See other bills
under the
same topic
                                                       PRINTER'S NO. 826

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 776 Session of 1999


        INTRODUCED BY LYNCH, MAJOR, GEORGE, GEIST, ORIE, SERAFINI,
           HARHAI, CURRY, TRELLO, SOLOBAY, McCALL, SEYFERT AND STABACK,
           MARCH 9, 1999

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 9, 1999

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of June 28, 1935 (P.L.477, No.193), entitled,
     2     as amended, "An act providing for the payment of the salary,
     3     medical and hospital expenses of members of the State Police
     4     Force, of the enforcement officers and investigators employed
     5     by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and the parole
     6     agents, enforcement officers and investigators of the
     7     Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police
     8     officers, correction officers employed by the Department of
     9     Corrections whose principal duty is the care, custody and
    10     control of inmates, psychiatric security aides employed by
    11     the Department of Public Welfare and the Department of
    12     Corrections whose principal duty is the care, custody, and
    13     control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of
    14     the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the
    15     enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special
    16     agents of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty
    17     is the enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth,
    18     members of the Delaware River Port Authority Police and of
    19     policemen, firemen and park guards by the Commonwealth of
    20     Pennsylvania, the Delaware River Port Authority, counties,
    21     cities, boroughs, towns and townships, who are injured or
    22     contract certain diseases in the performance of their duty;
    23     and providing that absence during such injury shall not
    24     reduce any usual sick leave period," extending benefits to
    25     certain employees of the Bureau of Forestry in the Department
    26     of Conservation and Natural Resources.

    27     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    28  hereby enacts as follows:
    29     Section 1.  The title and section 1 of the act of June 28,


     1  1935 (P.L.477, No.193), referred to as the Enforcement Officer
     2  Disability Benefits Law, amended December 19, 1996 (P.L.1438
     3  No.183), are amended to read:
     4                               AN ACT
     5  Providing for the payment of the salary, medical and hospital
     6     expenses of members of the State Police Force, of the
     7     enforcement officers and investigators employed by the
     8     Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and the parole agents,
     9     enforcement officers and investigators of the Pennsylvania
    10     Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police officers,
    11     correction officers employed by the Department of Corrections
    12     whose principal duty is the care, custody and control of
    13     inmates, psychiatric security aides employed by the
    14     Department of Public Welfare and the Department of
    15     Corrections whose principal duty is the care, custody, and
    16     control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of
    17     the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the
    18     enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special
    19     agents of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty
    20     is the enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth,
    21     forest fire specialist supervisors employed by the Bureau of
    22     Forestry in the Department of Conservation and Natural
    23     Resources, members of the Delaware River Port Authority
    24     Police and of policemen, firemen and park guards by the
    25     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Delaware River Port
    26     Authority, counties, cities, boroughs, towns and townships,
    27     who are injured or contract certain diseases in the
    28     performance of their duty; and providing that absence during
    29     such injury shall not reduce any usual sick leave period.
    30     Section 1.  (a)  Be it enacted, &c., That any member of the
    19990H0776B0826                  - 2 -

     1  State Police Force, any enforcement officer or investigator
     2  employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and the
     3  parole agents, enforcement officers and investigators of the
     4  Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police
     5  officers, correction officers employed by the Department of
     6  Corrections, whose principal duty is the care, custody and
     7  control of inmates, psychiatric security aides employed by the
     8  Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Corrections,
     9  whose principal duty is the care, custody, and control of the
    10  criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of the Office of
    11  Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the
    12  drug laws of the Commonwealth, special agents of the Office of
    13  Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the
    14  criminal laws of the Commonwealth, forest fire specialist
    15  supervisors employed by the Bureau of Forestry in the Department
    16  of Conservation and Natural Resources, any member of the
    17  Delaware River Port Authority Police or any policeman, fireman
    18  or park guard of any county, city, borough, town or township,
    19  who is injured in the performance of his duties including, in
    20  the case of firemen, duty as special fire police, and by reason
    21  thereof is temporarily incapacitated from performing his duties,
    22  shall be paid by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania if a member of
    23  the State Police Force or an enforcement officer or investigator
    24  employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board or the parole
    25  agents, enforcement officers and investigators of the
    26  Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police
    27  officers, correction officers employed by the Department of
    28  Corrections, whose principal duty is the care, custody and
    29  control of inmates, psychiatric security aides employed by the
    30  Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Corrections,
    19990H0776B0826                  - 3 -

     1  whose principal duty is the care, custody, and control of the
     2  criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of the Office of
     3  Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the
     4  drug laws of the Commonwealth, special agents of the Office of
     5  Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the
     6  criminal laws of the Commonwealth, forest fire specialist
     7  supervisors employed by the Bureau of Forestry in the Department
     8  of Conservation and Natural Resources or by the Delaware River
     9  Port Authority if a member of the Delaware River Port Authority
    10  Police or by the county, township or municipality, by which he
    11  is employed, his full rate of salary, as fixed by ordinance or
    12  resolution, until the disability arising therefrom has ceased.
    13  All medical and hospital bills, incurred in connection with any
    14  such injury, shall be paid by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    15  or by the Delaware River Port Authority or by such county,
    16  township or municipality. During the time salary for temporary
    17  incapacity shall be paid by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or
    18  by the Delaware River Port Authority or by the county, city,
    19  borough, town or township, any workmen's compensation, received
    20  or collected by any such employe for such period, shall be
    21  turned over to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or to the
    22  Delaware River Port Authority or to such county, city, borough,
    23  town or township, and paid into the treasury thereof, and if
    24  such payment shall not be so made by the employe the amount so
    25  due the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Delaware River Port
    26  Authority or the county, city, borough, town or township shall
    27  be deducted from any salary then or thereafter becoming due and
    28  owing.
    29     (b)  In the case of the State Police Force, enforcement
    30  officers and investigators employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor
    19990H0776B0826                  - 4 -

     1  Control Board and the parole agents, enforcement officers and
     2  investigators of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole,
     3  Capitol Police officers, correction officers employed by the
     4  Department of Corrections, whose principal duty is the care,
     5  custody and control of inmates, psychiatric security aides
     6  employed by the Department of Public Welfare and the Department
     7  of Corrections whose principal duty is the care, custody, and
     8  control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of the
     9  Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the
    10  enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special agents
    11  of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the
    12  enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth, forest
    13  fire specialist supervisors employed by the Bureau of Forestry
    14  in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, members
    15  of the Delaware River Port Authority Police and salaried
    16  policemen and firemen who have served for four consecutive years
    17  or longer, diseases of the heart and tuberculosis of the
    18  respiratory system, contracted or incurred by any of them after
    19  four years of continuous service as such, and caused by extreme
    20  overexertion in times of stress or danger or by exposure to
    21  heat, smoke, fumes or gases, arising directly out of the
    22  employment of any such member of the State Police Force,
    23  enforcement officer, investigator employed by the Pennsylvania
    24  Liquor Control Board, guard or enforcement officer employed by
    25  the Department of Corrections or parole agent, enforcement
    26  officer or investigator of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation
    27  and Parole, Capitol Police officers, correction officers
    28  employed by the Department of Corrections whose principal duty
    29  is the care, custody and control of inmates, psychiatric
    30  security aides employed by the Department of Public Welfare and
    19990H0776B0826                  - 5 -

     1  the Department of Corrections whose principal duty is the care,
     2  custody, and control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement
     3  agents of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is
     4  the enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special
     5  agents of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is
     6  the enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth, forest
     7  fire specialist supervisors employed by the Bureau of Forestry
     8  in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, member
     9  of the Delaware River Port Authority Police, or policeman or
    10  fireman, shall be compensable in accordance with the terms
    11  hereof; and unless any such disability shall be compensable
    12  under the compensation laws as having been caused by accidental
    13  injury, such disability shall be compensable as occupational
    14  disease disabilities are presently compensable under the
    15  compensation laws of this Commonwealth. It shall be presumed
    16  that tuberculosis of the respiratory system contracted or
    17  incurred after four consecutive years of service was contracted
    18  or incurred as a direct result of employment.
    19     (c)  In the case of any person receiving benefits pursuant to
    20  this act, the statutes of limitations set forth in sections
    21  306.1, 315, 413, and 434 of the act of June 2, 1915 (P.L.736,
    22  No.338), known as "The Pennsylvania Workmen's Compensation Act,"
    23  shall not begin to run until the expiration of the receipt of
    24  benefits pursuant to this act.
    25     (d)  All payments herein required to be made by the
    26  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on account of any member of the
    27  State Police Force shall be made from moneys appropriated to the
    28  Pennsylvania State Police, and any payments required to be made
    29  on account of any enforcement officer or investigator employed
    30  by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board shall be from
    19990H0776B0826                  - 6 -

     1  appropriations out of the State Stores Fund, any payments
     2  required to be made on account of any parole agent, enforcement
     3  officer or investigator employed by the Pennsylvania Board of
     4  Probation and Parole shall be from moneys appropriated to the
     5  Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, any payments
     6  required to be made on account of Capitol Police officers shall
     7  be made from moneys appropriated to the Department of General
     8  Services, any payments required to be made on account of any
     9  correction officer shall be made from moneys appropriated to the
    10  Department of Corrections, any payments required to be made on
    11  account of any psychiatric security aides shall be made from
    12  moneys appropriated to the Department of Public Welfare or the
    13  Department of Corrections where appropriate, [and] any payments
    14  required to be made on account of any drug enforcement agent or
    15  special agents shall be made from moneys appropriated to the
    16  Office of Attorney General; and any payments required to be made
    17  on account of any forest fire specialist supervisor employed by
    18  the Bureau of Forestry in the Department of Conservation and
    19  Natural Resources shall be made from moneys appropriated to the
    20  Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
    21     Section 2.  This act shall take effect immediately.






    A19L44DMS/19990H0776B0826        - 7 -