PA Senate Judiciary — 2026-04-21

Bartolotta? Here. Brown? Here. Capoletti? Proxy. Proxy. Collette? Here. Here. Dush? Here. Haywood? Proxy. Proxy. Langerholtz? Proxy. Proxy. Mastriano? Here. Here. Penny Cook? Personal leave? Personal leave. Santa Serra? Here. Here. Saval? Proxy. Proxy. Yaw? Here. Here. Kim Ward? Proxy. Proxy. Baker? Here.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to speak about Senate Bill 45, which would move most prostitution-related offenses, such as patronizing prostitutes and promoting prostitution, to the human trafficking section of the Crimes Code. Yeah, I'll just move over this way. Thanks. ladies and gentlemen slavery still exists in america human trafficking is without question infiltrating our communities and neighborhoods from parents and siblings trafficking children to sextortion schemes that sentence victims to what organized crime and trafficking community calls the life requested and fully supported by the state office of attorney general senate bill 45 is the first piece of legislation to be unanimously endorsed by our first ever bipartisan bicameral anti-human trafficking caucus, of which I'm proud to serve, along with Chairman Collette. We're taking this seriously, and as Senator Collette said at the announcement of that caucus, we are not backing down, and I appreciate her steadfastness in this as well. officially launched last month Pennsylvania AHT caucus is a working caucus with primary mission of speeding up passage of impactful legislation through evaluating and making bipartisan and bicameral recommendations to each of the four sets of leadership in the General Assembly and the governor we're also striving to give all survivor networks human service agencies and law enforcement the tools they need to combat this scourge against all humanity it's exploiting and enslaving millions of women and children and illegally generating more than 150 billion dollars every year senate bill 45 would further expand the jurisdiction of the attorney general's office local law enforcement agencies and local district attorneys to freely pursue trafficking across our common commonwealth by increasing the penalties for such crimes, we can rightfully punish traffickers and other sexual predators who groom, force, and coerce human trafficking victims into demeaning forms of abuse, including domestic servitude and commercial sex exploitation. With the arrival of warmer weather, countless Pennsylvanians are looking forward to attending upcoming national and worldwide events such as the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the America 250 celebrations. Combined, these epic events will attract tens of thousands of fans and visitors from around the country and indeed the world to the Keystone State. Unfortunately, these heavily crowded environments are also proven human trafficking hotspots especially sex trafficking Organized crime actually brings people and buses and transports by vans to these large venues All of that makes this a high priority, bipartisan, bicameral legislation more necessary for the maintaining of law and order and help prevent further destruction of innocent lives. As Senator Collette had said, we're not backing down. This is a message to the people who would be doing such things. I respectfully ask that my colleagues in the Senate Judiciary Committee join the Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking Caucus in casting a unanimous vote in favor of Senate Bill 45. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you both. I have an amendment to the bill as referenced by Senator Collette. It's amendment number A-2992, which I will move, seconded by Senator Collette. This amendment increases the grading of promoting prostitution of a minor to a felony of the first degree. and it makes technical changes to other statutes to reflect the new section for prostitution of crimes. That was a very important requirement that I want to thank Ryan Shovlin for taking care of. It is a good addition because under law, the crime of promoting prostitution of a minor is a felony of the third degree, a grading which fails to reflect the seriousness of the crime. At its core, this offense deals with selling a child for sex, which is more appropriate for the highest grading possible. Are there any questions or comments on the amendment? Seeing no questions or comments, are there any negative votes on the amendment?

We will note Senator Saval in the negative. On the bill as amended, Senate Bill 45, are there any additional questions or comments? Seeing none, hearing none, are there any negative votes on Senate Bill 45? Seeing none, hearing none, Senate Bill 45 will advance from committee with a unanimous vote. The next – is Senator Savala no?

So with no negative votes, we will advance the bill from committee with a unanimous vote. The next bill on the calendar is Senate Bill 1235, which amends Title 61 to authorize members of the Pennsylvania Parole Board and to clarify the expiration of a term from up to six months or until successor qualified. I will move the bill, seconded by Senator Mastriano. And on the bill, currently the parole board members serve, as many of you know, a six-year term. And upon expiration, they can only continue for up to 90 days until their successor is qualified and until the governor has nominated and the Senate has confirmed their replacement. It has become clear for all of us that that 90 frame can be difficult if the General Assembly is out of session I note in the presence of the room today the Chairman of the Parole Board Chairman Jim Fox who brought this to our attention to ensure that this expanded time frame prevents any disruption to the work, the important work that the Board does. And so we will create a seamless transition for its members by extending this time frame from 90 days to six months. Are there any questions or comments on the legislation? Are there any negative votes on Senate Bill 1235? Seeing none, hearing none, Senate Bill 1235 will advance from committee unanimously. The next bill on our agenda is Senate Bill 1259, sponsored by Senator Capaletti, and I am the co-prime sponsor, which would enhance the confidentiality documents used by the parole board and clarify what information can be disclosed. Is there a motion to consider the bill? So moved by Senator Collette, seconded by Senator Bartolotta. Would you like to offer any comments for Senator Capaletti?

I will note on Senate Bill 1259 that I worked with Senator Capaletti on establishes that certain records and information used by the parole board in their decision-making process be designated as privileged and confidential. This is a direct response to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in Tolland v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, where the Pennsylvania Supreme Court invalidated parole board regulations, which had declared these documents to be privileged and confidential. We know that members of the parole board are entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of deciding whether an individual or offender can or cannot be released from confinement. By its nature, such a decision holds profound implications both for the safety of the public and the community. For board members, it is critical that the documents and information that is in the possession of the parole board that they use to conduct the internal deliberations be kept strictly confidential. And it allows the board members to exercise their judgment without fear of retribution. I believe that is essential. And the bill also instructs that the parole board provide inmates who are denied parole but are scheduled for a subsequent review with feedback, and that would enable them to have improvement such as their behavior, programming, or compliance with their plan as noted. So are there any questions on the bill?

Okay.

I do have an amendment that I will offer, Amendment A, 2954, as seek a second by Senator Yaw. It clarifies which documents are subjected to this privilege, and it's just a clarifying amendment. Are there any negative votes on the amendment? Seeing none, hearing none, the amendment is adopted on Senate Bill 1259 as amended. Are there any questions or comments? Seeing none hearing none Are there any negative votes Seeing none hearing none The bill as amended 1259 will advance from committee And the final bill on our calendar today is Senate Bill 1284 prime sponsored by myself and co-primed by Senator Brown, which amends Title 18 and Title 42 to increase penalties for attempt, conspiracy or solicitation to commit murder of a law enforcement officer. I will move the bill, seconded by Senator Brown, and will offer a brief description now. And I'd like to thank Senator Brown for working with me on this legislation. The need for this was brought to our attention by Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher after a horrific crime in northeastern Pennsylvania against a law enforcement officer in his county in 2014. Scranton Police Detective Kyle Gilmartin miraculously, and I say that miraculously, survived being shot in the head during the criminal proceedings. It was revealed that there is currently a sentencing disparity for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and assault of a law enforcement officer. While both crimes carry a potential maximum sentence of up to 40 years of incarceration, only the assault charge of a law enforcement carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years. And I believe our system is founded on the principle that criminal conduct should be punished in proportion to the severity of the offense. The more serious the crime, the more serious the punishment should be. Unfortunately, with respect to the punishment of those bad actors who intended to kill the law enforcement officer, this principle of proportionality falls apart, and the more serious offense is punished less severely. So Senate Bill 1284 corrects this oversight by imposing a mandatory minimum of 20 years for the attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit the murder of a law enforcement officer where serious bodily injury results, and it also increases the statutory maximum from 40 years up to life in prison. Senator Brown, would you like to offer any comments?

Thank you. Are there any questions or comments from members of the committee? Seeing none, hearing none, Carol, will you please call roll.

The ayes are 8, nays 5. 8 to 5. By a vote of 8 to 5, the legislation, Senate Bill 1284, will advance from committee. That concludes our business before us. We will recess to the call of the chair. Thank you, everyone.