Pennsylvania SB 121: An Act amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in State intermediate punishment, further providing for findings and purpose, for definitions, for referral to State intermediate punishment program, for drug offender treatment program, for written guidelines and regulations, for reports and for construction.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 71
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 121
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, COMITTA, SCHWANK, STREET, KEARNEY, COSTA,
HAYWOOD, KANE, TARTAGLIONE AND MILLER, JANUARY 22, 2025
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 22, 2025
AN ACT
Providing for the establishment and funding of a center to
conduct research on gun violence in this Commonwealth.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Center for
Gun Violence Research Act.
Section 2. Findings.
The General Assembly finds and declares the following:
(1) Gun violence is a significant public health crisis
and public safety problem in this Commonwealth and
nationwide. Nationally, rates of fatal gun violence have
remained essentially unchanged for more than a decade, as
declines in homicide have been offset by increases in
suicide.
(2) For the decade ending in 2010, Pennsylvania had
12,941 gun-related deaths, which ranked fourth highest in the
United States. During that same decade, the rate of gun
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homicides among children and teenagers in this Commonwealth
ranked as one of the highest in the nation.
(3) The annual cost of gun violence across the United
States is estimated to be more than $100,000,000,000 and
could be as high as $229,000,000,000 per year.
(4) Too little is known about gun violence, its causes
and the best practices for its prevention. There is a
substantial need for publicly funded academic research in gun
violence. The need for more research and more sophisticated
research is critical in fighting the plague of gun violence
in our schools and communities.
(5) Federal funding for gun violence research through
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was
effectively eliminated by Congress in 1996 through the
passage of a provision known as the Dickey Amendment.
(6) It is the intent of this act to provide State
funding for gun violence research in place of the Federal
funding that has been curtailed by the Dickey Amendment.
Section 3. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Center." The Center for Gun Violence Research established
under section 4.
"University." Any of the following:
(1) An independent institution of higher education
located in and incorporated or chartered by the Commonwealth,
entitled to confer degrees as specified in 24 Pa.C.S. § 6505
(relating to power to confer degrees) and entitled to apply
to itself the designation "college," "university" or
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"seminary" as provided for by standards and qualifications
prescribed by the State Board of Education under 24 Pa.C.S.
Ch. 65 (relating to private colleges, universities and
seminaries).
(2) A State-owned institution.
(3) A State-related institution.
Section 4. Center for Gun Violence Research.
(a) Establishment.--The Center for Gun Violence Research is
established as a research center for gun violence in this
Commonwealth. The center shall be administered by a university
selected by the Governor under section 5(i).
(b) Mission.--The center's mission shall be to conduct
independent academic research on gun violence in this
Commonwealth and to provide policymakers, including the General
Assembly, the Governor, State agencies and local governments
with scientific evidence to develop sound gun violence
prevention policies and programs.
(c) Nonpartisan research.--The center shall conduct research
on a nonpartisan basis.
Section 5. Location of center.
(a) Request for proposals.--Proposals for the location and
operation of the center shall be solicited through a request for
proposals.
(b) Public notice.--Public notice of the request for
proposals shall be given in the same manner as provided under 62
Pa.C.S. § 512(c) (relating to competitive sealed bidding).
(c) Receipt of proposals.--Universities shall submit
proposals in the form and time period as established by the
evaluation committee established under subsection (e).
(d) Opening of proposals.--Proposals shall be opened in a
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manner which avoids disclosure of the proposal's contents to
competing offerors.
(e) Evaluation committee.--An evaluation committee is
established to review all proposals and make recommendations to
the Governor as provided under subsection (h). The committee
shall be comprised of the following members:
(1) The Attorney General of the Commonwealth.
(2) The Secretary of Corrections.
(3) The Secretary of Education.
(4) The Secretary of Health.
(5) The Secretary of Human Services.
(6) The chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime
and Delinquency.
(7) The Commissioner of Pennsylvania State Po