SB 68 — An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in arson, criminal mischief and other property destruction, further providing for the offense of institutional vandalism.

PRINTER'S NO.   28

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         SENATE BILL
                         No. 68
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY STREET, SCHWANK, TARTAGLIONE, HUGHES, COSTA,
        HAYWOOD, KANE AND COLLETT, JANUARY 22, 2025

     REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, JANUARY 22, 2025


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in arson, criminal mischief and other
 3      property destruction, further providing for the offense of
 4      institutional vandalism.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.     Section 3307(a) and (b) of Title 18 of the
 8   Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended and the section
 9   is amended by adding a subsection to read:
10   § 3307.    Institutional vandalism.
11      (a)    Offenses defined.--A person commits the offense of
12   institutional vandalism if he knowingly desecrates, [as defined
13   in section 5509 (relating to desecration or sale of venerated
14   objects)] destroys, vandalizes, defaces or otherwise damages:
15             (1)   any church, synagogue [or], mosque or any other
16      facility or place used for religious worship or other
17      religious purposes;
18             (2)   any cemetery, mortuary or other facility used for
19      the purpose of burial or memorializing the dead;
 1            (3)   any school, educational facility, community center,
 2      municipal building, courthouse facility, State or local
 3      government building or vehicle or juvenile detention center;
 4            (4)   the grounds adjacent to and owned or occupied by any
 5      facility set forth in paragraph (1), (2) or (3); or
 6            (5)   any personal property located in any facility set
 7      forth in this subsection.
 8      * * *
 9      (b)   Grading.--An offense under this section [is a felony of
10   the third degree if the act is one of desecration as defined in
11   section 5509 or if the actor causes pecuniary loss in excess of
12   $5,000. Pecuniary loss includes the cost of repair or
13   replacement of the property affected. Otherwise, institutional
14   vandalism is a misdemeanor of the second degree.] shall be
15   graded as follows:
16            (1)   A felony of the first degree if death results from
17      the act committed in violation of this section.
18            (2)   A felony of the second degree if bodily injury to a
19      person, including a public safety officer performing duties
20      as a direct or proximate result of conduct prohibited by this
21      section, results from the act committed in violation of this
22      section or if the act includes the use, attempted use or
23      threatened use of an instrument of crime, explosives or fire.
24            (3)   A felony of the third degree if:
25                  (i)    bodily injury to a person, including a public
26            safety officer performing duties as a direct or proximate
27            result of conduct prohibited by this section, results
28            from the act committed in violation of this section;
29                  (ii)    the act is one of desecration; or
30                  (iii)    the actor causes pecuniary loss, which

20250SB0068PN0028                       - 2 -
 1            includes the cost of repair or replacement of the
 2            property affected, in excess of $2,000.
 3            (4)   A misdemeanor of the first degree for all other
 4      violations of this section.
 5      (c)     Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
 6   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
 7   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
 8      "Desecrate."     As defined in section 5509(b) (relating to
 9   desecration, theft or sale of venerated objects).
10      "Desecration."     As the term "desecrate" is defined in section
11   5509(b).
12      "Instrument of crime."     As defined in section 907 (relating
13   to possessing instruments of crime).
14      Section 2.     This act shall take effect in 60 days.




20250SB0068PN0028                    - 3 -