PRINTER'S NO. 345
No. 328 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY FAIRCHILD, SEMMEL, PHILLIPS, ALLEN, ARGALL,
M. BAKER, BARRAR, BASTIAN, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI, BELFANTI,
BENNINGHOFF, BOYES, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPABIANCA, CAPPELLI,
CAWLEY, CLARK, COLAFELLA, COSTA, COY, CRUZ, DeLUCA, DeWEESE,
EACHUS, EGOLF, FICHTER, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GABIG, GEIST,
GEORGE, GODSHALL, HARHAI, HASAY, HENNESSEY, HERMAN, HERSHEY,
HORSEY, HUTCHINSON, LAUGHLIN, LEH, LEWIS, MAITLAND, MARKOSEK,
MARSICO, McCALL, MELIO, METCALFE, MICOZZIE, R. MILLER,
S. MILLER, NAILOR, ORIE, PISTELLA, READSHAW, ROBERTS, ROSS,
SAINATO, SATHER, SAYLOR, SCHULER, SHANER, B. SMITH,
S. H. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STABACK, STERN, E. Z. TAYLOR, TIGUE,
TRELLO, WANSACZ, WILT, WOJNAROSKI, YEWCIC AND YOUNGBLOOD,
JANUARY 31, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, JANUARY 31, 2001
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, further providing for desecration or
3 sale of venerated objects.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Section 5509 of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
7 Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
8 § 5509. Desecration or sale of venerated objects.
9 (a) Offense defined.--A person commits a misdemeanor of the
10 second degree if he:
11 (1) intentionally desecrates any public monument or
12 structure, or place of worship or burial[, or];
1 (2) if he intentionally desecrates any other object of
2 veneration by the public or a substantial segment thereof in
3 any public place[.]; or
4 (3) sells or attempts to sell a veteran's marker as
5 described in section 1913 of the act of August 9, 1955
6 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code. This paragraph
7 shall not apply to the sale of veterans' markers authorized
8 by statute.
9 (b) Definition.--As used in this section, the word
10 "desecrate" means defacing, damaging, polluting or otherwise
11 physically mistreating in a way that the actor knows will
12 outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or
13 discover the action.
14 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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