Domestic-abuse bill would raise funding, reporting

Pennsylvania Rep. Matthew Bradford (D., Montgomery) has introduced a bill that would raise more money for services for domestic violence and rape victims and require health-care facilities and law enforcement to report instances of domestic violence to the state.

House Bill 2516, which has bipartisan support, would direct health-care and law enforcement professionals to report domestic-violence allegations annually to the Departments of Health and Public Welfare. The data would help the state spend more effectively the $12 million a year that it distributes to shelters and other nonprofits, Bradford's staff said. This bill would also impose a $15 fine on anyone convicted of rape or domestic violence, up from $10. - Nick Auerbach