PRINTER'S NO. 325
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
358
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY R. MACKENZIE, M. BROWN, CONKLIN, GILLEN, HAMM,
M. MACKENZIE, NEILSON, ROWE, SIEGEL AND ZIMMERMAN,
MARCH 14, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, MARCH 14, 2023
AN ACT
Providing for Keystone First Responder Award.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Keystone
First Responder Award Act.
Section 2. Award.
(a) Award.--The award shall consist of a plaque and a medal.
(b) Presentation.--The Governor or the Governor's designee
shall present a Keystone First Responder Award to each recipient
or surviving next of kin during a public ceremony held on, or as
near as practicable to, September 11 of each year.
(c) Committee.--The Keystone First Responder Award shall be
administered by a committee, which shall consist of:
(1) The State Fire Commissioner.
(2) The Director of the Pennsylvania Emergency
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Management Agency.
(3) The Director of the Bureau of Emergency Medical
Services within the Department of Health.
(4) The Secretary of General Services.
(5) The Commissioner of Pennsylvania State Police.
(6) The President of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police
Association.
(d) Choice of recipients.--The Governor shall choose, in
consultation with the committee, the recipients of the Keystone
First Responder Award for each year.
Section 3. First responder recipient.
(a) Recipient.--A Keystone First Responder Award shall be
awarded to:
(1) a first responder who suffers a career-ending injury
in the line of duty;
(2) the surviving next of kin of a first responder who
is killed or sustains a fatal injury in the line of duty;
(3) a Federal first responder or special agent who
suffers a career-ending injury in the line of duty assisting
a State or local law enforcement agency in this Commonwealth;
or
(4) the surviving next of kin of a Federal first
responder or special agent who sustains a fatal injury while
assisting a State or local law enforcement agency in this
Commonwealth.
(b) Submission of information to committee.--Any individual
who has personal knowledge of a first responder who was killed
or suffered a career-ending injury in the line of duty, or a
Federal first responder or special agent who was killed or
suffered a career-ending injury assisting a State or local law
20230HB0358PN0325 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
enforcement agency in this Commonwealth, may submit that
information in writing to the committee.
(c) Rules and guidelines.--The committee shall establish
rules and guidelines for its operations, for the execution of
this act and for the submission of information under subsection
(b).
(d) Eligibility.--In order for a first responder to be
eligible for the award under this act, a first responder must
have been killed or suffered a career-ending injury while
actively responding to an emergency. The committee shall
determine whether or not a submission under subsection (b) is
eligible for consideration.
(e) Construction.--Nothing in this act shall be construed to
have any bearing on:
(1) the act of June 2, 1915 (P.L.736, No.338), known as
the Workers' Compensation Act;
(2) the act of June 28, 1935 (P.L.477, No.193), referred
to as the Enforcement Officer Disability Benefits Law;
(3) the act of June 24, 1976 (P.L.424, No.101), referred
to as the Emergency and Law Enforcement Personnel Death
Benefits Act; or
(4) any other determination of benefits.
(f) Purpose of award.--The Keystone First Responder Award
shall only be for recognition purposes.
(g) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"First responder." Any of the following:
(1) A current or former member of an emergency medical
services agency, fire company or rescue company.
20230HB0358PN0325 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
(2) A peace officer.
(3) A 911 dispatcher.
(4) A coroner or medical examiner who responds in an
official capacity to an emergency.
(5) A corrections officer.
"Peace officer." As defined in 18 Pa.C.S. ยง 501 (relating to
definitions).
Section 4. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20230HB0358PN0325 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9