Governor Josh Shapiro approved six bills on Monday. These bills focus on topics such as plasma donation, victim services, child abuse prevention, and oil change requirements.
Senate Bill 55, also known as “Kayden’s Law,” was proposed by Senator Steven Santarsiero (D-Bucks County) and Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties). This law aims to safeguard children during custody visits. The bill was created because of the killing of a 7-year-old girl named Kayden Mancuso. Her father, Jeffrey Mancuso, murdered her during a visit that was ordered by the court in 2018.
Mancuso had a psychological evaluation that found he had thoughts of wanting to harm himself, feelings of sadness, and displayed a tendency towards violence. But the court allowed Mancuso to have visits with Kayden without supervision, as long as he agreed to get mental health treatment.
The new law requires Pennsylvania to:
- Make the factors that judges consider in custody and visitation decisions stronger, and emphasize that the most important thing is to protect the child.
- Make sure that if the court finds a history of abuse or an ongoing risk of abuse, any custody order includes safety conditions and restrictions to protect the child.
- Urge the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to create a yearly educational and training program for judges and court staff. This program should focus on child abuse, adverse childhood experiences, domestic violence, and how these issues affect children.
House Bill 1295, introduced by Representative Kyle Mullins (D-Lackawanna County), states that the defendant or respondent must attend any scheduled hearing before a licensing board, commission, or hearing examiner, either in person or remotely. Furthermore, the recently enacted law allows the victim or anyone directly impacted by the defendant’s actions to submit a statement to the board.
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The next bill signed into law, House Bill 1795, was introduced by Representatives Matthew Gergely and Tim Briggs. It aims to ensure a steady supply of plasma for the benefit of public health. The new law eliminates state requirements that are stricter than federal laws for source plasma donation centers and makes it easier to donate plasma.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline Notification Act was changed by Senate Bill 45. The new law states that the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency must create a plan to respond to reports of human trafficking sent through the hotline, as long as there is enough money to do so.
The new law also says that the plan must have support groups that provide safe places to sleep, food, personal hygiene items, counseling for mental health, medical help, counseling for substance abuse, child care, help finding a job, legal help, and help managing social issues.
“According to the law’s memorandum, Kayden Mancuso’s health and safety were not protected by our court system and current state law. Unfortunately, she became the 647th child of divorced or separated parents to be murdered by a parent since 2008.”
The Bituminous Coal Mine Safety Act in Pennsylvania was changed with the passing of Senate Bill 115. This new law allows coal mine operators to ask for changes to the rules about oil changing from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau Mine Safety.
Right now, the rule is to replace the diesel oil and filter every 100 hours. The Senate has referred to this as “unnecessary”.
Senate Bill 740, introduced by Senator Mike Regan (R-Cumberland and York counties), gives the board of supervisors for second-class townships the power to raise the hourly pay rate of their township auditors.
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