Bill Text: PA HB1843 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Providing for the offense of failure of duty to report disappearance of a child.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 21-13)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-10-14 - Referred to JUDICIARY [HB1843 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-HB1843-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 2548
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1843 Session of2011
INTRODUCED BY BOBACK, TOOHIL, SIMMONS, ADOLPH, DALEY, GABLER, GEIST, GERBER, GIBBONS, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GROVE, HAHN, HALUSKA, HARHART, HENNESSEY, KORTZ, MAJOR, MANN, METCALFE, MUNDY, MURPHY, MURT, O'NEILL, PETRARCA, QUINN, SAINATO, SAYLOR, SWANGER, VULAKOVICH, WATSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 14, 2011
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, OCTOBER 14, 2011
AN ACT
Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, providing for the offense of failure
of duty to report disappearance of a child.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
§ 4304.1. Duty to report disappearance of child.
(a) Offense defined.--A parent of a child under 14 years of
age commits an offense if the parent, with reckless disregard
for the risk of harm to the child or for the health, safety or
welfare of the child, fails to report the disappearance of the
child to a law enforcement agency.
(b) Grading.--An offense under subsection (a) constitutes a
felony of the third degree.
(c) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Disappearance." Any instance in which the whereabouts of
the child are unknown to the parent and have been unknown for
more than 24 hours.
"Parent." A natural parent, stepparent, adoptive parent,
guardian or custodian of a child.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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