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House approves change to workers' compensation to cover volunteers injured at fundraisers
Summary
The House passed HB 2087 to explicitly extend workers' compensation coverage to volunteer firefighters and EMTs injured while engaged in fundraising activities; the bill passed overwhelmingly and supporters cited gaps in prior case law.
The Pennsylvania House passed House Bill 2087 to amend the Workers' Compensation Act so volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians are expressly covered if injured while participating in organized fundraising activities.
Representative Freeman, who sponsored the measure on the floor, said courts and prior litigation revealed gaps in coverage when volunteers were injured while performing fundraising tasks and that the bill "cleans up the uncertainty in the current law and guarantees that firefighters and EMS workers will be covered if they are injured while in the process of working a fundraising activity." He cited an originating resolution from the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors and support from local associations.
The House recorded yays of 199 and nays of 2 on final passage. The measure had been reported favorably from the House Local Government Committee (25–1) prior to floor action.
The bill will be returned to the Senate for concurrence as part of the legislative process.
