You asked for brief summaries of acts passed in the last 10 years affecting fire fighters and fire officials.

PA 01-1-An Act Concerning the Certification of Emergency Medical Service Personnel

This act gave emergency medical services (EMS) personnel whose certification expires after December 31, 2000, a 90-day grace period during which they can continue to perform their EMS duties while meeting Department of Public Health (DPH) recertification requirements. The act established three different recertification requirements for EMS personnel whose certification has expired, depending on how much time has passed since their certification lapsed. These apply to emergency medical technicians (EMT), EMT intermediates, medical response technicians, and EMS instructors.

The act also required DPH to adopt regulations for issuing, renewing, reinstating, and recertifying EMS personnel licenses and certifications (effective upon passage).

PA 01-4, June Special Session-An Act Concerning the Implementation of Expenditures for Various State Health Programs and Services and Making Technical and Other Changes to Certain Public Health and Related Statutes

This act specified that paid or volunteer fire fighters or police officers, ski patrol members, lifeguards, conservation officers, patrol officers, special police officers of the Department of Environmental Protection, or emergency medical service personnel trained to use an automatic external defibrillator in accordance with American Red Cross or American Heart Association standards are not subject to additional requirements (except recertification) in order to use such a defibrillator (effective October 1, 2001).

PA 01-80-An Act Enhancing Benefits in the Police Officer and Firefighter's Survivors Benefit Fund and the Municipal Employees' Retirement System

This act made several changes in the Municipal Employees' Retirement Fund B. Specifically, it:

1. reduced the vesting period from 10 to five continuous years;

2. increased the monthly MERF benefit, beginning January 1, 2002, for employees eligible to receive Social Security;

3. allowed employees who take voluntary retirement to begin getting a cost of living adjustment (COLA) on the July 1 after retiring, instead of after turning age 65;

4. changed the COLA percentage and formula for those retiring on or after January 1, 2002 and gave a temporary COLA to those who retire before that date and are not 65 years old; and

5. allowed municipalities to pay employee contributions on a pre-tax basis beginning January 1, 2002.

The act also raised by 20% the monthly benefits from the Policemen and Firemen Survivors' Benefit Fund, which pays benefits to surviving spouses and eligible dependents of municipal police officers and fire fighters (effective October 1, 2001).

PA 01-150-An Act Concerning Natural Resources Programs of the Department of Environmental Protection

This act made the environmental protection commissioner, rather than the state forester, the state forest fire warden. It allowed the state warden to pay fire companies, rather than fire fighters individually, for helping to fight forest fires and authorized him to establish rates for such services and equipment and supplies used. It changed the powers of state forest fire personnel and made several minor and corresponding changes (effective October 1, 2001).

PA 01-192-An Act Concerning the Use of Flashing White Head Lamps, Failure to Yield to Emergency Vehicles, and Duty to Stop for Stopped School Busses

This act allowed any vehicle operated by a volunteer emergency medical technician or member of a volunteer fire department or company to use flashing white headlamps on the way to a medical emergency or fire scene. It increased, from $ 50 to $ 200, the maximum fine for willfully or negligently obstructing or impeding an emergency vehicle responding to an emergency. It also expressly required emergency vehicles to stop at least 10 feet from a school bus displaying flashing red signal lights and to remain there until the lights are turned off (effective October 1, 2001).

SA 01-1, June Special Session-An Act Concerning the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2003, and Making Appropriations Therefor

This act appropriated $ 100,000 of the FY 2000-01 General Fund surplus for the Firefighters Memorial at the Connecticut Fire Academy in Windsor Locks (effective upon passage).

SA 01-2, June Special Session-An Act Concerning the Authorization of Bonds of the State for Capital Improvements and Other Purposes

This act allowed the Department of Public Works to use up to $ 200,000 in infrastructure bond funds to conduct a study of the facilities at the regional fire schools.

The act also gave the Office of Policy and Management up to $ 2,600,000 in grants in aid to buy thermal imaging cameras (effective July 1, 2001).

PA-00-1-An Act Concerning Open Burning

This act specifically allowed for campfires and bonfires to the extent they do not represent a nuisance and do not conflict with other burning restrictions. It eliminated the requirement that the Department of Environmental Protection issue written approval for fires used to control forest fires or to reduce the risk of uncontrolled salt marsh fires (effective upon passage).

PA 00-32-An Act Establishing an Emergency Management Assistance Compact

This act enacted and committed Connecticut to the terms of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which requires member states to provide mutual aid to manage emergencies and disasters declared by the governor of any of the party states (effective October 1, 2000).

PA 00-120-An Act Providing a Property Tax Abatement for Certain Personal Property, Technical Corrections Regarding the Veterans Exemption and Revisions to Requirements of Boards of Assessment Appeals and Establishing a Property Tax Credit Relief Program for Firefighters and Emergency Medical Personnel

This act allowed municipalities to provide property tax exemptions to volunteer emergency service personnel as an alternative to a tax abatement authorized by law. By law, a municipality's legislative body can adopt an ordinance establishing a property tax relief program for volunteer emergency services personnel. Under prior law and this act, the program can provide property tax abatements of up to $ 1,000 per year for residents who are volunteer fire fighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or ambulance drivers. The act eliminated the requirement that the volunteer be a resident of the municipality and allowed the program to provide a property tax exemption as an alternative to the abatement. The maximum exemption is $ 1 million divided by the mill rate (expressed as a whole number per $ 1,000 of assessed value) at the time of the assessment (effective upon passage and applicable to assessment years starting October 1, 1999).

PA 00-167-An Act Concerning the Authorization of Bonds of the State for Capital Improvements and Other Purposes

This act allowed municipalities to spend Local Capital Improvement funds (LoCIP) funds on thermal imaging equipment (effective July 1, 2000).

PA 00-187-Fire Extinguishers in College Dormitories

This act required the state fire marshal and the higher education commissioner to survey college dormitories to learn how many did not have automatic fire extinguishers and report the findings to the Education and Public Safety committees by January 1, 2001 (effective July 1, 2000).

PA 00-192-An Act Concerning Individual Development Accounts, Correctional Facility and Juvenile Detention Center Projects, the Office of Workforce Competitiveness, Payments in Lieu of Taxes, Grant Payments from the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Fund, Waste Water Treatment Grants, an Inflationary Increase for Certain Private Providers, the State-Wide Firearms Trafficking Task Force, Education Technology, Arts Grants, School Accountability, Regional Educational Service Centers Operating One or More Interdistrict Magnet Schools, Land Surveyors, Appraisers, Casino Permits, Caterer Liquor Permits, Home Improvement Contractors, Family and Medical Leave, Competitive Transition Assessments, Vocational Agriculture Centers, Applications for Tax Exemptions, Emergency Relief Grants, and a Deferred Retirement Option Plan for Municipalities Participating in the Municipal Employees Retirement Fund

This act allowed the Retirement Commission to establish a deferred retirement option plan and prescribe how a town participating in the Municipal Employees Retirement Fund (MERF) could adopt the plan. MERF members eligible for a service retirement allowance can participate in the plan if their town adopts it. Deferred retirement option plans allow municipal employees to continue working when they are eligible to retire while their retirement benefits are placed in an interest-bearing account administered by MERF. Participants stop accruing additional retirement credit once they enter the plan (effective July 1, 2000).

PA 00-197-An Act Concerning Benefits for Survivors of Municipal Employees

This act required the state comptroller to get a group hospitalization and medical and surgical insurance plan for surviving spouses and dependent children of municipal employees who die after October 1, 2000 from a work-related injury and not from an illness or natural cause, if the survivors are not otherwise eligible for such insurance (effective October 1, 2000).

PA 00-202-An Act Concerning Safety Inspections for Fire Department Apparatus

This act required the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish an annual safety inspection program for fire department apparatus within available appropriations (effective October 1, 2000).

PA 00-215-An Act Concerning Payment in Lieu of Tax Revenue for Electric Generation Facilities, Certain Property Assessment and Tax Exemption Related Forms and Property Tax Abatements for Surviving Spouses of Police Officers and Firefighters

This act allowed a municipality by ordinance to establish a property tax abatement program for surviving spouses of police officers or fire fighters killed in the line of duty. The program may abate all or part of property taxes due on an eligible spouse's principal residence (effective upon passage and applicable to assessment years beginning on and after October 1, 2000).

PA 00-220-An Act Concerning Revisions to the Education Statutes

This act allowed the public safety commissioner to delegate any of his power relating to fire prevention and safety that he considers appropriate to employees of the University of Connecticut's Storrs Division of Public Safety. Under prior law, the commissioner could delegate only to Department of Public Safety employees (effective July 1, 2000).

PA 99-24-An Act Concerning Fireworks Displays 

This act required, rather than allowed, the state fire marshal to adopt regulations for issuing permits for fireworks displays and indoor use of pyrotechnics for special effects, (2) makes the law conform to practice by requiring local fire marshals to inspect sites for compliance with regulations before a permit is issued, and (3) requires both the police and fire chiefs or first selectmen, where there is no fire or police chief, to inspect fireworks display sites to determine if they are safe.

The act also allowed the (1) state or local fire marshal to suspend or revoke permits for violations and (2) state fire marshal also to suspend, instead of just revoke, competency certificates for cause (effective October 1, 1999).  

PA 99-70-An Act Concerning the Policemen and Firemen Survivor's Benefit Fund

This act designated the state treasurer as custodian of the Policemen and Firemen Survivor's Benefit Fund and permitted him to invest fund contributions with the state's pension funds (effective upon passage).

PA 99-76-An Act Concerning Warranties on New Emergency Vehicles

This act made three minor changes to the Lemon Law for new emergency vehicles. First, it specified that a vehicle purchased or leased on or after October 1, 1999, is deemed purchased or leased when a state agency, political subdivision, or fire district has accepted and paid for it. Second, it specified that a vehicle is deemed leased when it is accepted and the first payment is made. Third, it required that reports that a vehicle does not conform to its express warranties be made in writing (effective October 1, 1999).

PA 99-150-An Act Concerning Flashing Lights for Fire Marshals, School Buses and Local Directors of Emergency Management

This act allowed local fire marshals' and emergency management directors' vehicles to have flashing red lights or flashing white head lamps and a flashing amber light. The vehicles may display the lights on the way to an emergency (effective October 1, 1999).

PA 99-163-An Act Concerning Revisions to Statutes Relating to the Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire, Emergency and Building Services

This act (1) allowed towns, rather that the state fire safety code, to establish fire zones and (2) eliminated a requirement for the state fire marshal to adopt regulations naming acceptable laboratories for approving fuel oil burners before they are sold, offered for sale, or installed (effective October 1, 1999).

PA 99-204-An Act Concerning Assault of Public Safety Emergency Medical Personnel 

This act made it a class C felony to throw bodily fluid such as urine, feces, blood, or saliva at reasonably identified public safety or emergency medical services officials or employees. Under the act, the behavior is an assault if it is done to an official or employee performing his duties in order to keep him from doing so (effective October 1, 1999).  
 

PA 99-209-An Act Concerning Building Code Training and Education 

This act required education fees levied on building permit applications to be credited to the Department of Public Safety appropriation for building and fire safety code training and education programs. Prior law required them to be deposited in the General Fund (effective July 1, 1999).  

PA 99-272-An Act Concerning Various Exemptions and Abatements From Property Taxes and the Dates of Veterans' Service for Certain Military Conflicts

This act allowed towns, by ordinance to give a property tax abatement of up to $ 1,000 per year to resident volunteer fire fighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and ambulance drivers (effective upon passage). (PA 00-120 modified this law. )

PA 98-108-An Act Concerning Warranties on New Emergency Vehicles and Municipality Liability for Volunteer Ambulance Members

This act (1) established a lemon law for new emergency vehicles owned by a municipality, fire district, or volunteer ambulance company and (2) made municipalities liable for damage caused by members of a volunteer ambulance service under the same conditions they are liable for damage caused by fire fighters (effective October 1, 1998). (PA 99-76 made minor changes to this law. )

PA 98-160-An Act Concerning Protective Testing of Police officers, Correctional Officers and Fire Fighters

The workers' compensation law requires employers to pay for reasonable and necessary medical treatment of a work-related injury. This act specified that such treatment included diagnostic and preventive procedures for blood-borne diseases, such as HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis, for certain employees. The act covered, among others, fire fighters, and active members of a volunteer fire company or fire department engaged in volunteer duties who are exposed to blood or bodily fluids in the line of duty (effective October 1, 1998).

PA 98-195-An Act Concerning the Office of Emergency Medical Services

This act established within the Department of Public Health, a 41-member emergency medical services advisory board. The membership includes one representative from the Connecticut Firefighters Association, one from the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association, and one from the Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and Control (effective upon passage).

PA 98-226-An Act Concerning Nuclear Safety Emergency Preparedness and the Authority of the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control to Adopt Regulations

This act allowed the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control to adopt regulations for fire service training and education (effective October I, 1998).

PA 98-233-An Act Concerning the State Building Code

This act required the public safety commissioner to develop one program to sponsor and another to provide training and education in the mechanics and application of the state building and fire safety codes for local and state code officials and candidates for such positions (effective July 1, 1999).

PA 98-263-An Act Concerning an Education Pilot Program, Housing Opportunities for Elderly and Disabled Persons, Construction or Alteration of State Buildings, Police Officers and Firefighters Injured or Rendered Sick in the Line of Duty, Injury to Certain State Officials and Employees, Governor's Budget Message, State Agency Contracts, Payments from Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Fund, Grant Program to Municipalities, Commissaries at Correctional Facilities, School Districts in the Department of Correctional Facilities, School Districts in the Department of Correction and a Teacher Education Pilot Program

This act made police officers and fire fighters who are injured or who contract any disease in the line of duty eligible for state-appropriated benefits (effective July 1, 1998 and applicable to deaths occurring on or after January 1, 1998).

PA 97-25-An Act Concerning a Review of Plans and Specifications Subject to the State Fire Safety Code

This act eliminated (1) a person's right to submit plans and specifications of structures subject to the state Fire Safety Code to the state fire marshal for review and compliance determination and (2) the state fire marshal's duty to develop a schedule of fees for the reviews (effective October 1, 1997).

PA 97-146-An Act Concerning the Designation of "A week to Remember Persons Who are Disabled or Shut-in" and Firefighter and Emergency Medical Services Personnel Week

This act requires the governor to proclaim the third week in May each

year as "A Week to Remember Persons Who are Disabled or Shut-In" and the first week in August each year as Fire Fighter and Emergency Medical Services Personnel Week. In both cases, it requires suitable exercises and observances in the State Capitol and other locations the governor designates (effective upon passage).

PA 97-162-An Act Reducing Municipal Paperwork Concerning Certain Police Notifications and Deposits Into Animal Population Control Accounts

This act eliminated the requirements that owners or operators and police and fire officers immediately report to the State Police leaks or discharges of certain substances from a storage facility or any motor vehicle used to transport the substances (effective October 1, 1997).  

PA 97-219-An Act Concerning Reporting of Certain Information Concerning Applications for Connecticut Development Authority Financial Assistance and Disclosure of Residential Addresses of Firefighters

The act added fire fighters to the list of federal, state, and local hazardous employees whose home addresses may not be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act by state departments, boards, councils, and commissions. The person must submit a written request for nondisclosure and give his business address to the disclosing agency's executive head (effective October 1, 1997).

PA 97-316-An Act Concerning Exemptions and Exclusions from the Sales and Use Tax

This act exempted from the sales tax services rendered (a) in connection with creating, developing, hosting, or maintaining a World Wide Web site and (b) by all off-duty police officers and fire fighters rather than just those provided by off-duty police officers at construction sites (effective upon passage and applicable to sales made after June 30, 1997).

PA 97-8, June 18 Special Session-An Act Concerning Expenditures for the Programs and Services of the Department of Public Health

This act expanded the duties covered by workers' compensation for members of volunteer fire departments to include fire drills or training exercises (effective July 1, 1997).

PA 96-33 (VETOED)-An Act Concerning Tuition Waivers at Regional Community-Technical Colleges

This act extended the "space-available" criterion for granting public college tuition waivers that previously applied only to people age 62 or older to anyone eligible for tuition waivers at the Community-Technical Colleges (CTCs). The criterion requires tuition to be waived for a course only if its enrollment (not counting people eligible for waivers) is sufficient to offer it and space is available after accommodating all nonwaiver students. People eligible for tuition waivers include dependent children of police officers or fire fighters killed in the line of duty (effective July 1, 1996).

PA 96-83-An Act Concerning Freedom of Information Act Exemptions for Certain Hazardous Duty Employees

This act eliminates a Freedom of Information Act exemption for volunteer fire department operational meetings. Instead, it exempts only fraternal or social matter records and meetings of volunteer fire departments that are nonprofit corporations or established by municipal charter. It subjects their public safety, public fund expenditure, and other public business records and meetings to disclosure under FOIA (effective upon passage).

PA 96-230-An Act Concerning the State Police Auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol and Heart and Hypertension Benefits

This act made uniformed members of paid local fire departments and regular members of paid local police departments ineligible for heart and hypertension (H&H) benefits if they are hired after July 1, 1996.

It removed the limitations on the conditions under which such department members hired after July 1, 1992 can receive these benefits. It eliminated (1) a requirement that police officers and fire fighters hired after June 30, 1992 work at least two years before becoming eligible for H&H benefits and (2) a provision that allows a town to defeat an H&H claim from a police officer or fire fighters hired after that date if it proves by a preponderance of evidence that the employee's disability is not job-related (effective July 1, 1996).

PA 96-231-An Act Concerning Heart and Hypertension Benefits

This act made paid municipal police officers and fire fighters ineligible to claim disability benefits under the heart and hypertension law ("H&H" benefits) unless they are employed on July 1, 1996. This provision was superseded by (PA 96-230) that made such employees ineligible for H&H benefits unless they began their employment before July 1, 1996.

The act also eliminated (1) a requirement that police officers and fire fighters hired after June 30, 1992 work at least two years before becoming eligible for H&H benefits and (2) a provision that allows a town to defeat an H&H claim from a police officer or fire fighters hired after that date if it proves by a preponderance of evidence that the employee's disability is not job-related. Instead, it made all fire fighters and police officers employed on July 1, 1996 eligible for H&H benefits if they meet certain conditions.

Finally, the act eliminated the statutory justification for special H&H benefits by repealing the statement recognizing the peculiar problems and unusual risks suffered by municipal police officers and fire fighters, including a high susceptibility to heart disease and hypertension, and expressing an intent to promote recruitment of municipal police officers and fire fighters by granting them a special H&H benefit (effective July 1, 1996).

PA 96-245-An Act Concerning Legislative Task Forces

This act established a task force to study payments to volunteer fire companies for calls on expressways. It also reestablished the Eastern Connecticut Firemen's Training School task force and extended its reporting deadline (effective upon passage).

PA 95-13-An Act Allowing Provisional Appointment of Local Fire Marshals

This act allowed municipalities and incorporated fire districts with no deputy fire marshal to appoint any certified deputy fire marshal to act as fire marshal for up to 180 days in the event of the fire marshal's death, disability, dismissal, retirement, or decertification (effective October 1, 1995).

PA 95-243-An Act Concerning Workers' Compensation Coverage for Municipal Volunteers

This act increased workers' compensation benefit rates for volunteer fire fighters who earn more than the state average production wage in their paid employment. Previously, all benefits for volunteer fire fighters were based on the average production wage. But the possible higher benefit only applies to injuries sustained in certain situations and to cases where a fire fighter cannot perform his regular, paid job duties. It is not clear whether towns or the Second Injury Fund are liable for paying the higher benefit.

In addition, the act (1) shifted responsibility, from towns to the state, for compensating any fire fighter, paid or volunteer, who is injured while on fire duty under the direction of state forest fire personnel and (2) made any other person called on by state forest fire personnel to help in fighting a fire eligible for workers' compensation benefits as a state employee if he is injured in the course of that activity.

By making such municipal fire fighters and others state employees for workers' compensation purposes, the act eliminated their right to file claims against the state for any state negligence that contributes to a firefighting injury.

Finally, the act allowed state employees who are active volunteer fire fighters or members of volunteer ambulance services to take paid time off to attend training sessions or drills during regular work hours, if their appointing authority approves. It specified that the time off cannot be charged against the employee's sick leave or compensatory time but does not prohibit it from being charged against an employee's vacation time (effective October 1, 1995).

PA 95-318-An Act Concerning Legislative Task Forces and State Agency Studies

The act created the 17- member fire fighting training task force to (1) study fire fighter training, (2) recommend standardization of training, (3) study costs of developing and implementing standardized training, and (4) recommend funding sources.

The act also created a 10-member task force to (1) review the statutes to see if a state agency can acquire the Eastern Connecticut Firemen's Training School by eminent domain, (2) recommend legislation for it if such authority does not exist, (3) estimate the state's cost of taking the property by eminent domain, (4) estimate the state's cost of rebuilding equivalent facilities in another location or expanding other training schools to accommodate the fire fighters using this facility, and (5) consider other alternatives for preserving the school (effective upon passage).

PA 95-260-An Act Revising Certain Motor Vehicle Laws

Beginning January 1, 1996, the act allows the commissioner to transfer certain special registrations (plates) from a vehicle owned by the registrant to one that he will be leasing for at least one year. The commissioner must adopt regulations to implement these transfers. The special registrations that may be transferred are issued for (1) collegiate plates; (2) antique, rare, or special interest vehicles; (3) volunteer firefighters; (4) amateur radio operators; (5) motor vehicle manufacturers; (6) prisoners of war and Congressional Medal of Honor winners; (7) Long Island Sound plates; (8) personalized or "vanity" plates; (9) reserved low number plates; (10) handicapped parking privilege plates; and (11) disabled veterans. Previously, these plates could not be transferred to leased vehicles (effective October 1, 1995).

PA 94-145-An Act Authorizing the Mystic Fire District to Convey Property and Authorizing Municipalities to Abate Personal Property Taxes

This act allowed the Mystic Fire District to sell, manage, and convey real and personal property, or its interest in this property, either absolutely or in trust (effective upon passage).

PA 94-188-An Act Revising Certain Transportation Laws

This act exempted the federal government, the state, municipalities, and fire departments from fees required for DOT overweight vehicle permits (effective October 1, 1994).

PA 93-73-An Act Concerning the Inspection of Cargo Tank Motor Vehicles

This act limited the vehicles transporting hazardous material that must be inspected annually by local fire marshals to cargo tank motor vehicles. It required the fire marshal to issue a certificate of approval to be carried at all times in each vehicle that passes inspection (effective October 1, 1993).

PA 93-80-An Act Concerning the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 1995, and Making Appropriations Therefor

This act eliminated a special payment to state police officers and fire fighters who are injured or catch a disease in the line of duty and are entitled to relief under the constitution and bylaws of the Connecticut State Police Association or the Connecticut State Firemen's Association. Such officers are already covered by the workers' compensation law for work-related injuries or illnesses.

The act retained the requirement for relief payments to the widow, child, or dependent mother of a state police officer and the widow and child of a fire fighter killed in the line of duty. But the act limited payments to fire fighters' widows and children to available appropriations. Payments to police widows, children, and dependent mothers were already limited in the same way (effective July 1, 1993).

PA 93-206-An Act Implementing the Reorganization of the Division of Fire and Building safety Within the Department of Public Safety

This act changed the name of the Division of Fire and Building Safety (which is within the Department of Public Safety) to the Division of Fire, Emergency and Building Services. It upgraded to office status the bureaus of the state fire marshal, state building inspector (both in the Division of Fire and Building Safety) and state-wide emergency telecommunications. It placed these offices and the Office of Emergency Management in the renamed division (effective July 1, 1993).

PA 93-293-An Act Concerning the Central Naugatuck Valley Region Higher Education Center and the Waiver of Tuition Fees for Children of Police Officers and Firefighters Killed in the Line of Duty

This act required the constituent units of higher education to provide tuition waivers for the dependent children of police officers or fire fighters killed in the line of duty (effective July 1, 1993).

PA 93-356-An Act Modifying the Municipal Employees' Retirement Act

This act allowed municipal police officers and fire fighters who continue to work after age 65 to make MERF pension contributions and accumulate pension rights as long as they continue working. Under prior law, although towns could choose, with the annual approval of their legislative bodies, to employ police officers and fire fighters after they turned 65, such employees could not continue in MERF (effective October 1, 1993).

PA 92-15, May Special Session-An Act Concerning Grants in Lieu of Taxes on State-Owned Real Property, Town-Aid Grants in Connection with Local Housing Partnerships, Municipal Assessments of Lessees' Interests in Real Property or air Bights and the Conveyance or Exchange of Certain Parcels of State Land

This act gave Hartford the choice of using a parcel of land that the state conveyed to it under SA 90-37 for constructing headquarters for either the fire or police department instead of only a combined fire and police department headquarters (effective July 1, 1992).

PA 92-81-An Act Concerning Heart Disease and Hypertension benefits for Municipal Policemen and Firemen

This act limited the conditions under which regular paid municipal police officers and paid uniformed fire fighters hired after June 30, 1992 may receive heart and hypertension benefits. Under the act, a newly hired police or fire fighter will not be eligible for benefits if (1) he has been a member of the police or fire department for less than two years or (2) the municipality for which he works proves by a preponderance of evidence that his heart disease or hypertension is not job-related. The act does not affect police officers and fire fighters hired before July 1, 1992. The act also repeals an obsolete heart and hypertension statute that was ruled unconstitutional by the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1971 (effective July 1, 1992).

PA 92-130-An Act Making Revisions to the General Statutes with Respect to the Reorganization of the Department of Public Safety, Permitting Police Officers to Use their Business Address in Applications for Pistol Permits, Authorizing Issuance of Pistol Permits, and Establishing a Two-Month Program for the Purchase of Firearms in Certain Cities of the State

This act made the deputy state fire marshal's position unclassified and allowed any classified employee who accepted the position to return to classified service at his former position. Also, the act specifically allowed the public safety commissioner to appoint an employee who was not a state police officer as the deputy state fire marshal (effective upon passage).

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