THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY WILLIAMS, BROWN, PAYTON AND CRUZ, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009  

AN ACT

Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, in falsification and intimidation,

further providing for the offense of false reports to law

enforcement authorities.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 4906(b) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes is amended, subsection (c) is amended by

adding a paragraph and the section is amended by adding a

subsection to read:

§ 4906.  False reports to law enforcement authorities.

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(b)  Fictitious reports.--Except as provided in subsection

(c), a person commits a misdemeanor of the third degree if [he]

the person:

(1)  reports to law enforcement authorities an offense or

other incident within [their] the person's concern knowing

that it did not occur; or

(2)  pretends to furnish such authorities with

information relating to an offense or incident when [he] the

person knows [he] the person has no information relating to

such offense or incident.

(c)  Grading.--

* * *

(3)  If the violation of subsection (a) or (b) relates to

a false report that was made with the intent to maliciously

discredit a specific race, color, religion, national origin,

ethnicity or gender, the offense shall be graded one step

greater than that set forth in the applicable subsection.

(d)  Restitution.--In addition to any other penalty

authorized by law, a person who violates this section shall,

upon conviction, be sentenced to pay restitution to any law

enforcement agency equal to the amount of services provided by

the law enforcement authority to investigate the false report.

Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.