PRINTER'S NO. 1341
No. 1159 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY SURRA, BELARDI, LESCOVITZ, GRUCELA, M. COHEN, WOJNAROSKI, McCALL, LAUGHLIN, SOLOBAY, HALUSKA, McILHATTAN, BELFANTI, WALKO, FEESE, SHANER, TRELLO, HUTCHINSON, LEVDANSKY, YOUNGBLOOD, MARKOSEK, PISTELLA, WILT, PETRARCA, STEELMAN, CAPPABIANCA, STABACK, McGILL, SCRIMENTI, DALEY, FRANKEL AND HARHAI, MARCH 23, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, MARCH 23, 2001
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 wildlife conservation officers of the Pennsylvania Game 26 Commission. 27 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 28 hereby enacts as follows:
1 Section 1. The title and section 1 of the act of June 28, 2 1935 (P.L.477, No.193), referred to as the Enforcement Officer 3 Disability Benefits Law, amended December 19, 1996 (P.L.1438 4 No.183), are amended to read: 5 AN ACT 6 Providing for the payment of the salary, medical and hospital 7 expenses of members of the State Police Force, of the 8 enforcement officers and investigators employed by the 9 Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and the parole agents, 10 enforcement officers and investigators of the Pennsylvania 11 Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police officers, 12 correction officers employed by the Department of Corrections 13 whose principal duty is the care, custody and control of 14 inmates, psychiatric security aides employed by the 15 Department of Public Welfare and the Department of 16 Corrections whose principal duty is the care, custody, and 17 control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of 18 the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is the 19 enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special 20 agents of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty 21 is the enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth, 22 wildlife conservation officers of the Pennsylvania Game 23 Commission, members of the Delaware River Port Authority 24 Police and of policemen, firemen and park guards by the 25 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Delaware River Port 26 Authority, counties, cities, boroughs, towns and townships, 27 who are injured or contract certain diseases in the 28 performance of their duty; and providing that absence during 29 such injury shall not reduce any usual sick leave period. 30 Section 1. (a) Be it enacted, &c., That any member of the 20010H1159B1341 - 2 -
1 State Police Force, any enforcement officer or investigator 2 employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and the 3 parole agents, enforcement officers and investigators of the 4 Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police 5 officers, correction officers employed by the Department of 6 Corrections, whose principal duty is the care, custody and 7 control of inmates, psychiatric security aides employed by the 8 Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Corrections, 9 whose principal duty is the care, custody, and control of the 10 criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of the Office of 11 Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the 12 drug laws of the Commonwealth, special agents of the Office of 13 Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the 14 criminal laws of the Commonwealth, wildlife conservation 15 officers of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, any member of the 16 Delaware River Port Authority Police or any policeman, fireman 17 or park guard of any county, city, borough, town or township, 18 who is injured in the performance of his duties including, in 19 the case of firemen, duty as special fire police, and by reason 20 thereof is temporarily incapacitated from performing his duties, 21 shall be paid by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania if a member of 22 the State Police Force or an enforcement officer or investigator 23 employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board or the parole 24 agents, enforcement officers and investigators of the 25 Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police 26 officers, correction officers employed by the Department of 27 Corrections, whose principal duty is the care, custody and 28 control of inmates, psychiatric security aides employed by the 29 Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Corrections, 30 whose principal duty is the care, custody, and control of the 20010H1159B1341 - 3 -
1 criminally insane, drug enforcement agents of the Office of 2 Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the 3 drug laws of the Commonwealth, special agents of the Office of 4 Attorney General whose principal duty is the enforcement of the 5 criminal laws of the Commonwealth, wildlife conservation 6 officers of the Pennsylvania Game Commission or by the Delaware 7 River Port Authority if a member of the Delaware River Port 8 Authority Police or by the county, township or municipality, by 9 which he is employed, his full rate of salary, as fixed by 10 ordinance or resolution, until the disability arising therefrom 11 has ceased. All medical and hospital bills, incurred in 12 connection with any such injury, shall be paid by the 13 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or by the Delaware River Port 14 Authority or by such county, township or municipality. During 15 the time salary for temporary incapacity shall be paid by the 16 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or by the Delaware River Port 17 Authority or by the county, city, borough, town or township, any 18 workmen's compensation, received or collected by any such 19 employe for such period, shall be turned over to the 20 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or to the Delaware River Port 21 Authority or to such county, city, borough, town or township, 22 and paid into the treasury thereof, and if such payment shall 23 not be so made by the employe the amount so due the Commonwealth 24 of Pennsylvania, the Delaware River Port Authority or the 25 county, city, borough, town or township shall be deducted from 26 any salary then or thereafter becoming due and owing. 27 (b) In the case of the State Police Force, enforcement 28 officers and investigators employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor 29 Control Board and the parole agents, enforcement officers and 30 investigators of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 20010H1159B1341 - 4 -
1 Capitol Police officers, correction officers employed by the 2 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, wildlife 11 conservation officers of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, 12 members of the Delaware River Port Authority Police and salaried 13 policemen and firemen who have served for four consecutive years 14 or longer, diseases of the heart and tuberculosis of the 15 respiratory system, contracted or incurred by any of them after 16 four years of continuous service as such, and caused by extreme 17 overexertion in times of stress or danger or by exposure to 18 heat, smoke, fumes or gases, arising directly out of the 19 employment of any such member of the State Police Force, 20 enforcement officer, investigator employed by the Pennsylvania 21 Liquor Control Board, guard or enforcement officer employed by 22 the Department of Corrections or parole agent, enforcement 23 officer or investigator of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation 24 and Parole, Capitol Police officers, correction officers 25 employed by the Department of Corrections whose principal duty 26 is the care, custody and control of inmates, psychiatric 27 security aides employed by the Department of Public Welfare and 28 the Department of Corrections whose principal duty is the care, 29 custody, and control of the criminally insane, drug enforcement 30 agents of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is 20010H1159B1341 - 5 -
1 the enforcement of the drug laws of the Commonwealth, special 2 agents of the Office of Attorney General whose principal duty is 3 the enforcement of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth, 4 wildlife conservation officers of the Pennsylvania Game 5 Commission, member of the Delaware River Port Authority Police, 6 or policeman or fireman, shall be compensable in accordance with 7 the terms hereof; and unless any such disability shall be 8 compensable under the compensation laws as having been caused by 9 accidental injury, such disability shall be compensable as 10 occupational disease disabilities are presently compensable 11 under the compensation laws of this Commonwealth. It shall be 12 presumed that tuberculosis of the respiratory system contracted 13 or incurred after four consecutive years of service was 14 contracted or incurred as a direct result of employment. 15 (c) In the case of any person receiving benefits pursuant to 16 this act, the statutes of limitations set forth in sections 17 306.1, 315, 413, and 434 of the act of June 2, 1915 (P.L.736, 18 No.338), known as "The Pennsylvania Workmen's Compensation Act," 19 shall not begin to run until the expiration of the receipt of 20 benefits pursuant to this act. 21 (d) All payments herein required to be made by the 22 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on account of any member of the 23 State Police Force shall be made from moneys appropriated to the 24 Pennsylvania State Police, and any payments required to be made 25 on account of any enforcement officer or investigator employed 26 by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board shall be from 27 appropriations out of the State Stores Fund, any payments 28 required to be made on account of any parole agent, enforcement 29 officer or investigator employed by the Pennsylvania Board of 30 Probation and Parole shall be from moneys appropriated to the 20010H1159B1341 - 6 -
1 Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, any payments 2 required to be made on account of Capitol Police officers shall 3 be made from moneys appropriated to the Department of General 4 Services, any payments required to be made on account of any 5 correction officer shall be made from moneys appropriated to the 6 Department of Corrections, any payments required to be made on 7 account of any psychiatric security aides shall be made from 8 moneys appropriated to the Department of Public Welfare or the 9 Department of Corrections where appropriate, and any payments 10 required to be made on account of any drug enforcement agent or 11 special agents shall be made from moneys appropriated to the 12 Office of Attorney General. 13 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately. B23L25JLW/20010H1159B1341 - 7 -