Posted: | January 4, 2013 11:59 AM |
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From: | Representative Matthew D. Bradford |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Funding for Domestic Violence and Rape Victim Services |
MEMORANDUM TO: All Members of the House of Representatives FROM: Rep. Matt Bradford DATE: January 3, 2012 SUBJECT: Reintroduction of Legislation ______________________________________________________________________________ In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation which will provide for additional funding for domestic violence and rape victims services. According to the 2011 domestic violence census report released by the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Pennsylvania’s 60 domestic violence programs serviced 2,333 victims and their children. More than 700 requests for assistance were unmet due to a critical lack of resources. This proposed legislation directs health care practitioners and law enforcement agencies to track and report incidents of alleged domestic violence which will be submitted annually to the Department of Health and the Department of Public Welfare, respectively. Additionally, this proposed legislation will amend current statute by imposing upon persons convicted of these crimes a fifteen dollar ($15) fine – an increase of $5 over the current amount of $10. Fines are to be paid to the State Treasurer and deposited into the General Fund for the purpose of financing services for domestic violence and rape. You may recall that this bill was introduced originally in 2008 (HB 2619) and reintroduced in the 2011-2012 session as HB 1194. Cosponsors at that time included Briggs, Buxton, DeLuca, DePasquale, Frankel, Geist, Goodman, Josephs, Longietti, Mann, Millard, Murphy, Murt, Payton, Readshaw, Santarsiero, Smith, Swanger, Vulakovich, and Wagner. |
Introduced as HB1260