Captain Obvious
08-19-2015, 08:53 AM
http://www.witf.org/news/2015/08/new-law-toughens-penalties-for-stolen-valor.php
(Harrisburg) -- Two months after a Harrisburg police officer falsely accused a veteran of being a fraud (http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/06/harrisburg_artsfest_veteran_st.html), a new state law (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0042) will toughen penalties for those found to be engaged in "stolen valor".
Anyone who falsely gets a veteran's designation on their driver's license or photo ID would face up to a year in jail and fines as high as $2,500.
Republican state Senator Lisa Baker of Luzerne County says about 190,000 people have applied for the special designation. But Baker says an audit conducted by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs revealed that more than 350 applicants were not qualified to receive the designation.
"After hearing these concerns, I decided an additional deterrent was needed, and we introduced legislation to create stolen valor penalties."
Governor Tom Wolf signed the legislation in July, a month after the Harrisburg case attracted national attention.
(Harrisburg) -- Two months after a Harrisburg police officer falsely accused a veteran of being a fraud (http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/06/harrisburg_artsfest_veteran_st.html), a new state law (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0042) will toughen penalties for those found to be engaged in "stolen valor".
Anyone who falsely gets a veteran's designation on their driver's license or photo ID would face up to a year in jail and fines as high as $2,500.
Republican state Senator Lisa Baker of Luzerne County says about 190,000 people have applied for the special designation. But Baker says an audit conducted by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs revealed that more than 350 applicants were not qualified to receive the designation.
"After hearing these concerns, I decided an additional deterrent was needed, and we introduced legislation to create stolen valor penalties."
Governor Tom Wolf signed the legislation in July, a month after the Harrisburg case attracted national attention.