Nov. 16, 2017
HARRISBURG – Rep. Ron Marsico (R-Lower Paxton) introduced legislation today that would provide scholarships and grants to benefit students and children who have been the victims of violent crime or whose parents or guardians were victims of a homicide or other violent crime.
The substantive language of the legislation that created the First Chance Fund, which provides scholarships for children of incarcerated parents, was recently introduced in standalone bills:
Senate Bill 790 (Hughes), introduced on July 6, 2017, and
House Bill 1674 (Rabb), introduced on July 21, 2017. The co-sponsorship memoranda for those bills urges the creation of the fund because “there are more than 81,000 Pennsylvania children with a parent in a prison. That absence, which some psychologists have compared to the death of a parent, through the formative years can have many deleterious effects on a child. Dealing with the emotional, social and economic consequences of that loss can trigger behavioral problems, lead to trouble in school and the possibility of dropping out and continuing the cycle of crime.”
“While helping the children of inmates is a commendable goal, I question why the First Chance Fund should benefit only children of inmates rather than the children of crime victims,” said Marsico. “I understand the negative effect that the absence of a parent who has been incarcerated can have on a child. However, while the absence of an incarcerated parent may be compared to the death of a parent, the actual death of a parent by homicide has no less of a deleterious effect on the blameless child of that victim.”
“Just this year, a father in the Spring Garden area of Philadelphia was robbed and shot in the face, while sitting in his car outside his home, with his two year old daughter in the backseat. He also has another child that will have a lifetime of facing this senseless tragedy,” said Marsico. “The child of the assailant could obtain a scholarship, under the First Chance Fund, while the murdered father’s children get nothing. These children deserve just as much attention and assistance when it comes to providing them with their futures.”
“While I can support the idea of helping children of inmates, I need to stress the importance of remembering to help our crime victims and their children at least as much as we help the children of inmates,” said Marsico. “Our goal is to provide assistance to all the children suffering in these difficult situations, not just some of them, which is why I felt it necessary to introduce legislation to ensure this equality.”
House Bill 1929 is currently waiting to be referred to a committee.
Representative Ronald Marsico
105th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
RonMarsico.com
Media Contact: Autumn R. Southard, 717.652.3721
asouthar@pahousegop.com