HB 675 — An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, providing for firefighting personal protective equipment; and imposing penalties.

PRINTER'S NO.    689

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 675
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY HARKINS, MERSKI, FREEMAN, BRENNAN, HILL-EVANS,
        McNEILL, SANCHEZ, WAXMAN, KHAN, PIELLI, SCHLOSSBERG, STEELE,
        CERRATO, HADDOCK, SCHMITT, GIRAL, GALLAGHER, DEASY AND
        BOROWSKI, FEBRUARY 20, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, FEBRUARY 20, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, providing
 3      for firefighting personal protective equipment; and imposing
 4      penalties.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.    Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 8   Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
 9   § 7390.   Firefighting personal protective equipment.
10      (a)    Prohibition.--Except as provided in subsection (b),
11   beginning January 1, 2028, a person may not distribute,
12   manufacture, offer for sale, produce or sell in this
13   Commonwealth, or for use in this Commonwealth, firefighting
14   personal protective equipment that contains an intentionally
15   added PFAS chemical.
16      (b)    Exception.--The prohibition under subsection (a) shall
17   not apply to the distribution, manufacture, offer, production or
 1   sale of firefighting personal protective equipment if the State
 2   Fire Commissioner has determined that the use of a PFAS chemical
 3   in the firefighting personal protective equipment is unavoidable
 4   and has issued guidance to that effect. The State Fire
 5   Commissioner shall transmit notice of the determination and
 6   guidance to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in
 7   the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
 8      (c)   Enforcement.--The Attorney General shall enforce the
 9   provisions of this section.
10      (d)   Violations.--
11            (1)   For a first violation of this section, a person
12      shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000.
13            (2)   For a second or subsequent violation of this
14      section, a person shall be subject to a civil penalty not to
15      exceed $10,000 for each violation.
16            (3)   All fines or penalties collected under this section
17      shall be transferred as follows:
18                  (i)    50% to the Fire Company Grant Program
19            established under section 7811 (relating to
20            establishment).
21                  (ii)    50% to the Emergency Medical Services Grant
22            Program established under section 7821 (relating to
23            establishment).
24      (e)   Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
25   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
26   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
27      "Firefighting personal protective equipment."       Any items or
28   clothing designed, intended or marketed to be worn by
29   firefighting personnel in the performance of their duties during
30   fire and rescue activities, including jackets, pants, shoes,

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1   gloves, helmets and respiratory equipment.
2      "PFAS chemical."   A fluorinated organic chemical that
3   contains any member of the class of fluorinated organic
4   chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom,
5   including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
6      Section 2.   This act shall take effect immediately.




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