THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY ROSS, KESSLER, GRUCELA, GINGRICH AND FREEMAN, MAY 26, 2009

AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, JUNE 9, 2009   

AN ACT

Amending the act of June 24, 1931 (P.L.1206, No.331), entitled

"An act concerning townships of the first class; amending,

revising, consolidating, and changing the law relating

thereto," further providing for general provisions relating

to examinations, for rejection of applicant and hearing, for

manner of filling appointments, for probation period and for

physical examinations.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 635 of the act of June 24, 1931

(P.L.1206, No.331), known as The First Class Township Code,

reenacted and amended May 27, 1949 (P.L.1955, No.569) and

amended December 4, 1980 (P.L.1101, No.188), is amended to read:

Section 635.  General Provisions Relating to Examinations.--

(a)  The commission shall make rules and regulations to be

approved as provided in section 630 hereof, providing for the

examination of applicants for positions in the police force and

as paid operators of fire apparatus and for promotions, which

rules and regulations shall prescribe the minimum qualifications

of all applicants to be examined and the passing grades. All

examinations for positions or promotions shall be practical in

character and shall relate to such matters and include such

inquiries as will fairly test the merit and fitness of the

persons examined to discharge the duties of the employment

sought by them. All examinations shall be open to all applicants

who have the minimum qualifications required by the rules and

regulations. Each applicant for examination shall:

(1)  be subject to the regulations adopted by the commission

[and shall be required to submit to a physical examination];

(2)  either before or after being admitted to the regular

examination held by the commission, be required to submit to a

physical fitness or agility examination that is job-related and

consistent with business necessity; and

(3)  if made a conditional offer of employment, be given a

physical and psychological medical examination in accordance

with section 643 of this act.

(b)  Public notice of the time and place of every

examination, together with the information as to the kind of

position or place to be filled, shall be given by publication

once in a newspaper of general circulation in the township or in

a newspaper circulating generally in the township at least two

weeks prior to each examination, and a copy of the notice shall

be prominently posted in the office of the commission or other

public place.

(c)  The commission shall post in its office the eligible

list containing the names and grades of those who have passed

the examination. Persons male or female who served in the

military or naval service of the United States during any war in

which the United States has been, is now, or shall hereafter be

engaged and who have honorable discharges from such service, who

have successfully passed the examination, shall be given the

additional credits and preference in appointment and promotion

provided for by law.

Section 2.  Section 637 of the act is amended to read:

Section 637.  Rejection of Applicant; Hearing.--(a)  The

commission may refuse to examine or, if examined, may refuse to

certify after examination as eligible, any applicant who is

found to lack any of the minimum qualifications for examination

prescribed in the rules and regulations adopted for the position

or employment for which he has applied, or who is physically

[disabled and] unfit for the performance of the duties of the

position to which he seeks employment, or who is [addicted to

the habitual use of intoxicating liquors or narcotic drugs] 

illegally using a controlled substance, as defined in section

102 of the Controlled Substances Act (Public Law 91-513, 21

U.S.C. § 802), or who has been guilty of any crime involving

moral turpitude or of infamous or notoriously disgraceful

conduct, or who has been dismissed from public service for

delinquency or misconduct in office, or who is affiliated with

any group whose politics or activities are subversive to the

form of government set forth in the Constitution and laws of the

United States and Pennsylvania.

(b)  If any applicant or person feels himself aggrieved by

the action of the commission in refusing to examine him or to

certify him as eligible after examination, the commission shall,

at the request of such person, within ten (10) days appoint a

time and place where he may appear personally and by counsel.

Whereupon, the commission shall then review its refusal to make

such examination or certification and take such testimony as may

be offered. The decision of the commission shall be final.

Section 3.  Section 638 of the act, amended December 14, 1992

(P.L.864, No.136), is amended to read:

Section 638.  Manner of Filling Appointments.--(a)  At the

completion of the testing process, including any background,

physical agility or other examinations, with the exception of

physical and psychological medical examinations pursuant to

section 643 of this act, the commission shall rank the

candidates who have satisfied the minimum requirements for

appointment on an eligibility list. The eligibility list shall

contain the names of individuals eligible for appointment listed

from highest to lowest based on their scores on the examinations

administered by the commission and any points for which the

applicant was entitled by virtue of 51 Pa.C.S. Ch. 71 (relating

to veterans' preference). The eligibility list will be valid for

one year from the date the commission ranks all passing

applicants, assigns veterans' preference points and formally

adopts the eligibility list. The commission may, at its sole

discretion before the original expiration date, by a vote of the

majority of the commission at a duly authorized commission

meeting, extend the list for up to an additional twelve months.

In the absence of a lawful extension by the commission, the list

shall expire. The commission may, at its sole discretion, void

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an eligibility list at any time for any reason so long as the

voiding of the list is not designed to circumvent this act.

(b)  Every position or employment in the police force or as

paid operators of fire apparatus except that of chief of police

or chief of the fire department or equivalent shall be filled

only in the following manner: the township commissioners shall

notify the commission of any vacancy which is to be filled and

shall request the certification of a list of eligibles. The

commission shall certify for each existing vacancy from the

eligible list the names of three persons thereon who have

received the highest average. The township commissioners shall,

thereupon, with sole reference to the merits and fitness of the

candidates, make [an] a conditional appointment from the three

names certified unless they make objections to the commission as

to one or more of the persons so certified for any of the

reasons stated in section 637 of this subdivision. Should such

objections be sustained by the commission, as provided in said

section, or if the conditional appointee is determined to be

unqualified in accordance with the procedures set forth in

section 643 of this act, the commission shall thereupon strike

the name of such person from the eligible list and certify the

next highest name for each name stricken off. As each subsequent

vacancy occurs in the same or another position, precisely the

same procedure shall be followed.

(c)  A vacancy in an existing position in the police force or

as a paid operator of fire apparatus which occurs as a result of

retirement, resignation, disability or death may be filled by

the township commissioners by the reappointment or reinstatement

of a former employe of the police force or fire department who

had previously complied with the provisions of this section. No

examination, other than a physical examination as directed by

the Civil Service Commission, shall be required in a case of

reappointment or reinstatement to the force or department with

which the employe previously served, except at the discretion of

the township commissioners or as otherwise required by law.

(d)  In the case of a vacancy in the office of chief of

police or chief of the fire department or equivalent official,

the township commissioners may nominate a person to the

commission. It shall thereupon become the duty of the commission

to subject such person to a non-competitive examination and if

such person shall be certified by the commission as qualified he

may then be appointed to such position and thereafter shall be

subject to all the provisions of this subdivision.

Section 4.  Section 640 of the act, amended May 17, 1972

(P.L.293, No.72), is amended to read:

Section 640.  Probation Period.--All original appointments to

any position in the police force or as paid operators of fire

apparatus shall be for a probationary period of not less than

six months and not more than one year, but during the

probationary period an appointee may be dismissed only for a

cause specified in [subdivision 637 of this subsection.] section

637 of this act or because of incapacity for duty due to the use

of alcohol or drugs. If at the close of a probationary period

the conduct or fitness of the probationer has not been

satisfactory to the township commissioners, the probationer

shall be notified in writing that he will not receive a

permanent appointment. Thereupon, his appointment shall cease;

otherwise, his retention shall be equivalent to a permanent

appointment.

Section 5.  Section 643 of the act, amended December 4, 1980

(P.L.1101, No.188), is amended to read:

Section 643.  Physical and Psychological Medical 

Examinations.--[All applicants for examination shall undergo a

physical examination as provided in section 635 which shall be

conducted under the supervision of a doctor of medicine

appointed by the commission. No person shall be eligible for

appointment until said doctor certifies that the applicant is

free from any bodily or mental defects, deformity or disease

that might incapacitate him from the discharge of the duties of

the position desired.] (a)  An applicant selected from the

eligibility list shall receive a conditional offer of

employment. The offer of employment shall be conditioned upon

the conditional employee undergoing a physical and psychological

medical examination and a determination that the conditional

employee is capable of performing all the essential functions of

the position. Physical medical examinations shall be under the

direction of a physician or other qualified medical

professional. Psychological medical examinations shall be under

the direction of a psychiatrist or psychologist.

(b)  The physician or other qualified medical professional

and the psychiatrist or psychologist shall be appointed by the

township commissioners and shall render an opinion as to whether

the conditional appointee has a physical or mental condition

which calls into question his or her ability to perform all of

the essential functions of the position for which he or she was

conditionally appointed.

(c)  If the opinion rendered by the medical examiner calls

into question the conditional appointee's ability to perform all

essential functions of a position, a person or persons

designated by the township commissioners shall meet with the

conditional appointee for the purpose of having one or more

interactive discussions focused on the issue of whether the

conditional appointee can, with or without reasonable

accommodation, perform all the essential functions of the

position.

(d)  If, at the conclusion of the interactive discussion

process, the township commissioners determine that the

conditional appointee is not qualified, the township

commissioners shall give written notice to the conditional

appointee and the Civil Service Commission.

(e)  Nothing in this act shall be construed as authorizing

physical or psychological medical examinations prior to

conditional appointment.

(f)  As used in this section, the term "medical examination"

shall mean any examination, procedure, inquiry or test designed

to obtain information about medical history or a physical or

mental condition which might disqualify an applicant if it would

prevent the applicant from performing, with or without a

reasonable accommodation, all of the essential functions of the

position.

Section 6.  Nothing contained in the amendment of sections

635, 637, 638, 640 and 643 of the act shall affect the validity

of any civil services appointments made prior to the effective

date of this section.

Section 7.  This act shall take effect immediately.