HB 1557 — An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in COVID-19 enforcement officer disability benefits, further providing for enforcement officer disability benefits.

PRINTER'S NO.    1841

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1557
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY DELOZIER, JUNE 4, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, JUNE 4, 2025


                                     AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in COVID-19 enforcement officer
 3      disability benefits, further providing for enforcement
 4      officer disability benefits.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.    Section 57A02 of Title 35 of the Pennsylvania
 8   Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
 9   § 57A02.    Enforcement officer disability benefits.
10      (a)     [General rule] Compensation.--A person covered under
11   section 1(a) of the act of June 28, 1935 (P.L.477, No.193),
12   referred to as the Enforcement Officer Disability Benefits Law,
13   who, during the duration of a declaration of a disaster
14   emergency for COVID-19 declared by the Governor, contracts or is
15   diagnosed with [coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as
16   identified in the proclamation of disaster emergency issued by
17   the Governor on March 6, 2020, published at 50 Pa.B. 1644 (March
18   21, 2020),] COVID-19 or is subject to quarantine resulting from
19   exposure to COVID-19, and by reason thereof is temporarily
 1   incapacitated from performing his duties, shall be compensated
 2   in accordance with section 1(a) of the Enforcement Officer
 3   Disability Benefits Law.
 4      (b)   Limitation.--A benefit received under subsection (a)
 5   shall be limited to 60 days for each incident.
 6      (c)   Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
 7   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
 8   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
 9      "COVID-19."    The coronavirus disease 2019, being an
10   infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome
11   coronavirus 2 that was first identified during December 2019 in
12   Wuhan, China.
13      Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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