PENNSYLVANIA
PennLive

By Charles Thompson | cthompson@pennlive.com
on April 10, 2014

The Pennsylvania General Assembly executed the last big deal in an effort to strengthen child protection systems Wednesday.

The state House and Senate both voted without opposition to send two bills changing the state’s mandated reporting requirements to Gov. Tom Corbett, closing a deal that had been months in the making.

The signature changes in the new bills are:

* Expanding the field of people who are required to make reports to state authorities if they reasonably suspect a case of child abuse. The new requirements fold in regular volunteers in children’s programs, most employees at schools and colleges, and attorneys serving schools or agencies that serve a youth population.

* Requires the first report to be to the state’s ChildLine hotline service, or local police or child welfare agencies. This change is intended to reduce the…