Pennsylvania HB 2319: An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in registration of vehicles, further providing for return of registration plate, for person with disability plate and placard and for special plates for recipients of Purple Heart; and, in rules of the road in general, further providing for additional parking regulations.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 3093
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2319
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY RIGBY, BOROWSKI, K. HARRIS, CAUSER AND ROWE,
MARCH 25, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, MARCH 26, 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 title of
act; and adding provisions relating to telecommunicators.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The title of the act of June 24, 1976 (P.L.424,
No.101), referred to as the Emergency and Law Enforcement
Personnel Death Benefits Act, is amended 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,
telecommunicators or National Guard members who die as a
result of the performance of their duties.
Section 2. Section 1(a), (a.1) and (d) of the act are
amended and the section is amended by adding a subsection to
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read:
Section 1. (a) In the event a law enforcement officer,
telecommunicator , ambulance service or rescue squad member,
firefighter, certified hazardous material response team member,
member of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol 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:
(1) A political subdivision.
(2) A Commonwealth agency.
(3) In the case of National Guard members, the Adjutant
General.
(4) In the case of a member of a Commonwealth law
enforcement agency, the agency head.
(5) In the case of a campus police officer, the university
or college president.
(6) Any survivor eligible for payment of benefits under this
act or individual authorized to act on the survivor's behalf.
(7) In the case of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol, the
State Commander.
(a.1) A firefighter, ambulance service or rescue squad
member, law enforcement officer, telecommunicator, certified
hazardous material response team member, member of the
Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol 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.
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* * *
(d) Upon receipt of such certification, the Commonwealth
shall, from moneys payable out of the General Fund, pay to the
surviving spouse or, if there is no surviving spouse, to the
minor children of the paid firefighter, ambulance service or
rescue squad member [or], law enforcement officer or
telecommunicator who died as a result of the performance of his
duty the sum of $100,000, adjusted in accordance with subsection
(f) of this 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 or telecommunicator, 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. For the
purpose of this subsection, the term "eligible beneficiary"
means the surviving spouse or the child or children under the
age of eighteen years or, if attending college, under the age of
twenty-three years, of the firefighter, ambulance service or
rescue squad member [or], law enforcement officer or
telecommunicator 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 or telecommunicator.
* * *
(h) A telecommunicator shall be deemed to be acting in the
performance of his duties for the purposes of this act when
acting in accordance with 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 53 (relating to 911
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emergency communication services).
Section 3. Sections 2 and 2.1 of the act are amended to
read:
Section 2. The following words and phrases when used in this
act shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless
the context clearly indicates otherwis