Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-Ellwood City, is pictured speaking on behalf of Markie’s Law on the House floor in 2021.

Legislation is being drafted that, if approved, would create a registry of those convicted of child abuse crimes.

State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-Butler, has signaled his intention to draft the legislation with a recently-released co-sponsorship memorandum.

According to state court data, the database could apply to at least 185 people in Warren County, if all those charged with child abuse are found guilty. The state court system earlier this year released information showing the number of child abuse cases filed in each county from 2019 through 2023. In Warren County there have been 185 total cases over five years: 46 in 2019, 40 in 2020, 37 in 2021, 26 in 2022 and 36 in 2023. There were 36,386 cases statewide and 10,915 convictions.

“I am proud to introduce legislation that will ensure kids are safe by ensuring that parents are aware of child abusers living in their communities,” Bernstine wrote recently on Facebook. “We must do everything we can to make sure every child is safe from those who intend to do them harm.”

Bernstine said his legislation would require defendants convicted of certain child abuse offenses, including aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of a minor and kidnapping to register to provide a variety of information to the Pennsylvania State Police, including if they obtain a new job, residency or vehicle. The registry, Bernstine said, will be similar to the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, better known as Megan’s Law. Individuals on Bernstine’s proposed child abuse registry would be required to provide a current telephone number, including a cell phone number, and any aliases, nicknames or pseudonyms they use.

“This registry will better help protect our communities across the commonwealth by ensuring important information related to child abusers is available to the public in an easy and accessible manner,” Bernstine wrote in his co-sponsorship memorandum.

At least one other state has recently given the public access to a child abuse registry. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022 signed into law a measure expanding access to a Michigan child abuse registry, according to an Associated Press report. The Michigan law allows caregivers to get access to an existing registry of child abusers if they suspect those caring for their child have a history of abuse.

Previous versions of the legislation proposed making a new registry for abusers, but the version signed into law instead refines an existing Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ “central registry” with more than 300,000 names of those who have been investigated by child protective services. The signed law will make the list searchable to ensure only people who are confirmed to pose danger to a child are on the list by adding an appeal process to expunge a person’s name from the list.

“By making this information available to the public regarding registered child abusers, communities across the commonwealth will be in a better position to take precautions to ensure the safety of their children,” Bernstine wrote in his memorandum.

Bernstine has been an advocate on the issue of child abuse, including a public disagreement with former Gov. Tom Wolf in 2022 over legislation called Markie’s Law that Bernstine had introduced, the state Legislature passed and wolf vetoed.