SENATE AMENDED
PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 839, 2105, 2285
PRINTER'S NO. 2410
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
863
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY D. WILLIAMS, KINSEY, MADDEN, SANCHEZ, GREEN AND
CEPHAS, APRIL 10, 2023
SENATOR REGAN, LAW AND JUSTICE, IN SENATE, AS AMENDED,
DECEMBER 11, 2023
AN ACT
Amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in employees, further providing for
powers and duties of commission.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 2164(8) of Title 53 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
§ 2164. Powers and duties of commission.
The powers and duties of the commission shall be as follows:
* * *
(8) To require minimum standards for physical fitness,
psychological evaluation and education as prerequisites to
employment as a police officer. The following shall apply:
(i) The minimum physical fitness standards FOR A
SCHOOL LOCATED IN A CITY OF THE FIRST CLASS shall require
an applicant for certification to score no lower than the
30th percentile of the Cooper standards, which coincides
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with the 30th percentile of the general population, for
each required evaluation to be eligible for employment as
a police officer. A school may not enroll an individual
into a recruit training program certified by the
commission unless the individual has obtained a score in
the 15th percentile or higher for the individual's age
and gender as specified in the Cooper standards for each
required evaluation.
(ii) The minimum educational standards shall require
an applicant to demonstrate reading comprehension through
a reading comprehension test approved by the commission .
Local jurisdictions may submit reading comprehension
tests to the commission for consideration. The commission
shall transmit notice of approved reading comprehension
tests to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication
in the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin
and on the commission's publicly accessible Internet
website. SUBPARAGRAPH (I) SHALL EXPIRE FIVE YEARS AFTER
THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBPARAGRAPH.
(III) THE MINIMUM EDUCATION STANDARDS SHALL INCLUDE
A DEMONSTRATION OF READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH THE USE
OF A READING COMPREHENSION TEST APPROVED BY THE
COMMISSION. THE COMMISSION SHALL:
(A) IMMEDIATELY APPROVE TWO READING
COMPREHENSION TESTS.
(B) EVALUATE ADDITIONAL READING COMPREHENSION
TESTS THAT ARE SUBMITTED BY A SCHOOL OR THAT
OTHERWISE COME TO THE ATTENTION OF THE COMMISSION FOR
REVIEW.
(C) PROVIDE NOTICE OF A LIST OF APPROVED READING
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COMPREHENSION TESTS BY:
(I) TRANSMITTING NOTICE OF THE LIST TO THE
LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU FOR PUBLICATION IN
THE NEXT AVAILABLE ISSUE OF THE PENNSYLVANIA
BULLETIN.
(II) POSTING THE LIST ON THE PUBLICLY
ACCESSIBLE INTERNET WEBSITE OF THE COMMISSION.
(IV) WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS
SUBPARAGRAPH, THE JOINT STATE GOVERNMENT COMMISSION SHALL
ISSUE A REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE IMPACT THAT
THE CURRENT MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR PHYSICAL FITNESS,
PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION AND EDUCATION PREREQUISITES TO
EMPLOYMENT AS A POLICE OFFICER MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE ON
RECRUITMENT, EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF INDIVIDUALS TO
SERVE AS POLICE OFFICERS IN JURISDICTIONS ACROSS THIS
COMMONWEALTH. THIS SUBPARAGRAPH SHALL EXPIRE UPON
TRANSMISSION OF THE REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. THE
JOINT STATE GOVERNMENT COMMISSION SHALL PROVIDE NOTICE TO
THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU THAT THE REPORT HAS BEEN
SENT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY UNDER THIS SUBPARAGRAPH.
* * *
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days
IMMEDIATELY.
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