Protecting Children


As a career child abuse prosecutor, Todd came to the legislature with a passion for protecting children from abuse.  Shortly after he was elected the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke and Todd authored one of the 23 reform bills that were signed into law following those tragic events.  Todd’s legislation expanded the list of “mandated reporters” who must report suspected child abuse and increased penalties for mandated reporters who failed in their duty to protect a child.

In a report on sexual abuse of children in Catholic churches across Pennsylvania, the Grand Jury specifically praised Todd’s legislation and recommended it be expanded even further. Todd authored legislation to do just that and it was signed into law by Governor Wolf in November 2019.

Unsatisfied with merely increasing the reporting after abuse has already occurred, Todd also wrote legislation to strengthen criminal background checks for school employees to prevent abuse from happening. 

It is imperative that we not only do all we can to address threats to the safety of our children but also be free to plan for their future. Todd was instrumental in getting legislation passed to help families facing the financial stress of caring for individuals with disabilities. Todd worked with his colleagues to craft the ABLE Act, bipartisan legislation which creates a tax-free savings account in the Commonwealth to help cover qualified expenses like education, housing, and transportation for individuals with disabilities.