An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, providing for firefighting personal protective equipment; and imposing penalties.

PRINTER'S NO. 689
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 675
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY HARKINS, MERSKI, FREEMAN, BRENNAN, HILL-EVANS,
McNEILL, SANCHEZ, WAXMAN, KHAN, PIELLI, SCHLOSSBERG, STEELE,
CERRATO, HADDOCK, SCHMITT, GIRAL, GALLAGHER, DEASY AND
BOROWSKI, FEBRUARY 20, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, FEBRUARY 20, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, providing
for firefighting personal protective equipment; and imposing
penalties.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
§ 7390. Firefighting personal protective equipment.
(a) Prohibition.--Except as provided in subsection (b),
beginning January 1, 2028, a person may not distribute,
manufacture, offer for sale, produce or sell in this
Commonwealth, or for use in this Commonwealth, firefighting
personal protective equipment that contains an intentionally
added PFAS chemical.
(b) Exception.--The prohibition under subsection (a) shall
not apply to the distribution, manufacture, offer, production or
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sale of firefighting personal protective equipment if the State
Fire Commissioner has determined that the use of a PFAS chemical
in the firefighting personal protective equipment is unavoidable
and has issued guidance to that effect. The State Fire
Commissioner shall transmit notice of the determination and
guidance to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in
the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
(c) Enforcement.--The Attorney General shall enforce the
provisions of this section.
(d) Violations.--
(1) For a first violation of this section, a person
shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000.
(2) For a second or subsequent violation of this
section, a person shall be subject to a civil penalty not to
exceed $10,000 for each violation.
(3) All fines or penalties collected under this section
shall be transferred as follows:
(i) 50% to the Fire Company Grant Program
established under section 7811 (relating to
establishment).
(ii) 50% to the Emergency Medical Services Grant
Program established under section 7821 (relating to
establishment).
(e) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Firefighting personal protective equipment." Any items or
clothing designed, intended or marketed to be worn by
firefighting personnel in the performance of their duties during
fire and rescue activities, including jackets, pants, shoes,
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gloves, helmets and respiratory equipment.
"PFAS chemical." A fluorinated organic chemical that
contains any member of the class of fluorinated organic
chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom,
including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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