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Pennsylvania State Senate
04/18/2024 10:16 PM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20230&cosponId=38114
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: December 2, 2022 11:49 AM
From: Senator Carolyn T. Comitta
To: All Senate members
Subject: Hate Crimes Against Disabled
 
Young people and adults with disabilities are at higher risk of violence than those without disabilities, according to the World Health Organization. The rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities was at least twice the rate for persons without disabilities every year from 2009 to 2015, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics.
 
In recent years, abhorrent attacks on individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities have highlighted a critical gap in Pennsylvania’s Criminal Code. Currently, Pennsylvania’s Criminal Code provides for hate crime charges dealing with incidents involving acts committed against an individual based on race, color, religion, or national origin.
 
I will soon reintroduce legislation that would add “intellectual or physical disability” to the list of items that prosecutors can consider when contemplating hate crime charges.
 
This legislation was introduced last session, Senate Bill 995, with 31 co-sponsors. It was co-sponsored by the following Senators: Argall, Bartolotta, Boscola, Brewster, Brooks, Browne, Cappelletti, Collett, Costa, Dillon, Fontana, Flynn, Gebhard, Haywood, Hughes, Kane, Kearney, Muth, Phillips-Hill, Pittman, Robinson, Sabatina, Santarsiero, Schwank, Street, Tartaglione, A. Williams, L. Williams, Vogel, Yaw, and Yudichak.
 
Attacks committed against individuals with disabilities represent some of the most repugnant acts and should be recognized as such in our justice system.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation.


Introduced as SB771