Law Protecting Children In Custody Battles Signed By PA Gov.

BUCKS COUNTY, PA —Kayden's Law will soon be a law.

Gov. Josh Shapiro this week held a formal reception in the State Capitol in Harrisburg for the ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 55, known as Kayden’s Law, which better protects children in child custody situations.

"It was an occasion to celebrate," said State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, who sponsored the bill. "Make no mistake, Kayden’s Law marks a sea change in our custody law."

The bill, now Act 8 of 2024, is a wholesale rewrite of Pennsylvania’s childhood custody statute in the wake of the murder of seven-year-old Kayden Mancuso in 2018 at the hands of her biological father during an unsupervised, court-ordered visit following a year-long custody dispute.

Kayden’s Law will take effect on Aug. 13.

"Thanks to Kayden’s Law, never again will a child be compelled to be alone with someone who poses a risk of violent behavior," Santarsiero said. "Moreover, from now on the health and safety of the child will be the number one and driving consideration for any custody award in Pennsylvania."

Mancuso, a 7-year-old from Lower Makefield Township, was a first grader at Edgewood Elementary School in the Pennsbury School District and the subject of a custody dispute between her mother and her biological father that ended with her murder.

"Most of all, I want to thank Kathy Sherlock, Kayden’s mom," the senator said. "Without Kathy’s courage and resolve, this law would never have passed. She has stood firm in the face of opposition —opposition that, not infrequently, devolved into ad hominem attacks —to be a valiant advocate for change and the protection of all children. Thank you, Kathy. We all owe you a debt of gratitude."

Santasiero thanked Senator Lisa Baker (R-20), majority chair of the Senate judiciary committee, who worked across the aisle with him in writing this bill over the last three and a half years. She then played an instrumental role in getting it through the Senate, where it passed unanimously late last year.

He also thanked State Rep. Tina Davis (D-141) and Rep. Perry Warren (D-31), who were early collaborators on the initial drafts of the bill, and Rep. Tim Briggs (D-149), majority chair of the House judiciary committee, who helped get the bill through the House.

"Of course, we are all grateful to Gov. Shapiro, who signed the bill into law, for his support," Santarsiero said. "But I also want to thank him for graciously welcoming Kayden’s family to the Capitol, even inviting the kids into his office, where he took the time, despite his busy schedule, to talk to them and explain a bit about Pennsylvania’s past and its present."

Read more about what Kayden's Law does here: https://buff.ly/4aZku3A