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In this Update:
Senate Advances Bill to Fully Prosecute Sexual Predators
Bipartisan, bicameral legislation, I sponsored as chairman of the Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Caucus (watch video here), aimed at empowering the Pennsylvania attorney general and law enforcement to more effectively combat and prosecute human trafficking across the Commonwealth was passed 49-1 by the Senate on June 8. There are far too many people who would still have us believe that the “oldest profession” is a “noble profession.” Prostitution is neither noble, nor is it a profession. No child ever aspires to be a prostitute! Senate Bill 45 specifically increases criminal penalties for those who prey upon vulnerable people who have been groomed, manipulated and forced into “The Life.” Requested and fully supported by the Office of Attorney General, Senate Bill 45 relocates most prostitution offenses to the human trafficking section of the state Crimes Code, enhances the penalties for several of those offenses and places these offenses under the jurisdiction of the Office of Attorney General. Again, this legislation is not designed to prosecute the vulnerable. The Johns, the pimps, the abusers of those young boys and girls are the targets. Those that traffic children, those who rent the bodies of these young people trying to survive The Life, those PREDATORS are the targets! All of which makes pushing this high-priority, bipartisan, bicameral anti-human trafficking legislation across the finish line even more necessary to maintaining law and order and helping prevent further destruction of innocent lives. Senate Bill 45, the first piece of legislation to be unanimously endorsed by the PA AHT Caucus, now advances to the House of Representatives for consideration. If you believe you may have information about a trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. Read more about our latest action to combat human trafficking here. Constitutional Republic: Not ‘Dropbox’ Mobocracy
When officials in government office usurp the rights of the people or the responsibilities that the people have granted to another branch of government, they become enemies of the constitution. On June 2, as chairman of the Senate State Government Committee I convened a voting meeting to advance my legislation which would largely eliminate the corruption of ballot stuffing by removing drop boxes (Senate Bill 599) which were unilaterally permitted by the state Supreme Court in 2020 through their unconstitutional changes to the application of Title 25, and Pennsylvania’s election code. In March 2021, a Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee hearing revealed a significant amount of evidence proving that drop boxes pose a serious threat to election integrity due to an overall lack of security, transparency and consistency. In November 2021, Pennsylvania’s former democrat governor admitted that he had someone else submit his ballot on his behalf. However, it is extremely difficult to find any of this information from the recent dialogue I had with two Democrat state Senators in the video clips below:
While Sen. Anthony Williams at least, finally acknowledges that voter fraud exists, he still does not support any legislation that would reverse the judiciary’s overstepping of their constitutional authority by eliminating drop boxes and allowing the legislature to exercise its legitimate authority in determining whether drop boxes should even exist. Sen. Steve Santarsiero displayed an even greater state of denial by insinuating: “The allegation—and I underscore allegation—that a number of ballots were aggregated (‘harvested’) and put (‘illegally stuffed’) into a drop box by a single person does not, even if it were true, does not lead to the conclusion that those ballots were not cast by legitimate voters.” He also refuses to acknowledge that America is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy. Passed by a vote of 7 to 4—with all Democrats voting opposed—Senate Bill 599 now advances to the full Senate for consideration. Ending Human Trafficking Takes Everyone
Ending human trafficking takes all of us: law enforcement, prosecutors, nonprofits, community leaders, and lawmakers. Once again, I want to thank my friend and colleague Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill for inviting me on her recent Kristin’s Corner podcast to discuss our roles as chairman and co-chair of the first-ever, bipartisan, bicameral Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Caucus. Read press release to learn more about the PA AHT Caucus. Despite major changes to our laws, Pennsylvania’s geography still makes the Keystone State a major hotspot for human trafficking. You can watch my commentary here to learn more. The Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking Caucus is a WORKING Caucus. Regardless of the individual whose name appears first on any respective AHT Caucus-supported bill, our primary objective is to get them signed into law to protect children and vulnerable populations from becoming victims of sexual predators. We are also striving to give all survivor networks, human service agencies and law enforcement the tools they need to combat this scourge against all humanity—which is exploiting and enslaving millions of women and children and illegally generating more than $150 billion worldwide every year. Visit my web site any time for exclusive access to every complete episode of the Mission Report Podcast. You can also subscribe and watch by logging on to my YouTube channel. Bill Targeting Dangerous Fentanyl Additive Passes Senate
The Senate passed legislation to combat the increasing illicit use of the veterinary anesthesia medetomidine by regulating it as a Schedule III controlled substance. Senate Bill 866 provides law enforcement and public health officials with another tool to combat dangerous drug adulterants while including clear exemptions to ensure veterinarians can continue using the medication in the care and treatment of animals. Medetomidine has rapidly overtaken xylazine as a common adulterant in Pennsylvania’s illicit drug supply. While medetomidine was not detected in samples collected in early 2024, it was found in approximately 80% of adulterants sold as fentanyl in Pennsylvania by April 2026. The drug is estimated to be significantly more potent than xylazine and can cause severe cardiovascular complications, even after naloxone has been administered. The General Assembly passed legislation to make xylazine a Schedule III drug in 2024. The bill now advances to the House of Representatives for consideration. Read more about the measure here. PA Guard Military Family Education Program
As students begin preparing for the fall semester, Pennsylvania National Guard members are reminded their families could be eligible for assistance to offset the cost of higher education. The Military Family Education Program is for Guard members who completed an initial service obligation on or after July 1, 2019, and is eligible to reenlist in the PA National Guard for a period of six years. The grants can be used for a degree-granting or certificate-granting curriculum, course of study, or training program required for entrance into a specific career at an approved Pennsylvania institution of higher learning. Read more details and find applications here. Entries Accepted for PA Agriculture Photo Contest
Pennsylvania residents have until June 30 to submit entries in the 2026 Pennsylvania Agriculture Photo Contest. Submit up to four original photos highlighting the people, places, traditions and beauty of agriculture across our region or the commonwealth. Winning photos will be displayed in the Pennsylvania Capitol Complex during the first weeks of September. The categories are On the Farm, PA Fair Season, Agritourism, and Conservation. Click here for rules and how to submit your photos. |
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