Bill > HB879

This bill establishes a mechanism for concurrent jurisdiction in prosecuting felony offenses, specifically allowing the Pennsylvania Attorney General to investigate and potentially prosecute criminal cases that would typically be handled by local district attorneys. Under the new provisions, the Attorney General can submit a written request to prosecute a felony offense to the district attorney with jurisdiction. If the district attorney does not respond within 90 days to an initial request, the Attorney General must send a subsequent request by certified mail, and if no response is received within 10 days, the request is automatically considered approved. Conversely, district attorneys can also request the Attorney General to investigate and institute criminal proceedings in a felony case. The bill requires the Attorney General to develop and publish a manual of best practices for investigating and instituting criminal proceedings on their public website. This legislation aims to provide more flexibility in prosecuting serious criminal offenses by allowing shared jurisdiction between local and state-level prosecutors. The bill will take effect 60 days after its passage.

Justice

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=879