todd-stephens

As Washington acts, Pa. House panel moves to strand gun violence-reduction bills

BY: - June 13, 2022

Rep. Jared G. Solomon, D-Philadelphia, told his colleagues that he believed the panel had a "moral imperative" to take action on the bills.

MontCo lawmaker’s mandatory minimum bill is unlikely to reduce gun violence, opponents say

BY: - January 27, 2020

The full House could vote as soon as February on legislation sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery. Critics say it would not reduce violence

Facing pushback, Montgomery County lawmaker drops proposal to add mandatory minimums to some gun crimes

BY: - December 16, 2019

Mandatory minimums have fallen out of fashion as states including Pennsylvania attempt to reduce prison populations amid a decade-long drop in violent crime rates. 

Montgomery County lawmaker moves to add mandatory minimum sentences to criminal justice bills 

BY: - December 12, 2019

Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery, may face opposition from criminal justice reform advocates, who say his proposal stand to drive up prison populations

COMMENTARY

How one week in the Capitol drove home our destructive paralysis on gun laws | John L. Micek

BY: - September 26, 2019

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — So here’s another one of those times when you get to see the unintended through-lines of policy. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro held a roundtable with students in the sprawling Cumberland Valley School District, about 25 minutes from Harrisburg, to discuss the effectiveness of the state’s new “Safe2Say” hotline program, […]

House Judiciary chairman says he won’t consider red flag proposal as panel advances mandatory minimums

BY: - September 24, 2019

The votes by the House Judiciary Committee marked the first legislative action on firearms after a summer dominated by mass shootings, including two in one August weekend that left 29 people dead. 

Pa. House committee will vote on mandatory minimums for gun crimes, much to Democrats’ chagrin 

BY: - September 23, 2019

On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will consider a package of 12 firearms or violence-related bills.

Sentencing officials are trying — again — to build an algorithm to predict future crimes. Critics still have big concerns

BY: - August 22, 2019

It’s been nearly 10 years since Pennsylvania lawmakers ordered a state commission to develop a computer algorithm to aid judges in sentencing with the goal of reducing prison populations.

How one Republican lawmaker is trying to balance gun rights and due process in Pennsylvania

BY: - May 14, 2019

The state ACLU has gone from opposed to neutral on a propose "red flag law."

COMMENTARY

It’s on all of us to fight human trafficking | Opinion

BY: - April 11, 2019

As citizens we all have a role to play in recognizing the signs of human trafficking and to report suspicious behavior when we become aware.

State lawmakers introduce ‘red flag’ gun bills on anniversary of Parkland shooting

BY: - February 14, 2019

On the one-year anniversary of a deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Pennsylvania lawmakers and activists renewed calls for a “red flag” law that would limit firearm access for troubled individuals. Two state senators introduced bills to create an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law, which would allow a judge to temporarily restrict a person’s […]