Rabb introduces legislation to adjust monetary thresholds for criminal offenses

HARRISBURG, June 7 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., has introduced legislation to establish an automatic inflation adjustment for criminal offense grading. 

Like most laws, the dollar values that determine the grading of criminal offenses are rarely updated. However, unlike other laws, inflation causes these offense grades to become stricter over time as the dollar value of goods and services rise with inflation, while statutory thresholds remain stagnant.

“Other areas of law like taxation and the salaries of legislators are indexed to rise with inflation, so we should be consistent and apply this to all criminal offenses,” Rabb said. “No one should face stricter punishment for a crime due to a lack of adjusting to inflation.”

This legislation would require all dollar values as elements of a criminal offense be adjusted for inflation every five years based on the Consumer Price Index.