Members of the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus unveiled a set of bills aimed at protecting Pennsylvanians by bringing accountability to violent criminals in the Commonwealth.

The legislation is part of a four-pillared package unveiled by House Republicans aimed at combatting crimes in Pennsylvania. Wednesday’s press conference focused on the third and fourth pillars, which cover prosecution and punishment. Other measures in the package focused on prevention and policing.

The press conference featured legislation sponsored by Reps. Craig Williams (R-Delaware), Tim Bonner (R-Mercer/Butler) and Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford).

Williams’ bill would address the application of sentencing guidelines. Citing the fact certain district attorneys and judges regularly depart from the guidelines, often with downward departures for serious offenses, Williams’ bill would create a presumption that the guidelines apply and thus limit the discretion of a sentencing court only to sentence within the applicable guideline ranges.

“Pennsylvania’s sentencing guidelines are designed to ensure justice is applied consistently across the Commonwealth. However, when these guidelines are treated as mere suggestions, it undermines public safety and erodes trust in our legal system,” said Williams. “My bill ensures that sentencing guidelines are followed, and judges can only depart from them in specific, justified circumstances. We owe it to our communities to make sure serious criminals face the full weight of the law, and that justice is both fair and firm.”

Legislation sponsored by Bonner aims to end the lack of statewide uniformity on the availability of bail, as his bill would expand the role of the Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission by charging it with publishing guidelines for the availability of bail and conditions for pretrial release of defendants.

“Some of the most violent jurisdictions in our Commonwealth are granting bail very liberally. That is not only baffling but also potentially risky,” Bonner said. “Clear guidelines provided by the Sentencing Commission will ensure much-needed transparency and uniformity in the bail process.”

Owlett’s legislation would ensure fair punishment of those who have committed crimes against multiple victims by requiring sentences for each crime to be served consecutively, rather than concurrently. Owlett has a second bill in the package that would create a specific offense for wearing a mask to disguise one’s identity during the commission of a crime.

“Regardless of where you live in the Commonwealth, anyone can become a victim of a crime,” Owlett said. “Each of the pillars of this anti-crime package – from prevention and policing to prosecution and punishment – are vital to creating the kinds of safe communities we all deserve to call home.”

House Republicans are leading with solutions to help communities combat crime and fix the core issues plaguing our Commonwealth. Co-sponsorship memos outlining each of the 11 proposals in the crime-fighting package are available at https://tinyurl.com/3fvj45zb and https://tinyurl.com/3pphn9yk.