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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2025 - 2026
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 3, 2025 01:45 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Lisa Baker and Sen. Scott Martin |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Adding Sexual Assault by Sports Official to SORNA |
| As we continue our legislative efforts to help ensure children and youth residing in communities throughout our Commonwealth always remain safe, we ask that you join us in co-sponsoring legislation that would propose improvements to the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The crime of Sexual Assault by a Sports Official, Volunteer or Employee of a Nonprofit Association (18 Pa.C.S. § 3124.3) is not listed as an offense requiring sexual offender registration under SORNA, despite the fact that this offense necessarily involves the sexual abuse of a minor. Specifically, because the crime is not listed as a Tier I, II, or III offense, a conviction for this crime does not require sexual offender registration. By way of comparison, Institutional Sexual Assault under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3124.2(a.2) and (a.3) are similar in nature to Sexual Assault by a Sports Official. Yet those subsections of Institutional Sexual Assault are classified as a Tier II offenses, while Sexual Assault by a Sports Official is not classified at all. Our legislation will help clarify the current statute by adding Sexual Assault by a Sports Official as a Tier II offense under SORNA; and again, help ensure the safety of all children residing in communities throughout Pennsylvania. This legislation was introduced last session as SB 1317, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 13-0 and the full Senate 48-0. We ask that you join us in co-sponsoring this legislation. |
Memo Updated: January 3, 2025 01:46 PM