HB 256 would enhance the grading of simple assault from a misdemeanor to a felony and increases an aggravated assault against corrections staff from a second-degree to first-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Marsy's Law proposed a crime victims "bill of rights" amendment to the PA Constitution. But the protections it offered victims needlessly and dangerously limited well-established, constitutional due process rights of the accused.

HB 321 would unconstitutionally prohibit terminating a pregnancy following a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Any person violating this provision could be charged with a third-degree felony.

For people who have been pardoned, HB 440 would require that their criminal charges be automatically sealed. For those who have been fully acquitted, those charges would be automatically expunged from their criminal record. The bill would also expand PA’s Clean Slate law by removing the obligation to pay outstanding court fines and costs (except restitution) before eligible cases can be sealed.

HB 916 would mandate electronic surveillance of people before they have been convicted of a crime, would punish people who are too poor to pay monitoring costs, would impose mandatory consecutive sentences, and would further expand excessive penalties for DUI-related offenses.

Amendment to exempt those on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient list from the definition of "unauthorized employee."

HB 1170 would expand mandatory E-Verify to the construction industry in Pennsylvania. It would impose unnecessary burdens on construction workers and businesses and would contribute to a massive government database of workers’ information that could be used to facilitate additional forms of data surveillance.

Under current law, people are entitled to parole consideration once a year, except in very limited cases. HB 1538 would add 13 new offenses to this statute, which would require people convicted of those offenses to wait three years (instead of one year) to reapply for parole if parole was previously denied.

HB 1841 would mandate background reporting and investigations for prospective law enforcement applicants and requires that those records are maintained in an electronic database. The database is accessible to law enforcement agencies to screen potential officers before hiring, which may help reduce the number of problematic and abusive police officers moving easily from one jurisdiction to another.

HB 1910 would provide training to officers on interacting with individuals of diverse racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds; implicit bias training; recognizing and reporting child abuse; and annual training on the use of appropriate force. In addition, the bill would require police officers to be tested for post-traumatic stress disorder every two years and within 30 days of any lethal use-of-force incident.

HB 2463 would ensure that the Right to Know Law remains in effect during disaster declarations. The bill would require commonwealth agencies to continue to follow procedures established by the Office of Open Records, even if they are otherwise closed due to the emergency declaration.

As amended, SB 14 would change current law in ways that risk making probation worse in Pennsylvania by making it easier for judges to incarcerate people after revoking their probation, increasing the length of incarceration for technical violations, and allowing judges to keep people on probation indefinitely, including those who are too poor to pay their restitution in full.

SB 351 would add ''health practitioner or technician'' to the list of 38 officers or employees to Pennsylvania's aggravated assault statute, which grades a simple assault as aggravated. Ceaselessly expanding this list would all but render the offense of simple assault meaningless. It metes out greater punishment based not on the intent or severity of the assault, but rather on the employment status of the victim.

SB 421 would make the most significant (and badly needed) reforms to Pennsylvania's election code in decades. Some of the bill's most important changes include: providing more time for people to register to vote and to request a mail ballot before each election; expanding ballot access by permitting vote-by-mail; and allocating $90 million to ensure each county uses voting machines with a voter-verified paper trail.

SB 421 would make the most significant (and badly needed) reforms to Pennsylvania's election code in decades. Some of the bill's most important changes include: providing more time for people to register to vote and to request a mail ballot before each election; expanding ballot access by permitting vote-by-mail; and allocating $90 million to ensure each county uses voting machines with a voter-verified paper trail.

Currently there is no requirement to collect or report data on police use of force incidents. While SB 459 would require some minimal reporting, the use of force report would tell us nothing about the officers responsible, which departments they work for, and who was subjected to the use of force. SB 459 does not require public disclosure of the data. It offers neither transparency nor accountability, and as a result — and by any metric — it fails as a reform measure.

SB 469 would create a new hearsay exception to allow out-of-court statements from victims or witnesses — of any age — diagnosed with an intellectual disability or autism to be admissible as evidence in criminal or civil trials. The Tender Years Hearsay Act currently permits hearsay to be admitted only for those 12 years and younger.

Pennsylvania's Tender Years Hearsay Act allows out-of-court statements made by individuals 12 years of age or younger to be entered into evidence under specific conditions. SB 479 would significantly expand the list of offenses for which hearsay statements may be admitted, further eroding due process rights of the accused.

One of three JRI II bills, SB 500 would establish the County Adult Probation and Parole Advisory Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The Committee is tasked with funding and overseeing improvements to county probation. The bill also provides a funding mechanism to support the Justice Reinvestment Fund and county adult probation and parole departments.

One of three JRI II bills, SB 500 would establish the County Adult Probation and Parole Advisory Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The Committee is tasked with funding and overseeing improvements to county probation. The bill also provides a funding mechanism to support the Justice Reinvestment Fund and county adult probation and parole departments.

ACLU-PA supported SB 501 before being amended in the House.

One of three JRI II bills, SB 501 would impose: mandatory minimum sentences; a mandatory period of parole; an unconstitutional procedure to revoke probation and incarcerate someone without requisite due process protections; the use of a problematic risk assessment instrument; would excessively garnish residents' wage and commissary accounts; and would permit courts to revoke probation for vague threats to public safety.

One of three JRI II bills, SB 502 would improve victim services and compensation. The bill expands the definition of crimes under the Crime Victims Act, improves the flow of information from law enforcement to victims, expands the statute of limitations for victim compensation, and lowers the minimum out-of-pocket loss amount required for victims to receive compensation, among other reforms.

SB 637 would ensure that individuals with a criminal record are not automatically excluded from earning an occupational license simply because of their criminal history.

Known as “Deana’s Law,” SB 773 would mandate surveillance of people before they have been convicted of a crime, risks punishing people who are too poor to pay monitoring costs, imposes mandatory consecutive sentences, and further expands penalties for DUI-related offenses.

Amendment to limit the scope of private health information that is shared with first responders and to limit the number of public safety entities that receive that private health data.

SB 1110 aims to assist public safety personnel by sharing the address of anyone who tests positive for a communicable disease that is the subject of a disaster declaration. Health departments would share addresses with a confirmed positive case to 911 centers. This means that dispatch centers are the only entities that receive this data and it is only shared with public safety personnel when they are responding to a call at that address.

In response to court closures resulting from the COVID-19 emergency, SB 1119 would suspend all time calculations relevant to court cases and would provide additional time for the filing of any necessary pleadings or other judicial business through April 30, 2020.

In response to court closures resulting from the COVID-19 emergency, SB 1120 would extend the amount of time individuals have to respond to a citation or to pay fines, costs, or restitution In-person payments would not be mandatory and if a payment is missed, a court hearing must be held to determine if a default has occurred.

In response to court closures resulting from the COVID-19 emergency, SB 1128 would limit the ability of the Commonwealth to suspend a license during the emergency declaration. Licenses could not be suspended until the court holds a hearing and a decision is rendered.

SB 1205 would require each police department to adopt a use-of-force policy, train officers in it, and release the policy to the public. It also limits, but does not ban, chokehold restraints.