HB 237 — 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 title of act, for application and authority for payment and eligibility and amount of benefit and for definitions.

PRINTER'S NO.   1126

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 237
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY CERRATO, O'MARA, MUNROE, GUENST, GIRAL, HILL-
        EVANS, MAYES, HOWARD, McNEILL, PROBST, SANCHEZ, BOROWSKI,
        SCOTT, GALLAGHER, KHAN, DALEY, DONAHUE, STEELE, WARREN,
        DEASY, DOUGHERTY, WHITE AND CONKLIN, MARCH 25, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, MARCH 25, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of June 24, 1976 (P.L.424, No.101), entitled
 2      "An act providing for the payment of death benefits to the
 3      surviving spouse or children or parents of firefighters,
 4      ambulance service or rescue squad members, law enforcement
 5      officers or National Guard members who die as a result of the
 6      performance of their duties," further providing for title of
 7      act, for application and authority for payment and
 8      eligibility and amount of benefit and for definitions.
 9      This act may be referred to as Bryan's Law.
10      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11   hereby enacts as follows:
12      Section 1.    The title of the act of June 24, 1976 (P.L.424,
13   No.101), referred to as the Emergency and Law Enforcement
14   Personnel Death Benefits Act, is amended to read:
15                                  AN ACT
16   Providing for the payment of death benefits to [the surviving
17      spouse or children or parents of] firefighters, ambulance
18      service or rescue squad members, law enforcement officers
19      [or], National Guard members [who die] or a surviving spouse,
 1      children or parents after death or suicide as a result of the
 2      performance of [their] the firefighters', ambulance service
 3      or rescue squad members', law enforcement officers' or
 4      National Guard members' duties.
 5      Section 2.   Section 1 of the act is amended by adding a
 6   subsection to read:
 7      Section 1.   * * *
 8      (a.2)   A firefighter, ambulance service or rescue squad
 9   member, law enforcement officer, certified hazardous material
10   response team member, member of the Pennsylvania Civil Air
11   Patrol or National Guard member shall be presumed to have died
12   as the direct and proximate result of a personal injury
13   sustained in the line of duty if one of the following apply:
14      (1)   The individual died while influenced by a diagnosed
15   psychiatric disorder due to on-duty exposure to one or more
16   traumatic events.
17      (2)   The individual acted within 45 days of the end of an
18   exposure to a traumatic event while in the line of duty and
19   brought about the individual's death while influenced by an
20   undiagnosed psychiatric disorder.
21      * * *
22      Section 3.   Section 2 of the act is amended by adding
23   definitions to read:
24      Section 2.   The following words and phrases when used in this
25   act shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless
26   the context clearly indicates otherwise:
27      * * *
28      "Personal injury sustained in the line of duty" means at
29   least one of the following:
30      (1)   A post-traumatic stress injury, acute stress disorder or

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 1   trauma and stress related disorder diagnosed by a licensed
 2   medical or mental health professional due to on-duty exposure to
 3   one or more traumatic events and where the exposure was a
 4   substantial factor in the diagnosis of the disorder.
 5      (2)   A post-traumatic stress injury, acute stress disorder or
 6   trauma and stress related disorder suffered by an individual who
 7   has contacted or attempted to contact the employee assistance
 8   program of the agency or entity that the individual serves, a
 9   licensed medical or mental health professional, suicide
10   prevention services or another mental health assistance service
11   in order to receive help, treatment or diagnosis for post-
12   traumatic stress injury or acute stress disorder due to exposure
13   while in the line of duty.
14      (3)   An undiagnosed post-traumatic stress injury, acute
15   stress disorder or trauma and stress related disorder suffered
16   in the line of duty while exposed to one or more traumatic
17   events if the exposure is discovered to have been a substantial
18   factor in the personal injury.
19      "Post-traumatic stress injury" means as defined in 35 Pa.C.S.
20   § 75A01 (relating to definitions).
21      * * *
22      "Traumatic event" means an incident or exposure:
23      (1)   resulting in serious bodily injury or death to an
24   individual;
25      (2)   involving a minor who has been injured, killed, abused
26   or exploited;
27      (3)   involving an immediate threat to the life of the
28   claimant or another individual;
29      (4)   involving mass casualties; or
30      (5)   responding to crime scenes for investigations.

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 1      Section 4.   Section 3 of the act is amended to read:
 2      Section 3.   This act shall take effect immediately and its
 3   provisions shall be retroactive to January 1, [1976] 2019, and
 4   shall be applicable to the deaths of all firefighters, ambulance
 5   service or rescue squad members and law enforcement personnel
 6   [dying] sustaining a personal injury resulting in death on and
 7   after said date as the direct result of injuries sustained in
 8   the performance of their duties, regardless of the date when
 9   such injuries occurred.
10      Section 5.   The addition of section 1(a.2) and the
11   definitions of "personal injury sustained in the line of duty"
12   and "traumatic event" in section 2 of the act shall apply to all
13   claims for benefits under the act arising on or after January 1,
14   2019.
15      Section 6.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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