HARRISBURG, MAY 12, 2008  -- State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today appeared on the morning television program “Good Day Philadelphia” to explain her effort to protect transit workers from assault.
 
     Tartaglione talked with Fox29’s John Anderson about Senate Bill 1149, which passed the Senate overwhelmingly and now awaits action in the House.

      The bill provides stiffer penalties intended to stem the rising rate of violence on SEPTA workers.
    
     “This will send a loud and clear message that any assault on a transit worker won’t be tolerated,” she told Anderson.
 
     On March 6, a 53-year-old SEPTA driver was treated for cuts at a local hospital after a bullet shattered his side window.

     Under Tartaglione’s bill, assault on a transit worker that results in bodily injury becomes a second-degree felony.  If the injury is serious, the assailant can be charged with a first-degree felony.  The maximum penalty for a first-degree felony is 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.  The maximum penalty for a second-degree felony is 10 years in prison

     The bill passed the Senate 47-3 on May 5 and remains in the House Judiciary Committee. A link to a video clip of the broadcast can be found on Tartaglione’s Web site www.pasenate.com/tartaglione