An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in offenses against the family, providing for the offense of child torture.

HB 1531 creates a new first-degree felony offense called "child torture" under Pennsylvania law. It defines this as intentionally or knowingly engaging in a course of conduct involving more than one of the following against a child under 18: torture, physical assault, unreasonable confinement, forced positioning, or failure to provide care. The law removes requirements to prove mental anguish, pain, or specific harm for conviction and explicitly states that reasonable parental discipline (like punishment for misbehavior) is not covered, as long as it doesn’t cause serious harm or extreme distress. This bill directly affects children under 18 and caregivers whose actions meet the defined criteria.