PRINTER'S NO. 1206
No. 1058 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY KUKOVICH, LETTERMAN, FOX, D. W. SNYDER, GIGLIOTTI,
CAPPABIANCA, CALTAGIRONE, MARKOSEK, MAIALE, MAINE, VAN HORNE,
HERMAN, KOSINSKI, PISTELLA, EVANS, TRELLO, CAWLEY, CARLSON,
FREEMAN, MELIO, SCHEETZ, LASHINGER, STABACK, WOZNIAK, RYBAK,
VEON, SERAFINI, BUNT, RAYMOND, McVERRY, PRESTON, COLAIZZO,
DeWEESE, CORRIGAN AND HECKLER, APRIL 10, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, APRIL 10, 1989
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the
2 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for the
3 competency of witnesses.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Section 5912 of Title 42 of the Pennsylvania
7 Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
8 § 5912. [Disqualification by perjury.
9 In a criminal proceeding, a person who has been convicted in
10 a court of this Commonwealth of perjury, which term is hereby
11 declared to include subornation of or solicitation to commit
12 perjury, shall not be a competent witness for any purpose,
13 although his sentence may have been fully complied with, unless
14 the judgment of conviction be judicially set aside or reversed,
15 or unless the proceeding is one to punish or prevent injury or
16 violence attempted, done, or threatened to his person or
1 property; in which cases he shall be competent to testify.]
2 Effect of prior convictions.
3 No person shall be deemed incompetent or otherwise
4 disqualified as a witness in any criminal proceeding by reason
5 of the person's having been convicted of any crime, but such
6 conviction may be shown for the purpose of affecting the
7 person's credibility.
8 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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