Harrisburg – September 23, 2019 — The state Senate Appropriations Committee today unanimously approved Senator Lisa Boscola’s legislation that would require drivers to remove ice and snow from their vehicles within 24 hours following heavy storms.
Following the committee nod, the Boscola bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
Named “Christine’s Law,” Senate Bill 114 would help prevent tragedies like the one that befell Christine Lambert of Palmer Township, Northampton County, in 2005. She died when a large piece of ice dislodged from a passing truck and crashed through her windshield.
Boscola has been fighting to pass her snow and ice legislation ever since.
“My bill would help prevent injury and death on our roadways,” Boscola said. “It would emphasize safety and responsibility – building public awareness so that more people are vigilant about clearing snow and ice from their vehicles.”
She said her proposal would strengthen the existing law by deterring drivers and preventing tragedies before they happen.
The current law only penalizes a driver when serious bodily harm occurs from a snow or ice projectile. Christine’s Law would be more proactive, giving police officers discretion to pull over a vehicle where the buildup of ice or snow poses a potential hazard.
Last session, Boscola’s bill (Senate Bill 435) unanimously passed the Senate but was not taken up in the House of Representatives prior to session concluding last November. Today’s Appropriations Committee support follows a unanimous June vote in the Senate Transportation Committee. Boscola said her bill is now positioned for a final Senate vote – giving the state House of Representatives plenty of time to review and act on her bill before the legislative session wraps up late next year.
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