Representative David Byrd: District 71 Capitol Hill Update

Federal Law Enforcement Officers / Personal Information – Public Chapter 253 protects federal law enforcement officers and their families by providing confidentiality regarding certain personal information. This law already exists for state law enforcement officers to protect them from criminals who would harass or harm them or their families in act of revenge for work done in the line of duty.

Retired Law Enforcement Officers – Public Chapter 322 allows a retired law enforcement officers, authorized to carry a firearm in the same manner as an active one, to provide private security services without completing the firearms training required for private protective services licensing.

Highway Patrol Officers / Retirement – Public Chapter 518 lowers the threshold to 25 years of service to provide full benefits to officers who retire a few years earlier, covering any mandatory retirements.

COVID-19 / First Responders – Public Chapter 142 broadens the legal presumption that HIV or hepatitis C was inflicted on the job for any full-time firefighter, paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or Advanced EMT to include COVID-19. This legislation provides that an infectious disease for which the World Health Organization, federal Center of Disease Control has declared a pandemic would be covered by the presumption because these first responders provide emergency medical aid to the public in the regular course of their employment without the protections available in a typical healthcare setting.

Volunteer Firefighters / Retirement Benefit – Public chapter 655 incentivizes volunteer firefighter recruitment by establishing a retirement system called a Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP). It authorizes the State Treasurer to inquire with local governments and the volunteer fire departments about establishing a LOSAP plan for volunteers providing firefighting and prevention services, emergency medical services and ambulance services.

Volunteer Firefighters / Payment for Training – Public Chapter 478 provides an annual $600 payment upon completion of at least 30 hours of training. In addition, the budget includes $1 million to provide support grants for volunteer firefighter departments under a program set up by legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2019.