Pennsylvania Senate Bill SB249

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/13/25
• Refer: 2/13/25

Caption

In crime victims, further providing for responsibilities of State and local law enforcement agencies.

Summary

SB249 amends Pennsylvania’s Crime Victims Act to require state and local law enforcement agencies to make a reasonable effort to contact a surviving family member before publicly releasing the identification of a direct victim of murder or an intervenor. The bill applies when law enforcement is preparing to disclose the identity of the deceased victim or intervenor, and it is intended to give families notice before that information becomes public. The bill also creates a narrow exception: law enforcement may release the identification without first notifying the family if doing so is necessary for the murder investigation. The act would take effect 60 days after enactment and may be referred to as Tara’s Law.

Impact

If enacted, SB249 would add a new subsection to Section 212 of the Crime Victims Act, expanding the responsibilities of state and local law enforcement agencies in homicide cases. It would not create a new victim compensation program or change criminal penalties, but it would impose a procedural duty to attempt family notification before public identification is released, subject to an investigation-related exception. The practical effect would be to affect police and prosecutors handling murder investigations, as well as surviving family members of homicide victims and intervenors.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a victim-centered privacy and notification bill with a generally protective purpose. The naming of the bill as Tara’s Law suggests a memorial or responsive policy effort tied to a specific case or family experience. No contrary positions are documented in the provided materials, so the available record reflects a straightforward supportive intent rather than a contested proposal.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the balance between family notification and investigative needs. Supporters are likely to favor advance notice to surviving relatives before a victim’s identity is made public, while law enforcement may be concerned about situations where immediate disclosure is needed to advance an active murder investigation. The bill addresses that tension by allowing disclosure without notification when necessary for the investigation, but the scope of what counts as “necessary” could still be a practical issue for agencies.