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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 1918

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

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
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     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.


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