Author: kgordon

HARRISBURG – Sens. Camera Bartolotta (R-46) and Scott Martin (R-13) said this week they will soon introduce legislation to help reunite lost children with their families.

The Child Reunification Act will provide parents and guardians of kindergarteners with free identification kits to gather and store fingerprints, DNA collection swabs and other information that could prove pivotal should their child ever disappear. 

“As a parent, I cannot imagine anything more distressing than not being able to locate either of my children who are both adults now. Especially in the case of young children, we need to have every possible tool at our disposal when that nightmare unfolds for families,” Bartolotta said. “This bill would have a real impact on law enforcement’s ability to locate a missing child without storing any personal information in a database by providing parents the opportunity to have this information at home in the unfortunate circumstance they need it.”

“This tool, while hopefully never used, will be critical in helping law enforcement locate a missing child,” Martin said. “It’s a simple step that can save precious time and resources so that investigators can focus on the task at hand –locating missing children to reunite families.”

The inkless kits will not be stored in a database, but rather kept at home by families for expedited emergency use, if ever needed. Thirty-two other states offer a similar program and Pennsylvania hopes to become the sixth nationwide to provide kits to all students in grades K-12.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center, more than 30,000 juveniles were actively missing as of Dec. 31, 2019. More than 500,000 children in the United States disappear each year, akin to one child every 40 seconds.

CONTACT:

Terry Trego (Martin)

WASHINGTON – Six grants to improve recreation and community revitalization totaling more than $1.3 million have been awarded to the 46th District through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, according to Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-46).

In Greene County, one grant for $586,900 will be used to further develop Franklin Township’s Wisecarver Recreation Area. Work will include construction of pedestrian walkways, an internal loop trail, a boardwalk, a pedestrian bridge, observation areas, pavilions, softball fields, comfort stations, a concession building, storage buildings, a nature center, an access drive, parking areas and stormwater management measures; installation of nature play equipment with required safety surfacing, utilities, fencing and interpretive signage; ADA access, landscaping, a project sign and other related site improvements.

Also in Greene County, a grant for $70,000 will be used to benefit Community Park in Washington Township. Work will include the renovation of an internal loop trail; construction of pedestrian walkways, a parking area and an access drive; ADA access, landscaping, a project sign and other related site improvements.

The other four grants were awarded to Washington County. Palmer Park in Donora Borough will receive a $362,600 grant to renovate the dek hockey court; construction of pedestrian walkways, a parking area and stormwater management measures; installation of scoreboard system and utilities; ADA access, landscaping, a project sign and other related site improvements.

Carroll Township’s Valley Avenue Park will receive $215,000 for the construction of pedestrian walkways, a parking area and stormwater management measures; installation of play equipment with required safety surfacing; ADA access, landscaping, a project sign and other related site improvements.

Centerville Borough’s Victory Park will receive $70,000 for the construction of a pedestrian walkway and parking area; installation of play equipment with required safety surfacing; ADA access, landscaping, a project sign and other related site improvements.

Speers Borough’s Lower Speers Park will receive $70,000 for the construction of a parking area; installation of play equipment with required safety surfacing and fencing; ADA access, landscaping, a project sign and other related site improvements.

“In addition to offering more opportunities for district residents to make wonderful memories enjoying our great outdoors, the grant funding will also help to attract people from out of the area who are interested in exploring all that southwestern Pennsylvania has to offer,” Bartolotta said. “When they visit for our recreational offerings, they often eat in our restaurants and stay over – boosting the local economy in the process. It is a win all around.”

CONTACT: Katrina Hanna, 717-787-1463

HARRISBURG – Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46) is reminding motorists of a recent state law that allows school districts to equip school buses with stop-arm cameras to detect the license plates of drivers who fail to stop for school buses.

Under legislation Bartolotta helped implement, the video evidence will be shared with local law enforcement for review before a citation is issued.

“Every day in Pennsylvania, hundreds of motorists fail to stop for school buses and put the lives of children at risk. It is estimated that each school bus is illegally passed more than two times a day,” Bartolotta said. “While the vast majority of drivers are careful, previous laws proved inadequate in getting the few reckless motorists to stop – and one violator is all it takes to cause a tragedy.”

In the past, the School Bus Passing Law has been notoriously hard to enforce, as school bus drivers have had to quickly collect pertinent detailed information about the incident, while performing their duties, or law enforcement had to catch a motorist committing a violation.

Bartolotta and Sen. Pat Browne (R-16) worked jointly on an amendment to House Bill 364 (now Act 38), which contained important new provisions intended to build upon the legislature’s previous School Bus Camera Law (Act 159 of 2018). That legislation addressed the serious safety issues created by motorists illegally passing stopped school buses when the safety lights and arm bar had been deployed.

Following a review of pilot camera programs in their legislative districts, Browne and Bartolotta crafted amendments to the statute that would strengthen the enforcement of the current law and increase the number of buses in districts across the commonwealth equipped with stop arm cameras. The new law provided a structure, utilized widely in other states, for stop arm camera companies to enter into contracts with school districts and local police to provide their services free-of-charge in exchange for part of the revenue generated by the fine. A $300 civil penalty is assessed to motorists violating the state’s School Bus Stop Arm Camera law caught by a stop arm camera. Funds from each fine are also allocated to the participating local police department, to defray costs of implementing the program, and the state’s School Bus Safety Grant Program, designed to educate motorists and bring greater public awareness to this safety issue.

Under the law, local police departments will review evidence packages created by the stop arm cameras and certify that a violation has taken place before a notice of violation is sent to the motorist. Privacy provisions are included to protect the identity of the motorist and the public.

Pennsylvania currently has 26 school districts and over 1,200 buses utilizing Bus Patrol stop arm camera technology.

“At the start of the school year, children are especially excited and distracted coming off the bus. Please keep an eye out, follow the school bus stopping law and let’s do our part as motorists to keep kids safe,” Bartolotta said.

PA School Bus Stopping Law

CONTACT: Colleen Greer 717-787-1463