Oct 3, 2013 2 min read

HARRISBURG — State Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, on Wednesday praised Senate passage of a series of bills aimed at strengthening Pennsylvania’s child abuse reporting requirements, including legislation he co-sponsored that toughens penalties on those who fail to report suspected abuse.

“It’s disturbing that we need legislation to make people do the right thing,” Solobay said. “These bills represent a considered and thorough approach toward resolving a problem that lingered too long.”

The series of bills, which passed unanimously, is the result of recommendations by the General Assembly’s Child Protection Task Force, created in the aftermath of the infamous Jerry Sandusky trial.

“As troubling as that case was, it was made even worse by the knowledge that there were people along the way who could have stopped it but didn’t,” Solobay said. “The law has to come down hard on people who are required to report accusations but, for whatever reason, don’t.”

Senate Bill 22, co-sponsored by Solobay and Sen. Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, raises the stakes for so-called mandatory reporters.

Mandatory reporters are people who are designated by law as being required to report to law enforcement allegations of child abuse.

The bill would classify failing to report a case of child abuse by a mandated reporter a misdemeanor of the second degree and would also make interfering with the filing of a report a misdemeanor of the first degree.

Concealing abuse to protect another or allowing abuse to continue would be a felony under Senate Bill 22.