Pennsylvania Act 2023-37 — MUNICIPALITIES (53 PA.C.S.) - POWERS AND DUTIES OF COMMISSION

Act text

Session of 2023

No. 2023-37

HB 863

AN ACT

Amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in employees, further providing for powers and duties of commission.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 2164(8) of Title 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:

§ 2164. Powers and duties of commission.

The powers and duties of the commission shall be as follows:

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(8) To require minimum standards for physical fitness, psychological evaluation and education as prerequisites to employment as a police officer. The following shall apply:

(i) The minimum physical fitness standards for a school located in a city of the first class shall require an applicant for certification to score no lower than the 30th percentile of the Cooper standards, which coincides with the 30th percentile of the general population, for each required evaluation to be eligible for employment as a police officer. A school may not enroll an individual into a recruit training program certified by the commission unless the individual has obtained a score in the 15th percentile or higher for the individual's age and gender as specified in the Cooper standards for each required evaluation.

(ii) Subparagraph (i) shall expire five years after the effective date of this subparagraph.

(iii) The minimum education standards shall include a demonstration of reading comprehension through the use of a reading comprehension test approved by the commission. The commission shall:

(A) Immediately approve two reading comprehension tests.

(B) Evaluate additional reading comprehension tests that are submitted by a school or that otherwise come to the attention of the commission for review.

(C) Provide notice of a list of approved reading comprehension tests by:

(I) Transmitting notice of the list to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

(II) Posting the list on the publicly accessible Internet website of the commission.

(iv) Within 12 months of the effective date of this subparagraph, the Joint State Government Commission shall issue a report to the General Assembly on the impact that the current minimum standards for physical fitness, psychological evaluation and education prerequisites to employment as a police officer may or may not have on recruitment, education and training of individuals to serve as police officers in jurisdictions across this Commonwealth. This subparagraph shall expire upon transmission of the report to the General Assembly. The Joint State Government Commission shall provide notice to the Legislative Reference Bureau that the report has been sent to the General Assembly under this subparagraph.

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Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

APPROVED--The 14th day of December, A.D. 2023.

JOSH SHAPIRO