Bill > HB131

This bill amends Pennsylvania law concerning law enforcement background investigations and employment information by introducing penalties for noncompliance and expanding reporting requirements. Specifically, law enforcement agencies that fail to promptly enter all relevant separation records into a database will be ineligible for state funding for equipment, hiring, or overtime, and will require approval from a commission for funding related to violence intervention, victim services, or community engagement. Additionally, when a law enforcement agency hires an applicant with a history of disciplinary actions, such as excessive force, harassment, theft, discrimination, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, coercion of a false confession, filing a false report, or any finding of dishonesty (including judicial, civil, or administrative findings), the agency must now file a detailed hiring report with the commission. This report must explain the rationale for hiring the applicant and specifically address how the hiring decision responds to each documented disciplinary action, with a standardized format requiring selection of appropriate disciplinary categories. The bill also mandates public notice 14 business days before hiring an officer with such a record, and noncompliance with these reporting and notice requirements will make agencies and their governing entities ineligible for state grants, incentives, or money.