PENNSYLVANIA
Patriot-News
By Charles Thompson | cthompson@pennlive.com
The chair of the Pennsylvania Senate’s Public Heath and Welfare Committee said she wants to see a package of bills designed to strengthen protections for children from all forms of abuse moved to Gov. Corbett’s desk by the end of the year.But Sen. Pat Vance, R-Cumberland County, cautioned it may take that much time to ensure the legislature is making the child protection system as strong as possible in Pennsylvania in the wake of sensational cases like the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
“I think we’ve learned a lot,” Vance said after a hearing today on the findings of a blue-ribbon task force empaneled last year to recommend changes. “But have we learned enough to legislate intelligently? That is the question.”
But task force leaders were clear enough about their must-dos.
They continued to hone in on the need for Pennsylvania to broaden its current definitions of child abuse so state reporting systems catch more of the cases that are investigated, and information on the families involved is accessible to those who need it.
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