PRINTER'S NO. 1918
No. 1574 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY SEYFERT, BENNINGHOFF, GEORGE, SURRA, SHANER, BAKER, STABACK, E. Z. TAYLOR, YOUNGBLOOD, HARHAI, BARRAR, SATHER, LYNCH, J. TAYLOR, PETRARCA, READSHAW, BELFANTI, STEELMAN, WOJNAROSKI, CURRY, SAINATO, THOMAS, TRELLO, WILT, SERAFINI, SCHULER AND MAYERNIK, JUNE 8, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, JUNE 8, 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 county sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, county coroners and 26 deputy coroners and to certain employees of the Bureau of 27 Forestry in the Department of Conservation and Natural 28 Resources. 29 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
1 hereby enacts as follows: 2 Section 1. The title and section 1 of the act of June 28, 3 1935 (P.L.477, No.193), referred to as the Enforcement Officer 4 Disability Benefits Law, amended December 19, 1996 (P.L.1438 5 No.183), are amended to read: 6 AN ACT 7 Providing for the payment of the salary, medical and hospital 8 expenses of members of the State Police Force, of the 9 enforcement officers and investigators employed by the 10 Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and the parole agents, 11 enforcement officers and investigators of the Pennsylvania 12 Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police officers, 13 correction officers employed by the Department of Corrections 14 whose principal duty is the care, custody and control of 15 inmates, psychiatric security aides employed by the 16 Department of Public Welfare and the Department of 17 Corrections whose principal duty is the care, custody, and 18 control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of 19 the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the 20 enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special 21 agents of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty 22 is the enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth, 23 forest fire specialist supervisors employed by the Bureau of 24 Forestry in the Department of Conservation and Natural 25 Resources, members of the Delaware River Port Authority 26 Police and of policemen, county sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, 27 county coroners and deputy coroners, firemen and park guards 28 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Delaware River Port 29 Authority, counties, cities, boroughs, towns and townships, 30 who are injured or contract certain diseases in the 19990H1574B1918 - 2 -
1 performance of their duty; and providing that absence during 2 such injury shall not reduce any usual sick leave period. 3 Section 1. (a) Be it enacted, &c., That any member of the 4 State Police Force, any enforcement officer or investigator 5 employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and the 6 parole 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 the 11 Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Corrections, 12 whose principal duty is the care, custody, and control of the 13 criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of the Office of 14 Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the 15 drug laws of the Commonwealth, special agents of the Office of 16 Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the 17 criminal laws of the Commonwealth, forest fire specialist 18 supervisors employed by the Bureau of Forestry in the Department 19 of Conservation and Natural Resources, any member of the 20 Delaware River Port Authority Police or any policeman, county 21 sheriff or deputy sheriff, county coroner or deputy coroner, 22 fireman or park guard of any county, city, borough, town or 23 township, who is injured in the performance of his duties 24 including, in the case of firemen, duty as special fire police, 25 and by reason thereof is temporarily incapacitated from 26 performing his duties, shall be paid by the Commonwealth of 27 Pennsylvania if a member of the State Police Force or an 28 enforcement officer or investigator employed by the Pennsylvania 29 Liquor Control Board or the parole agents, enforcement officers 30 and investigators of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and 19990H1574B1918 - 3 -
1 Parole, Capitol Police officers, correction officers employed by 2 the Department of Corrections, whose principal duty is the care, 3 custody and control of inmates, psychiatric security aides 4 employed by the Department of Public Welfare and the Department 5 of Corrections, whose principal duty is the care, custody, and 6 control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of the 7 Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the 8 enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special agents 9 of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the 10 enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth, forest 11 fire specialist supervisors employed by the Bureau of Forestry 12 in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or by 13 the Delaware River Port Authority if a member of the Delaware 14 River Port Authority Police or by the county, township or 15 municipality, by which he is employed, his full rate of salary, 16 as fixed by ordinance or resolution, until the disability 17 arising therefrom has ceased. All medical and hospital bills, 18 incurred in connection with any such injury, shall be paid by 19 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or by the Delaware River Port 20 Authority or by such county, township or municipality. During 21 the time salary for temporary incapacity shall be paid by the 22 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or by the Delaware River Port 23 Authority or by the county, city, borough, town or township, any 24 workmen's compensation, received or collected by any such 25 employe for such period, shall be turned over to the 26 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or to the Delaware River Port 27 Authority or to such county, city, borough, town or township, 28 and paid into the treasury thereof, and if such payment shall 29 not be so made by the employe the amount so due the Commonwealth 30 of Pennsylvania, the Delaware River Port Authority or the 19990H1574B1918 - 4 -
1 county, city, borough, town or township shall be deducted from 2 any salary then or thereafter becoming due and owing. 3 (b) In the case of the State Police Force, enforcement 4 officers and investigators employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor 5 Control Board and the parole agents, enforcement officers and 6 investigators of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 7 Capitol Police officers, correction officers employed by the 8 Department of Corrections, whose principal duty is the care, 9 custody and control of inmates, psychiatric security aides 10 employed by the Department of Public Welfare and the Department 11 of Corrections whose principal duty is the care, custody, and 12 control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of the 13 Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the 14 enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special agents 15 of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the 16 enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth, forest 17 fire specialist supervisors employed by the Bureau of Forestry 18 in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, members 19 of the Delaware River Port Authority Police and salaried 20 policemen, county sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, county coroners 21 and deputy coroners and firemen who have served for four 22 consecutive years or longer, diseases of the heart and 23 tuberculosis of the respiratory system, contracted or incurred 24 by any of them after four years of continuous service as such, 25 and caused by extreme overexertion in times of stress or danger 26 or by exposure to heat, smoke, fumes or gases, arising directly 27 out of the employment of any such member of the State Police 28 Force, enforcement officer, investigator employed by the 29 Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, guard or enforcement officer 30 employed by the Department of Corrections or parole agent, 19990H1574B1918 - 5 -
1 enforcement officer or investigator of the Pennsylvania Board of 2 Probation and Parole, Capitol Police officers, correction 3 officers employed by the Department of Corrections whose 4 principal duty is the care, custody and control of inmates, 5 psychiatric security aides employed by the Department of Public 6 Welfare and the Department of Corrections whose principal duty 7 is the care, custody, and control of the criminally insane, drug 8 enforcement agents of the Office of Attorney General whose 9 principal duty is the enforcement of the drug laws of the 10 Commonwealth, special agents of the Office of Attorney General 11 whose principal duty is the enforcement of the criminal laws of 12 the Commonwealth, forest fire specialist supervisors employed by 13 the Bureau of Forestry in the Department of Conservation and 14 Natural Resources, member of the Delaware River Port Authority 15 Police, or policeman, county sheriff or deputy sheriff, county 16 coroner or deputy coroner or fireman, shall be compensable in 17 accordance with the terms hereof; and unless any such disability 18 shall be compensable under the compensation laws as having been 19 caused by accidental injury, such disability shall be 20 compensable as occupational disease disabilities are presently 21 compensable under the compensation laws of this Commonwealth. It 22 shall be presumed that tuberculosis of the respiratory system 23 contracted or incurred after four consecutive years of service 24 was contracted or incurred as a direct result of employment. 25 (c) In the case of any person receiving benefits pursuant to 26 this act, the statutes of limitations set forth in sections 27 306.1, 315, 413, and 434 of the act of June 2, 1915 (P.L.736, 28 No.338), known as "The Pennsylvania Workmen's Compensation Act," 29 shall not begin to run until the expiration of the receipt of 30 benefits pursuant to this act. 19990H1574B1918 - 6 -
1 (d) All payments herein required to be made by the 2 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on account of any member of the 3 State Police Force shall be made from moneys appropriated to the 4 Pennsylvania State Police, and any payments required to be made 5 on account of any enforcement officer or investigator employed 6 by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board shall be from 7 appropriations out of the State Stores Fund, any payments 8 required to be made on account of any parole agent, enforcement 9 officer or investigator employed by the Pennsylvania Board of 10 Probation and Parole shall be from moneys appropriated to the 11 Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, any payments 12 required to be made on account of Capitol Police officers shall 13 be made from moneys appropriated to the Department of General 14 Services, any payments required to be made on account of any 15 correction officer shall be made from moneys appropriated to the 16 Department of Corrections, any payments required to be made on 17 account of any psychiatric security aides shall be made from 18 moneys appropriated to the Department of Public Welfare or the 19 Department of Corrections where appropriate, [and] any payments 20 required to be made on account of any drug enforcement agent or 21 special agents shall be made from moneys appropriated to the 22 Office of Attorney General; and any payments required to be made 23 on account of any forest fire specialist supervisor employed by 24 the Bureau of Forestry in the Department of Conservation and 25 Natural Resources shall be made from moneys appropriated to the 26 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. 27 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately. D21L44BIL/19990H1574B1918 - 7 -