Posted: | December 3, 2018 10:39 AM |
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From: | Representative Jim Cox |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Restitution Wage Attachment |
In 2011, the Office of Victim Advocate convened The Restitution in Pennsylvania Task Force to study and develop recommendations for improving the restitution process in Pennsylvania on both the State and local levels. The Task Force brought together key stakeholders, agencies and organizations from across all stages of victim restitution work. The Task Force conducted a thorough review of restitution processes at the state and local level in order to identify gaps and develop recommendations to maximize the effectiveness of both the criminal and juvenile systems in collecting restitution for victims. In February 2013, the Task Force issued its final report including 47 recommendations for reforms. In the near future, I plan on re-introducing legislation that would improve the collection of restitution for crime victims by authorizing courts to order wage attachment for defendants for the payment of restitution, fines, and costs. Current law governing the attachment of wages gives priority status only to attachments for support obligations. This bill will maintain the first priority for support payments and grant second priority to restitution payments. (Task Force Recommendations #41, #43, and #44.) This bill was introduced as House Bill 236 in the previous session and has been approved by the House in each of the last two sessions. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this legislation again for the new session so we can get this legislation to the governor’s desk. Thank you for your interest and support. Prior Co-Sponsors: DUSH, FARRY, JOZWIAK, LAWRENCE, MILLARD B. MILLER, NEILSON, KORTZ, RADER, SOLOMON, SCHLOSSBERG, STEPHENS, TOEPEL, WHEELAND and ZIMMERMAN |
Introduced as HB129