HAZLETON — Law enforcement officers and other public officials shared the on-the-ground reality of their efforts to fight crime and how the General Assembly could support their mission during a joint public hearing of the Senate Majority Policy Committee and the House Republican Policy Committee hosted by Rep. Dane Watro (R-116) and chaired by Sen. Dave Argall (R-29) and Rep. David Rowe (R-82) today in Hazleton.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday kicked off the hearing by discussing his office’s wide-ranging work to hold criminals accountable. He noted violent crime is down across the commonwealth, but drug offenses are on the rise, with the Bureau of Narcotics removing 56.5 million doses of fentanyl off the streets of Pennsylvania last year. He also discussed how the organized retail theft unit, which was created through legislation introduced by Argall, topped more than 100 investigations in its first full year.
Sunday also shared his views on the ongoing discussions around sentencing for felony murder after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled mandatory life sentences for this crime are unconstitutional. He stated Senate Bill 1400, legislation introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Lisa Baker (R-20) and passed by the Senate twice, would provide an appropriate sentence for felony murder and described the seriousness of these offenses.
“As a reminder, felony murder is a serious crime,” Sunday said. “Some crimes include homicides which involve violent and brutal rapes, robberies and home invasion burglaries where someone kills another person with a deadly weapon or their own hands or even burns someone to death in their own home. This is not conjecture or rhetoric. It is reality.”
“I worked these cases myself as a prosecutor,” Sunday said. “A large majority of felony murder cases generally involve primary actors who played significant roles in the commission of violent and tragic crime. The so-called ‘lookouts’ or ‘getaway’ drivers are few and far between. The actual deadly shooter; the fatal arsonist; the deadly rapist; the robber who killed another person: these are the majority of individuals convicted of this crime.”
Sunday called on lawmakers to “get something done on felony murder to avoid the chaos, uncertainty for victims and inequities in the system.”
Schuylkill County District Attorney Michael O’Pake, who also serves as vice president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, joined Sunday in calling for legislative action to fix felony murder sentencing. On behalf of his association, he also called for regulating hemp products with high THC levels marketed to minors, mandated reporting requirements for elder abuse, funding for child advocacy centers and outlawing “swatting,” the act of making a false 911 call to provoke a police response.
Dr. Anna Ssentongo, the founder and CEO of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Human Trafficking, discussed in remarks submitted for the record how human trafficking has evolved with the internet, with recruitment increasingly happening online through social media, gaming platforms and other digital communities. She praised two new laws championed by the Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking Caucus, Act 31 of 2026 and Act 45 of 2026, as key steps toward better protecting victims of these heinous crimes.
“Our police officers see firsthand what’s happening in our communities, and we need to hear directly from them,” Watro said. “This hearing is about taking an honest look at the crime on our streets and determining what we can do to give law enforcement the tools they need to protect Pennsylvania families.”
“Our communities deserve to feel safe, and we need to acknowledge there is work to be done to make this a reality,” Argall said. “By working together, we can reduce crime, protect our neighborhoods and ensure a safer future for everyone.”
“Pennsylvania’s public safety challenges are constantly evolving, and our policies must evolve with them,” Rowe said. “Today’s testimony reinforced the importance of supporting law enforcement, holding dangerous offenders accountable, standing with victims and addressing the factors that contribute to repeated criminal behavior. We will continue that work Thursday in Allegheny County, where we will examine the urgent need for a statutory second-degree murder sentencing framework that protects the public, ensures accountability and gives victims’ families a meaningful voice. Through these discussions, we will continue listening to those on the front lines and pursuing practical solutions that make Pennsylvania communities safer.”
“Keeping our communities safe is among our top legislative priorities,” Baker said. “We are committed to ensuring that violent criminals are quickly apprehended and brought to justice, and that victims are treated fairly and given a voice at every stage of the process. Innovative programs like treatment courts show tremendous promise in reducing recidivism and helping prevent new crimes from occurring. At the same time, we must remain vigilant by addressing new forms of crime through legislative measures as offenders become more sophisticated.”
Video of the full public hearing and written testimony is available on the Senate Majority Policy Committee website.
WATRO CONTACT: Chris Comisac
ARGALL CONTACT: Joshua J. Paul
ROWE CONTACT: Nancy Nilson
BAKER CONTACT: Jen Wilson