PRINTER'S NO. 114
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.175
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, LANGERHOLC, TARTAGLIONE, FONTANA, BROOKS,
ROTHMAN, PHILLIPS-HILL, SCHWANK, LAUGHLIN, COSTA AND KANE,
JANUARY 23, 2025
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, JANUARY 23, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in falsification and intimidation,
further providing for the offense of false alarms to agencies
of public safety.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 4905(a) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended and the section is amended by
adding subsections to read:
§ 4905. False alarms to agencies of public safety.
(a) Offense defined.--A person commits an offense if [ he
knowingly causes a false alarm of fire or other emergency to be
transmitted to or within any organization, official or
volunteer, for dealing with emergencies involving danger to life
or property.] the person knowingly and intentionally makes or
causes to be made a false report of a crime or medical or other
emergency to a law enforcement agency, firefighter, fire
company, emergency medical services agency, emergency medical
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18 services provider, 911 system operator or a government employee
or contractor or an employee of a contractor who is authorized
to receive a report of a crime or medical or other emergency.
* * *
(c) Costs.--
(1) In addition to a penalty imposed under subsection
(b), the court may order a person convicted or adjudicated
under this section to pay to the State or local unit of
government the costs of responding to the false report,
including the use of law enforcement officers or fire,
medical or other emergency response personnel, vehicles and
teams.
(2) The following apply to a juvenile ordered to pay
costs under this subsection:
(i) If the court determines that the juvenile is or
will be unable to pay the costs ordered, after notice to
the juvenile's parent or legal guardian and an
opportunity for the persons to be heard, the court may
order the parent or legal guardian having supervisory
responsibility of the juvenile at the time of the act
upon which the order is based to pay a portion of the
costs ordered that is outstanding. An order under this
subparagraph does not relieve the juvenile of the
juvenile's obligation to pay the costs as ordered, but
the amount owed is offset by an amount paid by the
juvenile's parent or legal guardian.
(ii) If the court orders a parent or legal guardian
to pay costs under subparagraph (i), the court shall take
into account the financial resources of the parent or
legal guardians and the burden that the payment of the
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30 cost will impose. If the court requires a parent or legal
guardian to pay costs under subparagraph (i), the court
shall provide for payment to be made in specified
installments over a specific period of time.
(iii) A parent or legal guardian who has been
ordered to pay costs under subparagraph (i) may petition
the court for a modification of the amount of the costs
owed or for a cancellation of an unpaid portion of the
obligation. The court shall cancel all or part of the
obligation due if the court determines that the payment
of the amount due will impose a manifest hardship on the
parent or legal guardian.
(3) If more than one unit of government incurs a cost in
responding to a false report, the court may order the person
convicted to reimburse each unit of government for the
expense incurred.
(4) The amount ordered to be paid under this subsection
must be paid to the court, at a time and in a manner
prescribed by the court. The clerk of the court shall
transmit the appropriate amount to the unit or units of
government named in the order to receive reimbursement.
Unless otherwise ordered by the court, reimbursement must be
made immediately. This section does not prohibit a court from
authorizing payments to be made according to a payment
schedule to be completed during a specified time.
(5) An order for reimbursement issued under this section
may be enforced in the same manner as a judgment in a civil
action by the district attorney of a county in which a
government unit entitled to reimbursement under the order is
located.
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30 (6) For purposes of this subsection, the phrase "costs
of responding" includes:
(i) The salary or wages, including overtime pay, of
a law enforcement officer or law enforcement agency for
time spent responding to the false report from which the
following occurred:
(A) the conviction or adjudication of
delinquency;
(B) the arrest of the person convicted or
adjudicated delinquent;
(C) processing the person after arrest;
(D) preparing reports on the incident;
(E) investigating the incident;
(F) collecting and analyzing evidence; and
(G) preparing for and appearing at a pretrial
proceeding or trial.
(ii) The salary, wages or other compensation,
including overtime pay, of a firefighter or emergency
medical services provider for time spent in responding to
the false report.
(iii) The salary, wages or other compensation,
including overtime pay, of a prosecutor for time spent
investigating and prosecuting the crime charged under
this section.
(iv) The costs of supplies expended or equipment
used by the law enforcement agency, fire company or
emergency medical services agency in responding to the
false report.
(d) Construction.--A violation of this section occurs if the
communication of the false report originates in this
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30 Commonwealth, is intended to terminate in this Commonwealth or
is intended to terminate with a person located in this
Commonwealth.
(e) Jurisdiction.--In addition to the jurisdiction granted
to a district attorney under 16 Pa.C.S. § 14302 (relating to
duties of district attorney and entry of nolle prosequi), the
Attorney General shall have the authority to investigate and to
institute criminal proceedings for any violation or series of
violations of this section when the violation or series of
violations involves more than one county of this Commonwealth or
another state. The authority granted to the Attorney General
under this subsection shall be in addition to the authority
conferred upon the Attorney General by the act of October 15,
1980 (P.L.950, No.164), known as the Commonwealth Attorneys Act.
A person charged with any violation or series of violations of
this section by the Attorney General shall not have standing to
challenge the authority of the Attorney General to investigate
or prosecute the case, and, if a challenge is made, the
challenge shall be dismissed and no relief shall be made
available in the courts of this Commonwealth to the person
making the challenge.
(f) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"911 system." As defined in 35 Pa.C.S. § 5302 (relating to
definitions).
"Emergency medical services agency." As defined in 35
Pa.C.S. § 8103 (relating to definitions).
"Emergency medical services provider." As defined in 35
Pa.C.S. § 8103.
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30 "Fire company." As defined in 35 Pa.C.S. § 7802 (relating to
definitions).
"Law enforcement agency." A law enforcement agency in this
Commonwealth that is the employer of a law enforcement officer.
"Law enforcement officer." The term shall have the same
meaning as "peace officer" under section 501 (relating to
definitions).
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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