Pennsylvania Child Advocacy Bill Announced as Law on October 26; Offender Fees Create Child Victim Recovery Fund
Pennsylvania state Reps. Kyle Mullins and Jim Rigby announced in Harrisburg on October 26 that their bipartisan child advocacy legislation has become law. House Bill 2443 received final passage in the state House by a unanimous vote the previous week, and Gov. Josh Shapiro signed it into law the following day as Act 84 of 2026.
The law creates a Child Victim Recovery Fund funded entirely by fees paid by offenders, not taxpayers. Anyone convicted of, pleading guilty or no contest to, or entering diversion for an offense involving a child victim will pay a mandatory fee of $1,000 for a felony, $400 for a misdemeanor or $250 for diversion, and individuals on probation or parole for covered offenses will also pay a $15 monthly supervision surcharge.
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will administer the fund, distributing formula-based grants to the state's 41 accredited Children's Advocacy Centers for forensic interviews and medical evaluations and to expand trauma-informed mental-health care and family advocacy. Mullins said the centers — which bring forensic interviews, medical exams, therapy and advocacy together under one roof for child victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse and exploitation — have remained chronically underfunded, especially in rural and underserved communities.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 宾夕法尼亚州议会大厦穹顶内景。图片：Acroterion，CC BY-SA 4.0，取自维基共享资源。
