Burns plans reintroduction of Blue Lives Matter bill in January
Pledges continued push to make assault on police a hate crime
Rep. Frank Burns November 3, 2016 | 2:06 PM
EBENSBURG, Nov. 3 – Undeterred that the Republican-led House is leaving his Blue Lives Matter bill in committee to die upon expiration of the current legislative session, state Rep. Frank Burns plans to reintroduce the bill in January with a ramped-up passage effort.
Introduced in July after a spate of purposeful attacks on police nationwide, Burns’ H.B. 2261 would make it a hate crime to assault a police, corrections, probation or parole officer. The bill was sent to the House Judiciary Committee, where it remains as the clock will run out on the current legislative session.
“Under the rules, any proposed bills that don’t become law by the end of a two-year legislative session must be reintroduced in the next session, which is precisely what I intend to do,” said Burns, D-Cambria. “This matter is far too important to let fall by the procedural wayside, and I’m not going to give up easily.”
Burns said unprovoked attacks on law enforcement have continued unabated, as witnessed by this week’s ambush-style murders of two police officers in Des Moines, Iowa. Burns said he agrees with that police department spokesman’s quote that, “There is a clear and present danger to police officers right now,” and is confident more members of the Pennsylvania state legislature will join him in pushing for Blue Lives Matter protections.
Burns is seeking to add employment as a law enforcement officer a protected class under Pennsylvania’s hate crimes statute, on par with race, color, religion and national origin. Supported by the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, his bill would stiffen by one degree the penalty for such assaults, in relation to the regular penalty for the underlying crime. For example, a first-degree misdemeanor would become a third-degree felony.