18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 21

in effect

18 Pa.C.S. § 21 Applicability.

This act shall apply as follows: * * * (2) The reenactment or amendment of 18 Pa.C.S. § 4915.2 and 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 97 Subch. I shall apply to: (i) An individual who committed an offense set forth in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9799.55 on or after April 22, 1996, but before December 20, 2012, and whose period of registration as set forth in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9799.55 has not expired. (ii) An individual required to register with the Pennsylvania State Police under a former sexual offender registration law of this Commonwealth as set forth in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9799.55(a)(1)(i), (b)(2) and (4). (iii) Before or after February 21, 2018, an individual who: (A) commits an offense subject to 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 97 Subch. H; but (B) because of a judicial determination on or after February 21, 2018 of the invalidity of 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 97 Subch. H, is not subject to registration as a sexual offender. Explanatory Note. Act 29 amended or reenacted sections 3130, 3141, 4915.1 and 4915.2 of Title 18, sections 2511, 6303, 6338.1 and 6707 of Title 23 and sections 9718.1, 9799.10, 9799.11, 9799.12, 9799.13, 9799.14, 9799.15, 9799.16, 9799.19, 9799.23, 9799.25, 9799.26, 9799.31, 9799.32, 9799.34, 9799.36, 9799.38, 9799.39, 9799.42 and Subchapter I of Chapter 97 of Title 42. 2018, JUNE 28, P.L.402, NO.56 Preamble The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: (1) Individuals with charges not leading to convictions may be inherently harmed by the maintenance of that record and have a constitutional presumption of innocence. (2) Individuals convicted of crimes in this Commonwealth should serve their sentences as ordered by the courts of this Commonwealth. (3) After less violent individuals convicted of crimes have served their sentences and remained crime free long enough to demonstrate rehabilitation, the individuals' access to employment, housing, education and other necessities of life should be fully restored. (4) Criminal justice agencies need access to all criminal history record information in order to effectively carry out the agencies' duties to protect the public. (5) The Commonwealth shall provide a clean slate remedy, as set forth under this act, to: (i) Create a strong incentive for avoidance of recidivism by offenders. (ii) Provide hope for the alleviation of the hardships of having a criminal record by offenders who are trying to rehabilitate themselves. (iii) Save the Commonwealth money that must be spent in the administration of criminal justice when offenders recidivate. (iv) Ensure appropriate access to criminal history information by criminal justice agencies. (6) The clean slate remedy should be implemented without cost to the former offender of filing a petition with a court. Explanatory Note. Act 56 amended or added sections 9121, 9122.1, 9122.2, 9122.3, 9122.4, 9122.5, 9122.6 of Title 18 and sections 6307, 6308 of Title 42.

18 Pa.C.S. § 2101 Display of flag at public meetings.

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of a summary offense if, being directly or indirectly in charge of any public gathering, in any place, he fails at such gathering to display publicly and visibly the flag of the United States reasonably clean and in good repair. (b) Exceptions.-- (1) Subsection (a) of this section does not apply to gatherings for religious worship. (2) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section do not prohibit the exhibition of torn, soiled or worn flags of the United States which have historical significance when exhibited in conjunction with the type of flag required by subsection (a) of this section.

18 Pa.C.S. § 2102 Desecration of flag.

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree if, in any manner, he: (1) for exhibition or display places any marks, writing or design of any nature or any advertisement upon any flag; (2) exposes to public view any such marked or defiled flag; (3) manufactures, sells, exposes for sale, gives away, or has in his possession for any of such purposes any article which uses the flag for the purposes of advertisement, sale or trade; or (4) publicly or privately mutilates, defaces, defiles, or tramples upon, or casts contempt in any manner upon any flag. (b) Exception.--Subsection (a) of this section does not apply: (1) To any act permitted by the statutes of the United States, or by the regulations of the armed forces of the United States. (2) In a case where the government of the United States has granted the use of such flag, standard, color, or ensign as a trademark. (3) To any writing or instrument, or stationery for use in correspondence on any of which shall be printed, painted, or placed said flag, disconnected from any advertisement for the purpose of sale or trade. (4) To any patriotic or political demonstration or decorations. (c) Definition.--As used in this section the word "flag" shall include any flag, standard, color, ensign or any picture or representation of any thereof, made of any substance or represented on any substance and of any size, purporting to be a flag, standard, color or ensign of the United States or of the Commonwealth, or a picture or a representation of any thereof, upon which shall be shown the colors or any color, or any combination of colors, or either the stars or the stripes, or the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or anything which the person seeing the same, may reasonably believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard or ensign of the United States or of the Commonwealth.

18 Pa.C.S. § 2103 Insults to national or Commonwealth flag.

A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree if he maliciously takes down, defiles, injures, removes or in any manner damages, insults, or destroys any American flag or the flag of the Commonwealth which is displayed anywhere.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=HTM&ttl=18Fetched: 10/16/2026