HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania will require people convicted of certain offenses involving children to pay new fees supporting the state’s 41 Children’s Advocacy Centers under bipartisan legislation signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro, establishing a dedicated funding source for child abuse investigations and victim recovery services.
House Bill 2443, enacted as Act 84 of 2026, creates the Child Victim Recovery Fund, financed through mandatory fees imposed on individuals convicted of, pleading guilty or no contest to, or entering diversion programs for qualifying offenses involving child victims.
The legislation establishes a $1,000 fee for felony offenses, $400 for misdemeanors and $250 for diversion cases. Individuals serving probation or parole for covered offenses will also be subject to a $15 monthly supervision surcharge.
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will administer the fund and distribute money to accredited Children’s Advocacy Centers through a statewide formula-based grant program.
The funding is intended to support forensic interviews, medical evaluations, trauma-informed mental-health treatment and family advocacy services for children affected by sexual abuse, physical abuse, exploitation and violence.
State Reps. Kyle Mullins, D-Lackawanna, and Jim Rigby, R-Cambria, co-sponsored the legislation, which received unanimous final approval in the Pennsylvania House before Shapiro signed it the following day.
The measure establishes an offender-funded revenue stream for advocacy centers that lawmakers contend have struggled with insufficient resources, increasing caseloads and the costs of maintaining accreditation.
Pennsylvania’s Children’s Advocacy Centers coordinate services among law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, child-welfare organizations and medical and mental-health professionals.
Their multidisciplinary approach allows children to receive investigative and treatment services through a coordinated process, reducing the need to repeatedly recount traumatic experiences to separate agencies.
Mullins identified persistent funding shortages as a barrier to expanding mental-health treatment and maintaining services, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
“Despite their essential role, CACs have remained chronically underfunded, limiting their ability to meet accreditation standards, expand mental-health services, and manage growing caseloads,” Mullins explained.
The new funding structure is designed to provide centers with financial resources tied to qualifying criminal cases rather than relying on a new taxpayer-funded appropriation.
Rigby characterized the mandatory assessments as an additional form of accountability for individuals responsible for offenses involving children.
“Pennsylvania’s 41 CACs provide an invaluable service, and the funding derived from these criminal acts will help support their efforts,” Rigby stated.
Meghan Lennox Gagorik, executive director of Children’s Advocacy Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania, emphasized the importance of coordinating investigative and treatment services to minimize additional trauma.
“At Children’s Advocacy Centers, we ask children to do something that would be difficult for any adult: tell someone about the worst thing that has ever happened to them,” Gagorik observed.
The centers bring forensic interviewing, medical care, advocacy and therapy together to support children during investigations and recovery.
Under Act 84, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will oversee the distribution of revenue collected through the new fees, directing grants toward accredited centers across the Commonwealth.
The legislation creates a statewide mechanism for financing services that assist child victims and their families while supporting coordination between healthcare providers, investigators and prosecutors.
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