Shenango Valley News

The Pennsylvania Senate has approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Michele Brooks aimed at protecting children and conserving emergency response resources. Senate Bill 975, put forward by Sen. Brooks, seeks to introduce felony criminal penalties for falsely reporting threats at school entities and institutions of higher education in the state.

Sen. Brooks highlighted the necessity of the bill by referencing past incidents where hoax calls regarding school shooter situations caused significant disruptions and wasted public safety resources. She stated, "If we don’t take action to punish threats made to our schools, they will inevitably result in accidents, injuries and worse."

The proposed legislation would make it a felony of the third degree to knowingly report a false threat at a school or educational facility. Moreover, it would empower courts to impose the costs of any resulting evacuation or response on the individual convicted of making the false report. These costs could encompass various expenses, such as supplies, equipment, unused food, and salaries of personnel involved in responding to the threat.

With bipartisan support in the Senate, the bill will now advance to the House of Representatives for further deliberation. Sen. Brooks emphasized that this bill sends a strong message to potential perpetrators that false reporting of threats to educational institutions will have serious criminal and financial repercussions.

For more information, please contact Adam Gingrich at 717-787-1322.