HARRISBURG, PA − October 17, 2024 − Yesterday, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law Senate Bills 169 and 170 – now Act 107 and Act 108 of 2024 – to implement reforms needed to improve outcomes for youth, families, and communities, with a continued focus on protecting public safety.
Senate Bill 169 implements a requirement that courts hold a disposition review hearing at least every three months to make sure children placed outside the home are getting the care, treatment, and services they need, and to make sure children are returned home as soon as is appropriate. Senate Bill 170 creates an expungement process for juvenile records and requires that the Chief Juvenile Probation officer notify the court when records are eligible for expungement and request that the court initiate the expungement process.
Senator Jay Costa (D-43) and Senator Lisa Baker (R-20) co-chaired the Juvenile Justice Task Force, which produced a report in June of 212 containing 35 recommendations for reform. Of those reforms, Senate Bills 169 and 170 address recommendations 2, 5, 16, and 23.
“I am very happy that the Senate could work in a bipartisan way to get these bills over the finish line,” said Senator Costa. “The Juvenile Justice Task Force brought to light some unfortunate findings about the way we treat our young people in our legal system, and I am glad we are taking steps to reform our processes. I am hopeful that our work will lead to rehabilitation and a thriving future for these youths.”
“These reforms are designed to align our juvenile justice system with proven methods for improving youth outcomes and addressing significant gaps in current practices,” said Senator Baker, majority chair of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate. “By improving the law, we are taking important steps to give young people a true second chance.”
“For young people in the juvenile justice system to succeed, it is critical that there are supports and pathways to help with the transition into adulthood and to allow these individuals to lead productive lives,” said Senator Santarsiero, minority chair of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate. “I want to thank Senators Baker and Costa for their roles as co-chairs of the Juvenile Justice Task Force and their work to find meaningful ways to improve outcomes for youth exiting the juvenile justice system.”
Senate Bills 169 and 170 secured the support of the Pennsylvania District Attorney Association, Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, Governor Shapiro’s Administration, Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police, Office of Victim Advocate, ACLU-PA, and many other organizations.
Learn more about the Juvenile Justice Task Force here.
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HARRISBURG, PA – October 15, 2024 − Today, the Commonwealth Court denied two of the three lawsuits filed by the PA Senate Democrats in defense of Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne. Since the Senate Republicans passed SR 334, forcing Pat Browne to disclose sensitive taxpayer data or else be detained by the Sergeant at Arms, Senate Democrats filed suit to affirm Secretary Browne’s decision to follow the law and withhold identifying information about private citizens.
In response, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa issues the following statement:
“I am disappointed by these results, but maintain our resolve that Secretary Browne is following the law as it is written,” said Senator Costa. “The Senate of Pennsylvania has taken the extraordinary step of passing a resolution attempting to hold the Secretary in contempt. The facts of this moment are notably distinguishable from those of the case referenced in the court’s decisions. If or when the Senate tries to hold the Revenue Secretary in contempt, we will assuredly renew our efforts to have this subpoena thrown out on the merits.”
View Senator Costa’s remarks on the floor regarding SR 334 here.
PITTSBURGH, PA – October 10, 2024 – Today, the PA Broadband Development Authority met to award grants from the Multipurpose Community Facilities Program. The Facilities Program offered $45 million in competitive grants to community anchor institutions and units of local government for community projects to construct, acquire, or improve facilities that are, or will be open to the public and will directly enable work, education, and health monitoring at the respective facility.
“I am delighted to be announcing these grant dollars to benefit Pittsburgh and Allegheny County,” said Senator Costa. “These projects will continue to empower communities by improving the spaces where people gather, learn, and seek care. I look forward to seeing these undertakings come to fruition as we go forward.”
In the 43rd Senatorial District, the three recipients of MCFP dollars are:
- Latino Community Center was awarded $1,631,198.80 to expand the Latino Community Center of Allegheny County. The project entails renovations to the Community Center facilities.
- Primary Care Health Services, Inc. was awarded $2,000,000 for the PCHS Wilford A. Payne Medical Center. A new 44,000 square-foot medical center and office building will be constructed on a surface parking lot adjacent to the current facility.
- Woodland Hills School District was awarded $500,000 to renovate Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale.
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to thriving communities for every Pennsylvanian here.
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HARRISBURG – October 9, 2024 – Today, the Pennsylvania General Assembly gave final approval on legislation by Sens. Pat Stefano (R-32) and Jay Costa (D-43) that would allow magisterial district judges to grant Pennsylvania drivers who are unable to pay the fees and fines of their suspended license the option to pursue community service as a payment alternative. This initiative would only apply to drivers whose suspension resulted from routine violations.
“The ability to drive is essential in rural Pennsylvania,” Stefano said. “This legislation will empower Pennsylvania drivers struggling to escape the prison of debt, created by those fines and fees from traffic violations, to get back on the road so they can continue to contribute to our local communities.”
Senate Bill 1118 would also allow those who currently have suspended licenses – due to inability to pay certain fines and fees – to be provided with the option of community service if a judge sees fit. The community service payment alternative could additionally apply to suspensions related to driving with a suspended license.
“Today is a great day for justice reform in Pennsylvania,” said Costa. “This bipartisan legislation stands to make an enormous difference in the lives of low-income drivers who cannot afford the fines to reinstate suspended licenses. By allowing judges to assign community service instead of financial penalties for drivers already struggling to make ends meet, we can ensure workers get to jobs, patients get to doctor’s appointments, kids get to school and families can live their lives. I look forward to seeing this legislation put to work in our communities.”
During the bill’s passage in the House of Representatives, a variety of amendments were added to the legislation for structural changes. Alterations to the bill included increasing the response time for an individual to receive notice of a license suspension and reducing the soon-to-be law’s effective date from 26 to 18 months.
“This has been many years in the making. Sen. Costa and I first introduced this legislation, three legislative sessions ago, following a study that showed that failure to pay fines and fees and failure to appear in court are the two most common reasons for a license suspension among young drivers,” Stefano said. “I’m happy to see this initiative finally come to fruition.”
The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for enactment.
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HARRISBURG, PA − October 8, 2024 − Today, Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) filed discharge petitions on three critical bills that have been stuck in committee due to inaction from Senate Republicans, who have refused to bring these bills and hundreds of others up for a vote. All three bills passed the House with bipartisan support in 2023.
These petitions require the full Senate to vote on whether to move a bill out of committee without a committee vote. For over 15 months, the three bills have sat in Committee without a vote.
The three bills for which Senator Costa filed Discharge Petitions are as follows:
- HB 300, known as the Fairness Act, would protect LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination in Pennsylvania in the areas of housing, education, or access to public accommodations. This bill passed the House of Representatives 102-98 on May 2, 2023, and has sat in the Senate State Government Committee since May 3, 2023.
- HB 714 would close loopholes that allow certain gun purchases to happen without a background check. This bill passed the House of Representatives 109-92 on May 22, 2023, and has sat in the Senate Judiciary Committee since June 2, 2023.
- HB 1018 would establish Emergency Risk Protection Orders so that an individual experiencing a crisis can be temporarily disarmed after a hearing before a Judge. This bill passed the House of Representatives 102-99 on May 22, 2023, and has sat in the Senate Judiciary Committee since June 2, 2023.
“My colleagues and I in the Senate Democratic Caucus will not let bills about community safety and anti-discrimination go down without a fight,” said Senator Costa. “Protecting LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians from hatred in housing, schooling, and community spaces is the bare minimum of what we owe them. Expanding background check requirements for gun purchases will keep firearms out of the hands of bad actors. Emergency Risk Protection Orders will keep people we love alive when they are experiencing a crisis, from veterans to parents to students and beyond.
“As we approach the end of our legislative session, we will do the hard work the Senate Republicans refuse to do in order deliver safety, opportunity, and quality of life to every Pennsylvanian.”
The popularity of these bills flies in the face of the inaction they have seen in the Pennsylvania Senate. A Pew report indicates that 70% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats favor background checks for private firearm and gun show sales. In 2019, an APM Survey indicated that 77% of Americans support Emergency Risk Protection Orders. Over three quarters of US adults want to see legislation protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination per a 2022 study from the University of Chicago. And just today, Spotlight PA noted the popularity of these bills, even across party lines, with 63% of respondents saying they strongly or somewhat agree with an agenda that includes gun safety and nondiscrimination legislation.
With single-digit session days remaining before Sine Die, movement on these popular and bipartisan bills is critical if they are to be signed into law before November 30.
Learn more about the Senate Democrats’ commitment to fighting for every Pennsylvanian here.
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