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A House committee voted unanimously Wednesday to lift the longstanding legal cap on how many troopers can be hired by the Pennsylvania State Police.
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Pa. House panel approves lifting trooper cap, votes on pet custody rules

The Scranton Times-Tribune, Butch Comegys/Associated Press

Pa. House panel approves lifting trooper cap, votes on pet custody rules

HARRISBURG — A House committee voted unanimously Wednesday to lift the longstanding legal cap on how many troopers can be hired by the Pennsylvania State Police.

The Judiciary Committee voted without debate in favor of House Bill 1280 which would end what the bill sponsor, Committee Majority Chairman Tim Briggs, D-Montgomery, called an artificial cap that is currently set at 4,740 troopers.

Mr. Briggs said there’s a need to remove the cap given the increasing number of municipalities turning to the state police for law enforcement after eliminating or scaling back their own police forces.

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The committee’s action came as Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed spending $16.4 million in the Fiscal Year 2023-24 state budget to train four new classes of cadets, thus adding 384 new troopers to fill vacancies caused by the retirements of veteran troopers.

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In other action, the panel approved several bills addressing issues involving pets and domestic violence.

By a 12-9 party-line vote, the majority-Democratic panel approved House Bill 1108 establishing guidelines for local courts to consider in divorce proceedings where custody of a pet is at issue.

The guidelines under HB1108 include whether the animal was acquired prior to or during a marriage, the basic daily needs of the animal, the main caregiver, which spouse is involved with such matters as licenses and which spouse has the greater ability to financially support the animal.

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Pennsylvania law currently treats animals as chattel or property, said Rep. Anita Kulik, D-Kennedy, the bill sponsor, while pets are often considered today as members of the family.

Some of the debate over the bill focused on the definition of companion animal in HB1108 and whether the distinction between pets and agricultural animals needs fine-tuning.

Rep. Robert Leadbeter, R-Columbia, suggested clarity is needed for such cases as sheep dogs used to herd sheep but also valued as a family pet and police dogs on and off official duty.

Mr. Briggs indicated there could be discussions about a floor amendment on the definition issue.

Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-North Side, said the legislation is needed to avoid having pets used as a wedge by one party for leverage in divorce proceedings.

Rep. Torren Ecker, R-Adams, said that guidelines in this area aren’t needed, while Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D-Chester, said having guidelines would prevent pets from ending up in animal shelters when no custody agreement is reached.

The panel voted unanimously to approve House Bill 1210 which gives judges the ability to order a defendant in a Protection from Abuse order to refrain from abusing a victim’s pets.

Rep. Christina Sappey, D-Chester, the bill sponsor, said abusers often use family pets as leverage to torment their victims.

By a 12-9 vote, the panel voted to approve House Bill 544 to waive fees for victims of domestic violence trying to replace critical lost state documents such as birth certificates and driver’s licenses and vehicle tittles.

The bill sponsor, Rep. Lisa Borowski, D-Delaware, said HB544 would help victims of abuse regain their independence and escape difficult domestic situations.

The panel voted 12-9 to amend HB544 with a provision that an abuse victim providing false information about lost documents would face a $50 fine and the replacement costs of the documents rather than a misdemeanor offense.

That amendment sparked debate about the appropriate penalty for making a false statement.

Committee Minority Chairman Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin, urged a no vote saying the bill seeks a good goal, but needs more work.

First Published: June 14, 2023, 5:50 p.m.

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A House committee voted unanimously Wednesday to lift the longstanding legal cap on how many troopers can be hired by the Pennsylvania State Police.  (The Scranton Times-Tribune, Butch Comegys/Associated Press)
A House committee voted unanimously Wednesday to lift the longstanding legal cap on how many troopers can be hired by the Pennsylvania State Police.  (DAN GLEITER / PennLive )
The Scranton Times-Tribune, Butch Comegys/Associated Press
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