Legislative Information

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Local 2068:

On behalf of our Executive, I would like to take this opportunity to educate you, the members of this great local, on the issues that your union is lobbying for this year in Richmond . While we continue to take a bi-partisan stance on our issues, this year's General Assembly Session is no different.. we are asking our friends to support our issues.

Here are the following bills that we are lobbying in favor of:

VPFF LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Bill Number: House Bill - HB1436
Senate Bill - SB329
Sponsors: Delegate David L. Bulova (D)
Senator Frederick M. Quayle (R)
Committee: House - Appropriations
Senate - Finance

Summary: Includes local employees disabled on or after January 1, 1966, in the definition of disabled employee. The bill also provides for a $1 fee to be collected from alarm company operators for each alarm system monitored and a $5 fee to be collected for processes and services in civil proceedings to provide funding to the Line of Duty Health Benefits Trust Fund.

Bill Number: House Bill - HB271
Sponsor: Delegate Paula Miller (D)
Committee: House - Appropriations

Summary: Line of Duty Act.   Amends the definition of "deceased person" to include an individual who suffers a heart attack or stroke during non-routine, stressful, or strenuous law-enforcement situations, fire suppression, rescue, or other such activities and who suffers the heart attack or stroke while engaged in the activity or not later than 24 hours after the activity. The bill also allows for the $100,000 payment to the beneficiary of the deceased to be annually adjusted to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index.

Bill Number: House Bill - HB532
Senate Bill - SB500
Sponsors: Delegate Robert W. Matheison (D)
Senator Ralph S. Northam (D)
Committee: House - Militia, Police, and Public Safety
Senate - General Laws and Technology

Summary: Infectious disease presumption; emergency declaration by Governor.   Authorizes the Governor to declare that a communicable, contagious or infectious disease, or any condition that leads to the disease, is a disease or condition that is covered by the existing infectious disease presumption for firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and certain law-enforcement officers under the Virginia Workers Compensation Act. The presumption currently exists for hepatitis, meningococcal meningitis, tuberculosis, and HIV. Such a declaration may be made after the Board of Health has issued an order for the purpose of suppressing the outbreak of the disease and the Governor has declared a state of emergency due to an outbreak of the disease that poses a danger to the life and health of the public.

Local 2068 members are strongly encouraged to review the bills more extensively while tracking the progress. You can go the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters website at www.VPFF.org for further information.

In Solidarity,
John