Bill Text: PA HR397 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging school district officials to ascertain the locations within their district where convicted sex offenders live, establish safe school bus routes based on this information and raise parental awareness of ways to keep their children safe as they are transported to and from school.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 38-21)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-07-03 - Referred to EDUCATION [HR397 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HR397-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 2382
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 397 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY WATSON, McILVAINE SMITH, REICHLEY, BROWN, ADOLPH, MAJOR, BAKER, BARRAR, BEYER, BOYD, CLYMER, CONKLIN, D. COSTA, CREIGHTON, CRUZ, DEASY, DiGIROLAMO, FLECK, GIBBONS, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, HARHART, HARPER, HICKERNELL, HORNAMAN, HOUGHTON, KILLION, KORTZ, MAHONEY, MENSCH, MICOZZIE, MOUL, MURPHY, MURT, OBERLANDER, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PASHINSKI, PAYTON, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, PYLE, QUINN, RAPP, READSHAW, ROCK, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, STERN, J. TAYLOR, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WATERS AND YOUNGBLOOD, JULY 3, 2009
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JULY 3, 2009
A RESOLUTION
Urging school district officials to ascertain the locations
within their districts where convicted sex offenders live,
establish safe school bus routes based on this information
and raise parental awareness of ways to keep their children
safe as they are transported to and from school.
WHEREAS, The General Assembly declared its intent on October
24, 1995, in the act known as Megan's Law to protect the safety
and general welfare of the people of this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, As a means of enhancing public protection, Megan's
Law provides for victim and community notification regarding the
location of sexually violent predators living in or near their
neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, The legislative findings of Megan's Law declared
that notice and information about sexually violent predators and
convicted sex offenders provided to the public will allow a
community to develop, prepare and provide education and
counseling to their children; and
WHEREAS, The findings asserted that sexually violent
predators pose a high risk of engaging in further offenses even
after being released from incarceration or other commitment and
that protection of the public from this type of offender is a
paramount governmental interest; and
WHEREAS, a sexually violent predator is legally defined as a
convicted sex offender whom the court has determined to be
likely to engage in further predatory sexually violent offenses
due to a mental abnormality or personality disorder which
affects the emotional or volitional capacity of the person in a
manner that predisposes that person to the commission of
criminal sexual acts directed at a stranger or person with whom
a relationship has been established or promoted for the primary
purpose of victimization; and
WHEREAS, Seven-year-old Megan Kanka was raped and murdered by
her neighbor who was an unregistered, twice-convicted pedophile;
and
WHEREAS, In response, the Federal Government adopted Megan's
Law to require the registration of convicted sex offenders as
well as victim and community notification procedures; and
WHEREAS, The General Assembly continued to expand
notification efforts on November 24, 2004, by the enactment of
Act 152, which made many significant changes to Megan's Law,
including the requirement that all information on convicted sex
offenders and sexually violent predators be made available to
the public through the Internet; and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Health and Human
Services has revealed that one out of four children will be a
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victim of sexual abuse, that sexual abuse is four times more
likely to occur than any other form of child abuse by a neighbor
and that sexual abuse is among the least reported types of child
abuse; and
WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2006-2007, the Department of Public
Welfare reported that the total cost for child abuse
investigations was $40.9 million and that sexual injuries
accounted for 61% of child injuries in this Commonwealth;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the boards
of directors of all school districts to consider, to the best of
their abilities, locations where convicted sex offenders or
sexually violent predators of minors are temporarily or
permanently residing when establishing student transportation
routes, schedules, loading zones and designated bus stops; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That such information be included in the provided
planned instruction for school bus drivers serving in the
district, as required by the Public School Code of 1949; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a convicted sex offender or sexually violent
predator of minors be recognized as any person who has been
convicted, pled guilty or nolo contendere or found guilty of any
felony offense involving a victim who is a minor, relating to
the offenses of kidnapping, rape, involuntary deviate sexual
intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, prostitution and
related offenses, obscene and other sexual materials and
performances and incest, and enumerated in 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 2901,
3121, 3123, 3125, 4302, 5902(b) and 5903(a)(3), (4), (5) and
(6); and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call upon the
Department of Education's Office for Safe Schools, the
Department of Public Welfare, the Office of Attorney General's
Child Predator Unit, all school districts, boards of directors
and school entities within this Commonwealth to collaborate
efforts and work with local law enforcement and all other
interested stakeholders in order to provide parents, guardians
or other persons having control or charge of a student with the
necessary information to raise awareness in protecting students
from convicted sex offenders and sexually violent predators, as
well as to make information available through their respective
Internet websites and designated points of contact; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the boards of directors of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts,
the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Public Welfare and
the Attorney General.
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