     screen, marquee or similar place in such manner that the
    16     display is visible from any public street, highway, sidewalk,
    17     transportation facility or other public thoroughfare, or in
    18     any business or commercial establishment where minors, as a
    19     part of the general public or otherwise, are or will probably
    20     be exposed to view all or any part of such materials.
    21     * * *
    22     (h)  Criminal prosecution [for enjoined activities].--
    23         (1)  Any person who violates subsection (a) or (f) [as to
    24     the matters enjoined pursuant to subsection (g) commits] is
    25     guilty of a misdemeanor of the [second] first degree.
    26     Violation of subsection (a) is a felony of the third degree
    27     if the offender has previously been convicted of a violation
    28     of subsection (a) or if the material was sold, distributed,
    29     prepared or published for the purpose of resale.
    30         (2)  Any person who violates subsection (c) or (d) [as to
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     1     matters enjoined pursuant to subsection (g) commits] is
     2     guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. Violation of
     3     subsection (c) or (d) is a felony of the third degree if the
     4     offender has previously been convicted of a violation of
     5     subsection (c) or (d).
     6         (3)  [Elements of the offense shall be determined de novo
     7     at the criminal proceeding and findings] Findings made in
     8     [the] an equity action shall not be binding in the criminal
     9     proceedings.
    10     * * *
    11     (k)  Ordinances or resolutions.--Nothing in this chapter
    12  shall be construed to invalidate, supersede, repeal or preempt
    13  any ordinance or resolution of any political subdivision insofar
    14  as it is consistent with this chapter, and political
    15  subdivisions further retain the right to regulate any
    16  activities, displays, exhibitions, or materials not specifically
    17  regulated by this chapter.
    18     Section 3.  If any provision of this amendatory act,
    19  including any part of any section, or the application thereof to
    20  any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity
    21  shall not affect other provisions or applications of the act
    22  which can be given effect without the invalid provision or
    23  application, and to this end the provisions of this act are
    24  declared to be severable.
    25     Section 4.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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