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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 11, 2017 02:16 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Andrew E. Dinniman |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Adding Campus Police Officers Employed by a State-Owned University, Community College or State-Related College or University into the Heart & Lung Act |
I will soon introduce legislation to add campus police officers employed by a state-owned university, community college or state-related college or university into the coverage of the Heart & Lung Act (Act 193 of 1935). The Heart & Lung Act requires that persons acting in various law enforcement/fire-fighting professions (State Police, PLCB agents, Parole Officers, etc.) receive their full salary if they are off from work because they are temporarily disabled due to an injury in the line of duty. This act provides a higher level of monetary compensation than the Workers Compensation Act (which is 66 and 2/3rds of wages) in recognition of the additional service these professions provide for the safety of our society. University Police not only serve the student population, but also much wider community and respond to calls from the neighborhoods where they work. On November 23, 2016, a Wayne State University police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty while attempting to conduct a pedestrian stop of a wanted subject. On December 8, 2016, a Georgia Southwestern State University Department of Public Safety Officer was shot and killed during a foot pursuit following a domestic disturbance. Campus police officers employed by a state-owned university, community college or state-related college or university engage in a profession that is as beneficial to protecting our citizens as some of the other professions already in the Heart & Lung Act, and should be added into the Act’s coverage. This bill is a companion to Rep Murt’s HB 623. Please join me in sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as SB889