H.B. No. 331 amends Section 607.056 of the Government Code to establish presumptions for firefighters, peace officers, and emergency medical technicians who suffer from acute myocardial infarction or stroke. The bill specifies that these individuals are presumed to have experienced their condition during the course of their employment if they were 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. Additionally, the acute myocardial infarction or stroke must occur no later than eight hours after the end of a shift in which the individual was involved in such activities.

The bill also clarifies that "stressful or strenuous physical activity" does not include clerical, administrative, or nonmanual tasks. The changes made by this Act will only apply to claims for benefits or compensation filed on or after its effective date, with prior claims governed by the law in effect at the time they were made. 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)