H.B. No. 331 amends Section 607.056 of the Government Code to establish a presumption that firefighters, peace officers, and emergency medical technicians who suffer an acute myocardial infarction or stroke resulting in disability or death did so in the course of their employment, provided certain conditions are met. Specifically, the bill clarifies that the presumption applies if the individual was engaged in stressful or strenuous physical activities related to fire suppression, rescue, hazardous material response, emergency medical services, law enforcement, or other emergency response activities while on duty, or during a training exercise. Additionally, the acute myocardial infarction or stroke must occur no later than eight hours after the end of the shift in which the activity took place.

The bill also removes the term "nonroutine" from the definition of stressful or strenuous physical activity, thereby broadening the scope of activities that qualify for the presumption. It specifies that clerical, administrative, or nonmanual activities do not count as stressful or strenuous physical activity. The changes made by this Act will only apply to claims for benefits or compensation filed on or after its effective date, with claims filed before that date governed by the previous law. The Act will take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote from both houses; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 607.056 (Government Code 607)
House Committee Report: Government Code 607.056 (Government Code 607)
Engrossed: Government Code 607.056 (Government Code 607)
Senate Committee Report: Government Code 607.056 (Government Code 607)
Enrolled: Government Code 607.056 (Government Code 607)