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 paid to local tax author . . .ity on behalf of surviving spouse, minor children or parents.
HB537 amends Pennsylvania’s Emergency and Law Enforcement Personnel Death Benefits Act to expand the state-paid death benefit for certain public safety and emergency personnel killed in the line of duty. Under the bill, the Commonwealth would pay a local tax authority the amount of property taxes owed on the deceased individual’s primary residence each year for five years after death, or until the home is sold, whichever comes first. The benefit applies to the surviving spouse, or if there is no spouse, to minor children; if neither exists, it would go to the parents of the deceased individual.
The bill covers a broad group of covered personnel, including paid and volunteer firefighters, ambulance service and rescue squad members, law enforcement officers, National Guard members, certified hazardous material response team members, and Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol members. The surviving family member would need to provide the department with the property tax bill to receive the payment. The act would take effect 60 days after enactment.
HB537 would change state law by adding a new subsection to the Emergency and Law Enforcement Personnel Death Benefits Act, creating a specific property-tax relief benefit funded by the General Fund. It shifts the payment mechanism from a general death benefit framework to a direct payment to local tax authorities for the primary residence of eligible deceased personnel, affecting surviving spouses, minor children, and parents who inherit or remain responsible for the home. Local tax authorities, the Department administering the benefit, and the Commonwealth’s General Fund would all be directly affected.
The available record shows no committee transcript, vote tally, or recorded floor debate, so there is no documented public sentiment from discussion or voting history in the provided materials. Based on the bill’s subject matter, it appears designed as a supportive benefit for families of fallen first responders and other covered public safety personnel, which typically draws sympathetic consideration. However, without recorded debate or votes, sentiment cannot be assessed beyond the bill’s protective purpose.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential issues that could arise, though not recorded here, include the cost to the General Fund, the administrative burden of verifying eligibility and property tax amounts, and whether the benefit should extend to all listed categories of personnel or be limited to certain classes. Another possible area of debate is the five-year duration and whether the benefit should continue only while the residence remains in family ownership.