Pennsylvania HR 99: A Concurrent Resolution directing the Joint State Government Commission to establish a bipartisan task force to study any consolidated or unconsolidated State statutes in the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, Judicial Code, Sentencing Code or elsewhere under which a term of imprisonment and other collateral consequences may be imposed in order to identify redundant, overlapping and inconsistent offenses, improper grading and gaps in criminal liability, out-of-date, antiquated, offensive or unenforceable language and to make recommendations to the General Assembly.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 828
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 99
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY KINKEAD, HILL-EVANS, PIELLI, RABB, SANCHEZ,
HOWARD, D. MILLER, D. WILLIAMS, WARREN, WEBSTER, CEPEDA-
FREYTIZ, KHAN, MADDEN AND WAXMAN, MARCH 3, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 3, 2025
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Directing the Joint State Government Commission to establish a
bipartisan task force to study any consolidated or
unconsolidated State statutes in the Pennsylvania Crimes
Code, Judicial Code, Sentencing Code or elsewhere under which
a term of imprisonment and other collateral consequences may
be imposed in order to identify redundant, overlapping and
inconsistent offenses, improper grading and gaps in criminal
liability, out-of-date, antiquated, offensive or
unenforceable language and to make recommendations to the
General Assembly.
WHEREAS, In 1972, the General Assembly enacted the Crimes
Code in Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes,
which contained 282 carefully considered offenses and
suboffenses; and
WHEREAS, Since the Crimes Code's enactment, it has expanded
more than fivefold and now contains more than 1,500 offenses and
suboffenses, the majority of which were created without a
thorough review of the entire Crimes Code; and
WHEREAS, According to a 2009 report on offense grading
jointly commissioned by the Judiciary Committee of the Senate
and the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives and
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authored by Professor Paul H. Robinson as well as the University
of Pennsylvania's Criminal Law Research Group, this ad hoc
expansion of the Crimes Code has resulted in a "system of
offenses marked by irrational and contradictory grading
differences, and offense grades that seriously conflict with the
values of Pennsylvania residents" in addition to various
overlapping and duplicative offenses; and
WHEREAS, The addition of numerous new offenses and changes to
the Crimes Code since the publication of the 2009 report has not
only exacerbated the issues identified in the report but has
also extended to new, inconsistent and outdated provisions in
our Commonwealth's Judicial Code and Sentencing Code, as well as
other statutes, consolidated or otherwise, for which a term of
imprisonment and other collateral consequences may be imposed;
and
WHEREAS, A rational crimes code with offenses that coincide
with the views of the residents of this Commonwealth, in
conjunction with a cohesive Sentencing Code and a consistent
Judicial Code, is necessary to build and sustain public trust in
the laws of this Commonwealth and in the interpretation of those
laws by the judiciary; and
WHEREAS, The ever-increasing size and scope of the Crimes
Code has made it difficult for legislators to identify and
remedy gaps in criminal liability within the Crimes Code; and
WHEREAS, The convoluted nature of the Crimes Code has also
made it difficult for residents to fully comprehend the offenses
and grades within the code; and
WHEREAS, This is contrary to the goal of the Crimes Code,
which is to provide the public with a clear and comprehensible
list of prohibited activities and their punishments; and
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WHEREAS, A cohesive and rational Crimes Code, Judicial Code
and Sentencing Code would be advantageous for the residents of
this Commonwealth and every constituency working within the
criminal justice process as it would serve to reduce confusion
and provide a consistent approach to crime and punishment and
any attendant penalties contained in statutes that include
offenses for which a term of imprisonment and other collateral
consequences are possible outcomes; and
WHEREAS, Eliminating or updating out-of-date, antiquated,
offensive or unenforceable language from all provisions of
Pennsylvania's Crimes Code, Judicial Code and Sentencing Code,
as well as any consolidated or unconsolidated statutes that
could result in imprisonment and other collateral consequences,
would finally modernize the language of our codes, thereby
ensuring that the State laws reflect the views of the residents
in this Commonwealth consistently and unequivocally; and
WHEREAS, The General Assembly should be knowledgeable about
the state and nature of the Crimes Code and aware of any
oversights, deficiencies and redundancies within the Code that
would best be resolved; therefore be it
RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
direct the Joint State Government Commission to establish a
bipartisan task force to study any consolidated or
unconsolidated State statutes in the Pennsylvania Crimes Code,
Judicial Code, Sentencing Code or elsewhere under which a term
of imprisonment and other collateral consequences may be imposed
in order to identify redundant, overlapping and inconsistent
offenses, improper grading and gaps in criminal liability, out-
of-date, ant