Senate Approves Schwank Bill to Keep Parents Out of Jail for Delinquent Truancy Fines

May 10, 2016

 

HARRISBURG, May 10, 2016 – Sparked by the tragic death of a Berks County mom who died after being imprisoned for her child’s delinquent truancy fines, Sen. Judy Schwank has won the Pennsylvania Senate’s approval of a bipartisan bill to keep parents from this kind of punishment.

Senate Bill 359 is heading to the House on a 48-0 vote.

“There are many causes for truancy, but we have largely been relying on a single solution to it: treating it as a crime with the unfounded belief that that would fix the problems,” Schwank said today during floor debate. “Mrs. Dinino died in prison, with her children at home alone, simply because she could not pay $2,000 in fines that had accumulated against her.”

The Berks County Democrat said the 2014 death of Eileen DiNino – a widowed mother of seven who was placed in Berks County Prison because Pennsylvania law mandates a five-day sentence for failing to pay truancy fines – was the “wake-up call.”

“It was a shock … to learn that Pennsylvania mandated a prison sentence in truancy cases. It was an even greater shock to discover that not only do we have this bad idea of mandating prison for parents who are unable to pay truancy fines but, even worse, it is randomly applied.”

Should Senate Bill 359 win the approval of the House and governor, Schwank said no parent will go to jail for a delinquent truancy bill under most circumstances.

Also, the senator emphasized that the bipartisan legislation, which she worked on with Republican Sens. Stewart Greenleaf (Montgomery County) and Lloyd Smucker (Lancaster), will remind people that getting children an education is the most important reason for updating the law.

“Eileen’s death, sadly, put a human face to this ineffective injustice, and this bill today will not bring her back to her family and friends,” Sen. Schwank said. “But it did prompt a very deep and serious reconsideration of the issue that resulted in SB 359.

“The causes of truancy are much deeper than a child simply choosing not to go to school. There are reasons for these choices, and they reflect many other concerns than whether or not a child attended class on a given day.”

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Follow Sen. Schwank on her website, Facebook and Twitter.

3 Berks Co. Farms Help PA to Become 1st in U.S. to Preserve 500,000 Acres, Schwank Says

October 16, 2014

HELLAM, Oct. 16, 2014 – Pennsylvania became the first state in the country today to preserve 500,000 acres of valuable farmland and three Berks County farms helped accomplish the milestone, Sen. Judy Schwank said today.

“Berks County is a big reason the commonwealth has protected half a million acres of farmland,” Schwank said today following the Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Board’s meeting at Flinchbaugh’s Orchard and Farm Market. “Our county has preserved more acres of farmland than any other county in the program.

“The 300 acres of prime agricultural space that were removed from the specter of development today by the board means 678 farms and 68,000 local acres of Berks County farms will be producing nutritious food for generations to come.”

The total conservation easements for the following three farms totals $748,000:

  • Larry & Patricia Bauscher, Greenwich Township, 8 acres
  • Benjamin & Karah Davies, Washington Township, 1 acres
  • Larry & Carol Mertz, Maxatawny Township, 5 acres

Since its inception in 1988, the commonwealth has protected 4,704 farms totaling 500,079 acres with $1.3 billion in easements. In Berks County, 678 farms consisting of 67,991 acres have been preserved.

The long-term goal of the state’s program is to permanently preserve farmland. The holders of the easements have the right to prevent development or improvements of the land for purposes other than agricultural production.

Local, county or state government – or any combination of the three – may buy easements. Counties that decide to have an easement purchase program must create an agricultural land preservation board.

For more information on PA’s farmland preservation program, visit the Bureau of Farmland Preservation’s website.

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Follow Sen. Schwank on her website, Facebook and Twitter.