GREENLEAF LAUDS WORK OF LAWMAKERS, AUDITOR GENERAL, AND CHILD ADVOCATES AND OFFERS IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION ON CHILD WITNESS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

HARRISBURG—In the wake of overwhelming voter approval of constitutional amendments on child witness testimony, Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf praised the pre-election efforts of proponent lawmakers and child advocates and offered a legislative proposal to implement the constitutional change in Pennsylvania.

He was joined in a press conference on the child witness issue by State Auditor General Robert P. Casey, Jr., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Dennis O'Brien, Senator Michael O'Pake, Rep. Kevin Blaum, representatives of the Protect Our Children Committee and other child advocacy organizations from across the commonwealth, and Tracy Bunner, a York County parent whose children's experience led her to become an advocate for the option of electronic testimony for children.

Greenleaf congratulated the advocates and elected officials who participated in news events around the state to increase voter awareness of the importance of providing the courts with the option of allowing electronic testimony for child witnesses too traumatized to testify under the gaze of the accused. "Those of us who have worked hard to get the word out on this issue are extremely impressed with the response of the electorate," Greenleaf said. "People knew those two questions were on the ballot and they voted in favor of them by margins of nearly 70 percent and more than 80 percent, respectively."

He noted that state voters in 1995 overwhelmingly favored providing the electronic testimony option for child witnesses. "The people have spoken loud and clear for a second time on this issue. They understand it and support it," he said.

The senator's proposed implementing legislation is based on the Uniform Child Witness Testimony by Alternative Methods Act drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Under the uniform act, a judge may order a hearing to determine, based on evidence of serious emotional trauma, if a child under the age of 13 needs to testify by an alternate method. The senator said he sees the uniform act as a good starting point as the General Assembly considers implementation of the constitutional changes.

Currently, 35 states have laws allowing for electronic testimony for child victims and witnesses. The laws conform to the guidelines provided in 1990 for child witness testimony by the United States Supreme Court in Craig v. Maryland.