PRINTER'S NO. 2448
No. 1961 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY ORIE, LUCYK, BELARDI, MASLAND, LAUGHLIN, KENNEY,
FRANKEL, PISTELLA, LEDERER, DALEY, READSHAW, WALKO, ARGALL,
FICHTER, SCHULER, MANDERINO, BEBKO-JONES, CAWLEY, MICHLOVIC,
WOJNAROSKI, RUBLEY, HERMAN, STABACK, SHANER, SANTONI, STURLA,
E. Z. TAYLOR, HENNESSEY, CORNELL, ADOLPH, WATERS, BAKER,
ROONEY, CORRIGAN, PLATTS, LaGROTTA, M. COHEN, GEIST,
BELFANTI, STEELMAN, LEVDANSKY, BISHOP, BROWNE, McGILL,
HORSEY, CURRY, RAMOS, FREEMAN, DAILEY, MELIO, BATTISTO,
JOSEPHS, TRELLO, BARD, CARN, YOUNGBLOOD, HARHAI, YUDICHAK,
THOMAS AND J. TAYLOR, OCTOBER 12, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
OCTOBER 12, 1999
AN ACT
1 Establishing the Pennsylvania Domestic Violence Hotline; and
2 providing for the powers and duties of the Department of
3 Public Welfare.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pennsylvania
8 Domestic Violence Hotline Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Crisis intervention." Assistance to individuals relating to
14 the identification of domestic violence problems and possible
1 solutions, including, but not limited to, the making of plans
2 for the safety of victims of domestic violence in cases of
3 emergency.
4 "Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
5 Commonwealth.
6 "Hotline." A twenty-four hour, seven-day per week toll-free
7 telephone line.
8 "Information resources." Information relating to domestic
9 violence, child abuse, sexual assault, intervention programs for
10 individuals who commit domestic violence and related issues
11 through the criminal justice system.
12 "Referral." The distribution to a victim of domestic
13 violence of the names, addresses and telephone numbers of local
14 shelters, domestic violence programs, social service agencies,
15 legal programs for victims of domestic violence and other groups
16 and organizations that deal with domestic violence in this
17 Commonwealth.
18 Section 3. Pennsylvania Domestic Violence Hotline.
19 (a) Establishment.--The department shall establish a
20 Statewide hotline, to be known as the Pennsylvania Domestic
21 Violence Hotline, which hotline shall be operated by response
22 counselors. The response counselors shall be domestic violence
23 counselors who satisfy qualifications, including, but not
24 limited to, skills in crisis management and problem
25 identification as set forth by department regulation.
26 (b) Confidentiality.--
27 (1) Each telephone call to the Pennsylvania Domestic
28 Violence Hotline shall be confidential. Only response
29 counselors and appropriate employees of the department may
30 have access to the telephone call information.
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1 (2) Unless requested to do so by an individual who
2 places a telephone call to the Pennsylvania Domestic Violence
3 Hotline, the department may not make a record of the
4 individual's name or other means of identifying the
5 individual.
6 Section 4. Regulations.
7 The department shall promulgate the rules and regulations
8 necessary to administer this act.
9 Section 5. Effective date.
10 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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