HB 1485 — An Act amending the act of June 24, 1976 (P.L.424, No.101), referred to as the Emergency and Law Enforcement Personnel Death Benefits Act, further providing for death benefits for public works employees, coroners and staff persons and for definitions; and making an editorial change.

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO.

1739 THEPRINTER'S GENERALNO. ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE BILL Session of No.

14852881 2025THE INTRODUCEDGENERAL BYASSEMBLY CIRESI,OF McNEILL,PENNSYLVANIA PROBST,HOUSE SANCHEZ,BILL BRIGGS,Session MADDEN,of McANDREW,No. NEILSON, D.

WILLIAMS,1485 DELLOSO2025 INTRODUCED BY CIRESI, McNEILL, PROBST, SANCHEZ, BRIGGS, MADDEN, FREYTIZ AND BRENNAN,SCOTT, MAY 16, 2025 REFERREDDELLOSO, TOBRENNAN, CEPEDA- AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MAYHOUSE 21,OF 2025REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, FEBRUARY 4, 2026 AN ACT Amending the act of June 24, 1976 (P.L.424, No.101), entitled "An act providing for the payment of death benefits to the surviving spouse or children or parents of firefighters, ambulance service or rescue squad members, law enforcement officers or National Guard members who die as a result of the performance of their duties," further providing for death the benefits FOR PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES, CORONERS AND STAFF <-- PERSONS and for definitions;

The title and section 1(a) introductory paragraph <-- and (1), (a.1), (c) and (e) of the act of June 24, 1976 (P.L.424, No.101), referred to as the Emergency and Law Enforcement Personnel Death Benefits Act, are amended to read:

ANSECTION ACT1. Providing for the payment of death benefits to the surviving spouse or children or parents of firefighters, ambulance service or rescue squad members, law enforcement officers, public works employees or National Guard members who die as a result of the performance of their duties.

THE TITLE AND SECTION 1(A) INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH <-- AND (1), (A.1), (C) AND (D) OF THE ACT OF JUNE 24, 1976 (P.L.424, NO.101), REFERRED TO AS THE EMERGENCY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL DEATH BENEFITS ACT, ARE AMENDED AND THE SECTION IS AMENDED BY ADDING A SUBSECTION TO READ:

AN ACT Providing for the payment of death benefits to the surviving spouse or children or parents of firefighters, ambulance service or rescue squad members, law enforcement officers, public works employees, CORONERS or National Guard members <-- who die as a result of the performance of their duties.

(a) In the event a law enforcement officer, ambulance service or rescue squad member, firefighter, certified hazardous material response team member, member of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol, CORONER, public works employee or <-- National Guard member dies as a result of the performance of his duties, an application, including a certification of death, shall be made to the department within three years of the date of such death by any of the following:

* * * (a.1) A firefighter, ambulance service or rescue squad member, law enforcement officer, certified hazardous material response team member, member of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol, CORONER, public works employee or National Guard member <-- who suffers a fatal heart attack or stroke while on duty or not later than 24 hours after participating in a physical training exercise or responding to an emergency is presumed to have died as a result of the performance of his duties for purposes of this act.

* * * (c) A volunteer ambulance service, certified hazardous material response team or rescue squad member, public works employee or member of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol shall be deemed to be acting in the performance of his duties for the 20250HB1485PN2881 - 2 - purposes of this act going to or directly returning from an emergency which the ambulance service, certified hazardous material response team, rescue squad, public works employee or member of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol attended including travel from and direct return to an ambulance service, certified hazardous material response team, rescue squad, public works 20250HB1485PN1739 - 2 - employee or Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol member's home, place of business or other place where he or she shall have been when he or she received the call or alarm or while participating in drills in which the ambulance service, certified hazardous material response team, rescue squad, municipality, municipal authority or Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol shall have participated or while repairing or doing other work about or on any emergency vehicle or buildings and grounds of the ambulance service, certified hazardous material response team, rescue squad, municipality, municipal authority or Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol upon the authorization of the chief of the ambulance service, certified hazardous material response team, rescue squad, municipality, municipal authority or Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol or other person in charge while answering any emergency calls for any purpose or while riding upon any vehicles which are owned or used by the ambulance service, certified hazardous material response team, rescue squad or Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol.

*(D) *UPON *RECEIPT (e)OF TheSUCH CommonwealthCERTIFICATION, ofTHE PennsylvaniaCOMMONWEALTH shall<-- paySHALL, outFROM ofMONEYS thePAYABLE GeneralOUT FundOF toTHE theGENERAL survivingFUND, spousePAY or,TO ifTHE thereSURVIVING isSPOUSE noOR, survivingIF spouse,THERE theIS minorNO childrenSURVIVING ofSPOUSE, aTO NationalTHE GuardMINOR member,CHILDREN certifiedOF hazardousTHE materialPAID responseFIREFIGHTER, teamAMBULANCE member,SERVICE publicOR worksRESCUE employee,SQUAD memberMEMBER of[OR], theLAW PennsylvaniaENFORCEMENT CivilOFFICER, AirPUBLIC Patrol,WORKS volunteerEMPLOYEE firefighter,OR ambulanceCORONER serviceWHO orDIED rescueAS squadA memberRESULT whoOF diedTHE asPERFORMANCE aOF result20250HB1485PN2881 of- the3 performance- ofHIS hisDUTY dutiesTHE theSUM sumOF of $100,000, adjustedADJUSTED inIN accordanceACCORDANCE withWITH subsectionSUBSECTION (f)(F) ofOF thisTHIS section.SECTION AND AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE MONTHLY SALARY, ADJUSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION (F) OF THIS SECTION, OF THE DECEASED PAID FIREFIGHTER, AMBULANCE SERVICE OR RESCUE SQUAD MEMBER [OR], LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEE OR CORONER, LESS ANY WORKERS' COMPENSATION OR PENSION OR RETIREMENT BENEFITS PAID TO SUCH SURVIVORS, AND SHALL CONTINUE SUCH MONTHLY PAYMENTS UNTIL THERE IS NO ELIGIBLE BENEFICIARY TO RECEIVE THEM.

WhenFOR noTHE spousePURPOSE orOF minorTHIS childrenSUBSECTION, survive,THE theTERM benefit"ELIGIBLE shallBENEFICIARY" beMEANS paidTHE toSURVIVING theSPOUSE parentOR orTHE parentsCHILD ofOR suchCHILDREN NationalUNDER GuardTHE member,AGE certifiedOF hazardousEIGHTEEN materialYEARS responseOR, teamIF member,ATTENDING 20250HB1485PN1739COLLEGE, -UNDER 3THE -AGE publicOF worksTWENTY-THREE employee,YEARS, memberOF ofTHE theFIREFIGHTER, PennsylvaniaAMBULANCE CivilSERVICE AirOR Patrol,RESCUE volunteerSQUAD firefighter,MEMBER ambulance[OR], serviceLAW orENFORCEMENT rescueOFFICER, squadPUBLIC member.WORKS EMPLOYEE OR CORONER WHO DIED AS A RESULT OF THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS DUTY.

WHEN NO SPOUSE OR MINOR CHILDREN SURVIVE, A SINGLE SUM OF $100,000, ADJUSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION (F) OF THIS SECTION, SHALL BE PAID TO THE PARENT OR PARENTS OF SUCH FIREFIGHTER, AMBULANCE SERVICE MEMBER, RESCUE SQUAD MEMBER [OR], LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEE OR CORONER.

* * * (e) The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall pay out of the <-- General Fund to the surviving spouse or, if there is no surviving spouse, the minor children of a National Guard member, certified hazardous material response team member, public works employee, member of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol, volunteer firefighter, ambulance service or rescue squad member who died as a result of the performance of his duties the sum of $100,000, adjusted in accordance with subsection (f) of this section.

When no spouse or minor children survive, the benefit 20250HB1485PN2881 - 4 - shall be paid to the parent or parents of such National Guard member, certified hazardous material response team member, public works employee, member of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol, volunteer firefighter, ambulance service or rescue squad member.

* * * Section(H) 2.A CORONER SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE ACTING IN THE <-- PERFORMANCE OF HIS DUTIES FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS ACT WHEN ACTING IN ACCORDANCE WITH 16 PA.C.S.

SectionCH. 2 of the act is amended by adding a definition to read:

139 (RELATING TO CORONER).

Section 2 of the act is amended by adding a <-- definition DEFINITIONS to read:

<-- Section 2.

* * * "Public"CORONER" worksMEANS employee"AN meansELECTED anOR employeeAPPOINTED ofCORONER aOR municipalityDEPUTY or<-- municipalCORONER authorityOR whoseAN employmentELECTED involvesOR theAPPOINTED care,MEDICAL maintenanceEXAMINER. or construction of municipally owned buildings, open space, parks, parking facilities, waste water treatment systems, water systems, sewers or other property, roads, highways or public infrastructure, and who, as a first responder, or in conjunction with first responders, may respond to emergencies while acting in an official capacity.

SectionTHE 3.TERM INCLUDES A STAFF PERSON OF AN ELECTED OR APPOINTED CORONER OR A STAFF PERSON OF AN ELECTED OR APPOINTED MEDICAL EXAMINER.

* * * "Public works employee" means an employee of a municipality or municipal authority whose employment involves the care, maintenance or construction of municipally owned buildings, open space, parks, parking facilities, waste water treatment systems, 20250HB1485PN2881 - 5 - water systems, sewers or other property, roads, highways or public infrastructure, and who, as a first responder, or in conjunction with first responders, may respond to emergencies while acting in an official capacity.

"STAFF PERSON" MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE CORONER'S OFFICE OR <-- MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE WHO ENGAGES IN ACTIVITIES RELATING TO DEATH INVESTIGATIONS.

THE TERM INCLUDES A MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR, FORENSIC TECHNICIAN, LABORATORY DIRECTOR, FORENSIC SUPERVISOR, FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR, SCIENTIST OR AUTOPSY OR HISTOLOGY TECHNICIAN.

SECTION 3.

SECTION 2.1 OF THE ACT IS AMENDED TO READ:

SECTION 2.1.

THIS ACT SHALL BE BROADLY CONSTRUED TO GRANT BENEFITS TO FIREFIGHTERS, AMBULANCE SERVICE OR RESCUE SQUAD MEMBERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES, CORONERS OR NATIONAL GUARD PERSONNEL FOR DEATHS RELATED TO THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES.

Section 3 4.

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