Legislator Speak at Bucks Forum on Child Abuse

By Bill Devlin
Philly Burbs
April 12, 2013

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer_news/da-legislator-speak-at-bucks-forum-on-child-abuse/article_c0063f73-9a2f-578e-9e57-7f9a6f9c346c.html

Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler believes that when looking at revising Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law, there is really only one particular group of stakeholders that counts.

“It’s the children,” Heckler said. “The other public interests groups be damned.”

The DA delivered his message Thursday night at a child advocacy forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Bucks County.

Heckler was joined by state Rep. Kathy Watson, R-144, of Warrington, and state Rep. Scott Petri, R-178, of Richboro, at the event held at Central Bucks High School South.

Watson chairs the House Committee on Children and Youth Services; Petri is the sponsor of House Bill 726, which concerns the investigations and handling of child abuse cases.

Heckler recently chaired the state’s Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Protection. The commission was charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the laws and procedures relating to the health and safety of children after the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal at Penn State. The task force released a 427-page report last November following a year of hearings.

The recommendations of the task force include broadening the definition of child abuse and adding to the list of those mandated by law to report child abuse. The district attorney said that there is also a need to increase the number of children’s advocacy centers throughout the state as well as employing more multidisciplinary investigative teams in dealing with reports of abuse.

Heckler said that the crimes committed by former Penn State football coach Sandusky could have been exposed sooner if a CAC and MDIT had been in place in Centre County “to shame the prosecution” when the first reports of sexual abuse surfaced.

Heckler will be traveling to Harrisburg on Thursday to testify at hearings chaired by Watson, who recently took over the leadership of the youth and services committee.

“Child protection is everybody’s business,” Watson said. “We have to get communities back to being involved.”

Watson praised the task force report but admitted that “there in no way we are going to get everything throughout the state on what constitutes child abuse and the funding needed for the programs recommended.”

Petri, whose House Bill 726 will come before Watson’s committee, said that he believes the $60 million fine that the NCAA levied against Penn State for the handling of the Sandusky scandal should remain in state to pay for programs. He said that the NCAA is allowing the state to keep only $30 million for its child protective services.

“(All) that fine money should stay in the state,” said Petri. “I’m not sure the NCAA should have stuck their nose in this. Their involvement has mucked up the civil and criminal proceedings.”