HB 658 — An Act amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in employees, providing for temporary police assistance in certain cities and townships.

PRINTER'S NO.   667

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 658
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY SOLOMON, SANCHEZ, BRENNAN, GIRAL, BURGOS, KHAN,
        PIELLI, BOROWSKI, HILL-EVANS, GALLAGHER, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ,
        ZIMMERMAN, CERRATO AND GREEN, FEBRUARY 20, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 20, 2025


                                     AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in employees, providing for temporary
 3      police assistance in certain cities and townships.
 4      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5   hereby enacts as follows:
 6      Section 1.    Chapter 21 of Title 53 of the Pennsylvania
 7   Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a subchapter to read:
 8                                SUBCHAPTER F
 9                        TEMPORARY POLICE ASSISTANCE
10                      IN CERTAIN CITIES AND TOWNSHIPS
11   Sec.
12   2191.   Definitions.
13   2192.   Retired police officer program.
14   § 2191.   Definitions.
15      The following words and phrases when used in this subchapter
16   shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
17   context clearly indicates otherwise:
18      "Municipality."     A city of the first class or a township of
 1   the first class.
 2      "Police department."     A public agency of a municipality
 3   having general police powers and charged with making arrests in
 4   connection with the enforcement of the criminal or traffic laws.
 5      "Police officer."     A full-time or part-time employee assigned
 6   to criminal or traffic law enforcement duties of a police
 7   department.
 8      "Program."     A program for retired police officers established
 9   under section 2192(a) (relating to retired police officer
10   program).
11   § 2192.    Retired police officer program.
12      (a)     Establishment.--Within one year of the effective date of
13   this subsection, a police department may establish a program for
14   retired police officers to return to work for the police
15   department for a period of not more than five years.
16      (b)     Standards.--For a retired police officer to return to
17   work for a police department under a program, the retired police
18   officer:
19             (1)   May not have any record of unacceptable behavior or
20      disciplinary action as an active police officer.
21             (2)   Shall complete the training established under
22      subsection (c).
23      (c)     Training.--The Municipal Police Officers' Education and
24   Training Commission shall establish an eight-week training
25   program for retired police officers returning to work for a
26   police department under a program.
27      (d)     Retirement benefit implications.--
28             (1)   Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2), a
29      retired police officer's participation in a program shall not
30      affect any benefits received from a municipal retirement

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 1      system.
 2            (2)   Prior to a retired police officer's participation in
 3      a program, the police officer must irrevocably elect, in a
 4      writing filed with the municipality that established the
 5      program or a designee of the municipality, to:
 6                  (i)    continue receipt of the police officer's early
 7            or superannuation retirement pension benefits; or
 8                  (ii)    discontinue the police officer's early or
 9            superannuation retirement pension benefits while the
10            police officer participates in the program.
11            (3)   A retired police officer who participates in a
12      program shall receive credited service for the work based on
13      the duration of time and compensation received while
14      participating in the program, and the credited service shall
15      be applied to the retirement benefits due the police officer
16      in accordance with the retirement plan of the municipality.
17      (e)   Expiration.--Each program shall expire six years after
18   the effective date of subsection (a).
19      (f)   Applicability.--This section shall only apply to police
20   officers who retire prior to the effective date of this
21   subsection.
22      Section 2.        This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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