HARRISBURG, PA — Sen. Lisa Baker (R-20), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced this week that the committee has approved three significant bills aimed at enhancing public safety and modernizing Pennsylvania’s criminal statutes.

“These bills reflect a thoughtful approach to balancing innovation and public safety,” Baker said. “They represent another step forward in ensuring our justice system keeps pace with the times.”

The approved legislation includes:

• Senate Bill 635: There are rising reports of drug dealers targeting people staying at recovery houses as they work to try and break the cycle of addiction. Allowing for sentencing enhancements for those pedaling drugs within 1,000 feet of these facilities ensures sufficient penalties are in place to counteract this deadly practice and protect vulnerable individuals.
• Senate Bill 649: Deepfakes are being used to commit a variety of costly and disruptive crimes. These include scamming the elderly, embarrassing and extorting public figures and private individuals, and interfering with political campaigns. Given the novelty of deepfakes and their potential for misuse, our crimes code must be adapted to allow prosecutors to pursue these bad actors.
• Senate Bill 739: Criminals are ever resourceful in exploiting new technology for illegal purposes. Organized car theft operations are turning to devices that intercept key fob signals. This measure seeks to combat those who are manipulating legitimate key fob signals to steal vehicles, and the valuables sometimes kept inside, by making it a first-degree misdemeanor and ensuring the law keeps pace with technological developments.

“As technology advances, so do the methods employed by those seeking to exploit it for criminal purposes,” said Baker. “By updating our laws to include offenses like digital forgery and pirating key fobs, we are taking proactive steps to protect Pennsylvanians from emerging threats.”

The bills now head to the full Senate for consideration.