House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

Last year, the nation watched in horror as teens in Florida not only watched a man drown but recorded themselves laughing at the victims last desperate attempts to survive. In the wake of such despicable behavior several states have passed legislation requiring individuals to provide assistance to a person suffering at scene of an emergency. This duty is commonly referred to as the “Duty to Rescue”. In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation, based on Minnesota’s Duty to Rescue Law, which creating a Duty to Rescue within the Commonwealth. The draft requires individuals to either directly assist or call 9-11 to obtain assistance for a person experiencing a life-threatening emergency. A person who witnesses a person experiencing a life-threatening emergency and fails to provide such assistance would be guilty of a summary offense. This legislation will not only save lives but serve as a strong statement that here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we help those in need.
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Introduced as HB234