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Commending the Pennsylvania General Assembly for working in a bipartisan manner to address victims' rights and declaring support for the enactment of Marsy's Law in Pennsylvania, which seeks to better promote and protect the rights of crime victims and their families through an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution.
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WHEREAS, Recently, the Pennsylvania Senate passed several bills related to victims' rights, with a particular focus on victims and survivors of domestic violence; and
WHEREAS, For example, Senate Bill 1011, introduced by Senator Guy Reschenthaler on January 2, 2018, and passed unanimously by the Senate on March 21, 2018, amends the State Constitution to create a crime victims' "Bill of Rights"; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 1011, also known as "Marsy's Law", is now pending in the House of Representatives. The bill grants crime victims the constitutional right to receive complete information about their rights as victims, to be notified of proceedings in their criminal case, to be present at court proceedings, and to be heard at plea and sentencing hearings; and
WHEREAS, Marsy's Law should be passed by the House in the next couple of weeks, and then go back to the Senate for concurrence. The bill must be reintroduced and passed in both chambers in the next legislative session, as is required for constitutional amendments in the Commonwealth. If approved in consecutive sessions, the constitutional amendment would then require approval by Pennsylvania voters in November 2019 before taking effect; and
WHEREAS, Currently, in Pennsylvania, the rights of crime victims and their families are set forth by statute. S.B. 1011 seeks to enshrine these rights in the Commonwealth's Constitution as a guarantee for victims and families. Pennsylvania is just one of fifteen states that does not provide constitutional protections for crime victims; and
WHEREAS, In addition to Marsy's Law, several other bills related to victims' rights ha...
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