A photo of Marsy Nicholas, the namesake for victim rights legislation that has passed in several states, sits against a chair during a 2013 rally in Santa Ana, Calif. Nicholas was killed in 1983.
Bret Hartman / AP Images for Marsy'sLawForAll.org
A photo of Marsy Nicholas, the namesake for victim rights legislation that has passed in several states, sits against a chair during a 2013 rally in Santa Ana, Calif. Nicholas was killed in 1983.
Bret Hartman / AP Images for Marsy'sLawForAll.org
Airdate: Thursday, January 28, 2021
The court decided that the amendment conflicted with a Pennsylvania Constitution provision that requires amendments address a single subject only. Opponents successfully argued the victim’s rights amendment bundled too many changes together.
The amendment, known as Marsy’s Law, would confer certain protections for victims of crimes, not unlike those extended to criminal defendants. Crime victims in Pennsylvania by law are extended statutory not constitutional protections. Pennsylvania is one of only 15 states that denies victims such rights. What happens now will likely rest with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the fight over Marsy’s law are Jen Riley, the Pennsylvania State Director, Marsy’s Law for Pennsylvania, and Jennifer Storm, former Pennsylvania Victim’s Advocate. Steven Bizar with the law firm Dechert LLP, is the lead counsel and a member ACLU of Pennsylvania, and he will join the conversation, too.
The paradox of long-term care staffing shortages amid reports of high unemployment is not lost on long-term care workers and administrators.
Erin Viale, is a senior professional in human resources and a licensed nursing home administrator based in Pittsburgh and she joins Smart Talk Thursday. Zachary Shamberg, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA) is also on the program with a perspective on the need for workers in this vital industry.
The days of journalism’s one-way street of simply producing stories for the public have long been over. Now, it’s time to find better ways to interact with you and ensure we meet your high standards of what a credible media organization should be.