SPONSOR: Crossley
This bill establishes the "First Responders' Bill of Rights", which provides minimum standards that must be followed when a first responder, defined in the bill, is under administrative investigation or is subject to administrative questioning that he or she reasonably believes could lead to punitive action. The standards are specified in the bill and include, but are not limited to, notifying the first responder in writing of the nature of the investigation and who will be conducting the interrogation and who will be present during the interrogation, as well as the names of the complainants. The bill also specifies that all first responder investigations must be completed within 90 days from receipt of the complaint.
The bill further provides that no first responder under investigation will be denied promotion, discharged, disciplined, or be threatened with such, because he or she exercises his or her lawful rights under any existing administrative grievance procedures, statutes, or Constitutional provisions.
At the conclusion of an investigation, if an employer decides to discipline the first responder, the first responder must be notified in writing of the employer's decision within five days of the decision and at least 48 hours prior to the actual imposition of discipline.
This bill is similar to HB 564 (2023).
Statutes affected: