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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 21, 2015 10:28 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Patrick J. Harkins |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Request for Co-sponsorship: Providing Benefits for County Prison Employees under the Heart and Lung Act |
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation amending the Enforcement Officers Disability Benefits Law (Heart and Lung Act). This legislation will extend coverage under the act to county prison employees responsible for the care, custody and control of inmates. Recently, I received correspondence from a county correctional officer in Erie County. The officer shared that county prison employees face the same risk of assault by inmates as do employees of state correctional facilities. These encounters can result in injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening. In fact, one corrections officer in Crawford County lost his life at the hands of a county prison inmate in 2011. Yet, these employees are without the financial support afforded their colleagues in state correctional facilities. Often, it is the perception of the public that county prison employees only deal with minor criminals. This is not the case, as all offenders are first directed to county prisons to await trail prior to transfer to state correctional facilities. Consequently, these employees engage daily with individuals accused of offenses ranging from minor assault to murder. Those working to ensure the safety of inmates deserve our backing. When county prison employees encounter the same potential for injury on the job as their colleagues in state facilities, they must be afforded the same financial support. I hope will you join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. |