Jun. 26, 2018
HARRISBURG – Children who are victims of violent crime, or who lose their parents as the result of a violent crime, may be eligible for additional educational support from the Commonwealth under a new law authored by Rep. Ron Marsico (R-Lower Paxton), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
House Bill 1929 expands the First Chance Trust Fund, which was created last year to help the children of incarcerated parents in high crime areas of the Commonwealth.
“Losing a parent as a result of a violent crime is devastating to the child who is left behind, and it can be a significant roadblock to their success as an adult,” Marsico said. “Just as we want to help show children of incarcerated parents there is another path to follow in their lives, we will now be able to provide the same opportunities to children whose parents were tragically taken from them.”
The First Chance Trust Fund is administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and is designed to provide enhanced opportunities to at-risk youth through the provision of scholarships to students and grants to programs in those areas of the state that have higher high school dropout rates, incarceration rates or crime rates.
House Bill 1929 was amended to become the 2018-19 Fiscal Code, which directs implementation of the state budget. It is now Act 42 of 2018.
Representative Ronald Marsico
105th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Autumn R. Southard
717.652.3721
asouthar@pahousegop.com
RonMarsico.com