State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, said on Monday that he will introduce legislation to prohibit individuals convicted of domestic violence crimes from serving in the Pennsylvania legislature.
The legislation, which also would bar such individuals from holding any public office of trust or profit in state government, would require a state constitution amendment to election law to be approved by the General Assembly and voters in order to be enacted.
“The reason I’m putting this forward is that I think it’s so important that the very basic [nature] of an individual’s character goes to domestic violence,” Conklin said during a press conference at his State College office. “What type of individual commits domestic violence? What type of individual would… do harm to someone that they say they love? I don’t believe that type of individual should be serving as a legislator to make laws.”
Pennsylvania’s Constitution currently bans individuals convicted of embezzlement of public money, bribery, perjury or “other infamous crime” from serving in the General Assembly. Conklin’s legislation, which he plans to introduce in the House soon, would explicitly make domestic violence a disqualifying offense.
“You wouldn’t trust someone convicted of embezzlement with the public purse, so why should we allow individuals convicted of domestic violence to make decisions about public policy related to domestic violence?” Conklin said in a statement.
Laura Shadle, Conklin’s district outreach director, said she is a survivor of domestic and sexual violence and the legislation is important to help Pennsylvania reduce rates of domestic violence, which directly caused the deaths of at least 109 people in the commonwealth last year.
“Combating domestic violence and reducing these deadly statistics requires legislators with integrity to act for the good of the public and pass this necessary legislation to protect victims and reduce rates of violence,” Shadle said. “Legislators who themselves have been convicted of domestic violence and related crimes cannot be trusted to act ethically on behalf of domestic violence victims.”
An estimated one in four women and one in seven men experience physical violence by an intimate partner.
“Think about that the next time you’re in a large group or gathering,” Anne Ard, executive director of Centre Safe, said. “Maybe it’s a party or a football game. Maybe it’s a religious worship service. Look around you and one in every four women in this room, one in every seven men in this room is or will be a victim of intimate partner violence in some form. When you think about it that way, the impact is staggering. It’s a staggering plague on our community.”
Last year, Centre Safe provided services to more than 1,500 victims of sexual and domestic violence.
Ard praised Conklin for introducing the legislation and said it’s important for community members to be involved in overcoming domestic violence. Listening to survivors and providing support and resources like Centre Safe are ways individuals can help, Ard said.
“It takes all of us to be involved,” she said. “Centre Safe can’t do it by themselves, legislation won’t do it alone. It takes all of us to be engaged to address the issue of domestic and sexual violence, to really empower survivors and to eliminate that violence form our communities.”
Centre Safe’s hotline is available 24 hours a day at 1-877-234-5050. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when victims were more often at home with their abusers, the State College-based nonprofit implemented text and chat lines to expand access for those who couldn’t easily make a phone call.
“Sexual and domestic violence are always underreported and we’re concerned the underreporting was even more significant during the pandemic,” Ard said.
Conklin, meanwhile, recalled his childhood friend, Traci Raymond Miscavish, who was murdered by her estranged husband in 2013 while working at a Philipsburg-area market after he had previously assaulted her.
“It’s so important we understand how deeply domestic violence goes,” Conklin said. “It’s so important that we understand how it affects not just the lives of those individuals that are being abused but the lives of family members that survive.”
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month. A public event will be held at noon on Tuesday outside the Centre County Courthouse to recognize the issues and for survivors to share their stories.
“It is very difficult for survivors to talk about what has happened to them and it is incredibly courageous when they choose to do that,” Ard said. “They do that because they know the community needs to understand. The community needs to know what it is that happens in homes where domestic and sexual violence runs rampant.
“… It’s important for survivors to know they are supported and one of the ways they know that is when people come to those events.”
