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In this Update:

• Senate Passes Juvenile Justice Reform Bills, Paving Way for Second Chances and Stronger Accountability
• Senate Approves RGGI Electricity Tax Repeal
• Yudichak Inaugurated as LCCC President
• Bill to Establish Safe Exchange Zones Passes Senate
• Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Bills
• First Presbyterian Church of Hawley Celebrates 175 Years

Senate Passes Juvenile Justice Reform Bills, Paving Way for Second Chances and Stronger Accountability

The Pennsylvania Senate passed two critical pieces of legislation to reform the state’s juvenile justice system. The bills I introduced implement key recommendations from Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice Task Force.

These reforms are designed to align our juvenile justice system with proven methods for improving youth outcomes and addressing significant gaps in current practices. By passing this legislation, we are taking important steps to give young people a true second chance.

The bills address recommendations from the Juvenile Justice Task Force Report to help streamline the expungement process, provide equitable legal representation for juveniles and improve accountability and oversight in juvenile court proceedings.

Senate Bill 169 updates the juvenile court system by requiring disposition review hearings every 3 months instead of 9. The hearings are designed to ensure juveniles receive necessary services and treatment, assess their threat to the community and decide if they should remain in placement or be released under supervision. The court will also set the date for the next review hearing.

This outdated practice poses a serious obstacle to employment, education and housing for many individuals who have completed their supervision or had their cases dismissed. It’s only fair that we extend the same second-chance opportunities we’ve granted for adult offender to these young people.

Senate Bill 170 modifies the expungement of juvenile records by reducing the waiting period for expungement from 5 years to 2 years for most misdemeanors, while maintaining the 5-year period for felonies, misdemeanor firearm offenses and indecent assault. The bill also standardizes the expungement process by requiring the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer to initiate expungements for eligible individuals, with the district attorney having the opportunity to object. Exceptions to expungement, such as for sex offenses and cases with subsequent convictions or pending proceedings, remain unchanged.

These are meaningful reforms that will offer fairness, accountability and hope to young people across Pennsylvania.

Both bills now head to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Approves RGGI Electricity Tax Repeal

The Pennsylvania Senate approved legislation to repeal the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) electricity tax enacted through an executive order by the Wolf administration in 2019. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

RGGI, a multi-state compact, would increase electricity rates for consumers, cut energy and manufacturing jobs and lead to the closure of Pennsylvania power plants. No new investments in baseload generation have come to Pennsylvania in the five years since the Wolf administration attempted to enter the state into RGGI. Govs. Tom Wolf and Josh Shapiro have faced sharp criticism for pushing Pennsylvania to participate in RGGI despite bipartisan objections from the General Assembly.

Last year, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled Pennsylvania’s entrance into RGGI may only be achieved through legislation duly enacted by the General Assembly, not merely through rulemaking by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Environmental Quality Board (EQB). This ruling has been appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court by Shapiro, and that appeal remains pending.

Senate Bill 1058 will repeal the CO2 Budget Trading Program regulation that was put into effect by DEP and EQB.

Yudichak Inaugurated as LCCC President

Former Senator John Yudichak was recently sworn in as the eighth president of Luzerne County Community College. It was nearly 40 years ago that I worked for President Tom Moran, directing alumni and public relations. He too, was an unconventional leader, coming from the newspaper industry rather than academia. But like John Yudichak, he had the pulse of the community and understood that would be crucial to the success of the college. In one capacity or another, John has worn the multiple hats a community college president must don, including the all-important fundraising one. He clearly has a knack for coloring outside the lines of convention and tradition to bring fresh thinking and uncommon perspective to problem-solving and opportunity creation. He is the right person, at the right time – to increase enrollment, expand partnerships, and provide added value for students and the community at large.

Bill to Establish Safe Exchange Zones Passes Senate

The Senate passed the Denise Williams Act, which would create a grant program to be used to establish Safe Exchange Zones throughout Pennsylvania. The bill advances to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Bill 173 is named in memory of Denise Williams of Cambria County, who went to purchase an item found on Facebook Marketplace and was brutally murdered during the exchange.

This legislation would help establish safe areas for individuals to exchange goods purchased through an online marketplace, carry out child custody exchanges and conduct similar interactions. These zones will be equipped with video surveillance and be located either within 100 feet of a law enforcement office or near a public area with an active public presence. The establishment of Safe Exchange Zones will be voluntary and contingent upon approval of the participating law enforcement agencies.

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Bills

This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Senate Bill 1306 to ensure fair compensation for serving PFA orders. Various law enforcement agencies are involved in serving PFAs. Fairness and efficiency dictate that each agency should be properly reimbursed for carrying out this court-ordered function.

Members also voted in favor of SB 1317 to add sexual assault by a sports official, volunteer, or employee of a nonprofit association to the list of offenses included in SORNA. We are appalled at the incidence of abuses committed by adults in charge of youth sports and other programs. Not only must we investigate and prosecute these unacceptable behaviors, but we must ensure that the penalties rise to equal the vile nature of the crimes.

First Presbyterian Church of Hawley Celebrates 175 Years

The First Presbyterian Church of Hawley is celebrating its 175^th Anniversary this year. Rev. Mark Juengel and his congregation recently invited me and Rep. Jeff Olsommer to partake in a morning filled with music, fellowship, and uplifting prayer. May the light of God keep shining brightly for this parish as they continue to grow and thrive, spreading love, faith, and kindness within our community.

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