Pennsylvania Governor Wolf Signs Bill Protecting Victims Of Rape Into Law

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Tom Wolf today signed Senate Bill 663, sponsored by Senator Randy Vulakovich, into law, which would enhance protections for victims of rape. Wolf also signed Senate Bill 678.

Senate Bill 663, now Act 39*, amends Title 23 (Domestic Relations) to allow a court to terminate the parental rights of a convicted rapist, thereby eliminating the abuser's access to full, partial, or supervised custody of a child conceived by rape. The bill does maintain the offender's obligation to pay child support even if parental rights are terminated.

"This is an important fix to what was clearly an imperfect law and we can now ensure victims that their children are not punished economically because of a parent's crime or placed in a potentially unsafe environment," Governor Wolf said. "I applaud Sen. Vulakovich and bi-partisan colleagues in both houses for their efforts to get this done."

Additionally, the bill provides the victim with the opportunity to object to the termination of rights if she wishes to stay in contact with the child's biological father.

Senate Bill 678, also signed today, was sponsored by Senator Lloyd Smucker and is now Act 40*. The legislation amends the defined term "grounds" for a school's campus to include roads and bicycle trails and sidewalks that traverse or abut the land. The bill provides a legislative fix to a 2014 court decision that could have hampered the ability of any campus police to protect the health and safety of the campus and their students.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Sheridan – 717.783.1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

Related Links

http://www.governor.state.pa.us