HARRISBURG – Legislation that would create felony criminal penalties for falsely reporting emergency threats directed toward any educational facility in PA has been introduced by Lawrence County Rep. Marla Brown. The GOP lawmaker said it is not acceptable to manipulate our law enforcement system to cause chaos, frighten students, terrorize families, and put many people in harm’s way. There are potential crimes that could apply to such situations; however, those crimes do not rise to the level of a felony despite the hundreds of victims, thousands of dollars in costs searching the location, and the school day disruption because of the targeting of schools. Studies have shown that fake threats can greatly affect student absentee rates. House Bill 1229 has been referred to the state House Judiciary Committee for consideration.
REP. MARLA BROWN