THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY BOBACK, TOOHIL, SIMMONS, ADOLPH, DALEY, GABLER, GEIST, GERBER, GIBBONS, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GROVE, HAHN, HALUSKA, HARHART, HENNESSEY, KORTZ, MAJOR, MANN, METCALFE, MUNDY, MURPHY, MURT, O'NEILL, PETRARCA, QUINN, SAINATO, SAYLOR, SWANGER, VULAKOVICH, WATSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 14, 2011

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, OCTOBER 14, 2011  

AN ACT

Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, providing for the offense of failure

of duty to report disappearance of a child.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:

§ 4304.1.  Duty to report disappearance of child.

(a)  Offense defined.--A parent of a child under 14 years of

age commits an offense if the parent, with reckless disregard

for the risk of harm to the child or for the health, safety or

welfare of the child, fails to report the disappearance of the

child to a law enforcement agency.

(b)  Grading.--An offense under subsection (a) constitutes a

felony of the third degree.

(c)  Definitions.--As used in this section, the following

words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this

subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Disappearance."  Any instance in which the whereabouts of

the child are unknown to the parent and have been unknown for

more than 24 hours.

"Parent."  A natural parent, stepparent, adoptive parent,

guardian or custodian of a child.

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