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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 21, 2020 09:53 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Mike Regan |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Police Officers Patrolling Student Areas in Proximity to Polling Places in School Buildings |
| I intend to introduce legislation to address an issue that has been raised regarding school security personnel and polling places within school buildings. Current election law prevents a police officer from being within 100 feet of a polling place unless for the purposes of voting, serving warrants, or preserving the peace. Further, the law provides an exemption when a polling place is located in a building or on premises where a police station is located but calls for the polling place to be in a separate room. As more schools add security personnel and school buildings continue to be used for elections, the fact that current law prevents an officer from being within 100 feet of a polling place is hindering school security from doing their job in protecting students. My proposal would mirror current language to provide an exemption for school security personnel to patrol and monitor student occupied areas while within 100 feet of a polling site but require that polling place to be in a separate room, which officers would not be permitted to enter unless they are voting or called on for a lifesaving event. Please join me in co-sponsoring this commonsense measure to allow school security personnel to continue protecting students while still providing electors the ability to freely exercise their civic duty when going to the polls. |