SB 279: "Daniel D. Podsiadly, Jr. Act"; enact

Georgia peace officers who are injured on the job may not always know about existing state programs meant to help them, such as the Georgia State Indemnification Fund and the temporary disability compensation program. This bill, named for Daniel D. Podsiadly, Jr., creates new notification duties to close that gap. It adds a new section to the workers' compensation code requiring the State Board of Workers' Compensation to notify the Department of Administrative Services, and also the injured worker, whenever the board has reasonable cause to believe an injured employee is an eligible peace officer. It also adds a new section to the law enforcement title requiring every law enforcement agency to notify employees it believes may be eligible peace officers about these same programs within ten days of a disabling injury. Both sections define 'eligible peace officer' as someone employed to maintain public order or make arrests, who must meet Georgia's peace officer training standards, and who is disabled through direct interaction with a criminal suspect, arrestee, or inmate.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 34-9-26) requiring the State Board of Workers' Compensation to notify the Department of Administrative Services when it has reasonable cause to believe an injured worker is an eligible peace officer.
• Requires the board to also notify the injured employee directly, including contact information for the Georgia State Indemnification Fund and the temporary disability compensation program.
• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 35-1-24) requiring every Georgia law enforcement agency to notify employees within ten days of a disabling injury if the agency believes they may be an eligible peace officer.
• Defines 'eligible peace officer' in both new sections as someone required to meet the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Act requirements who is disabled through direct interaction with a criminal suspect, arrestee, or inmate.
• Directs the Department of Administrative Services to determine additional required notification content through rules and regulations.
• Gives the Act a short title, the 'Daniel D. Podsiadly, Jr. Act.'

Peace officers employed full-time or part-time by the state, counties, municipalities, or other political subdivisions who are injured in the line of duty; the State Board of Workers' Compensation; Georgia law enforcement agencies; and the Department of Administrative Services, which oversees related benefit programs and rulemaking.

Injured peace officers would get faster, more reliable information about state benefit programs after being disabled during encounters with suspects, arrestees, or inmates, rather than having to discover those programs on their own while dealing with a workplace injury.

• Section 1 gives the Act its short title, the 'Daniel D. Podsiadly, Jr. Act.'
• Section 2 adds O.C.G.A. § 34-9-26, requiring the workers' compensation board to notify both the Department of Administrative Services and the injured employee when it believes the worker is an eligible peace officer.
• Section 3 adds O.C.G.A. § 35-1-24, requiring law enforcement agencies to notify employees within ten days of a disabling injury about the indemnification fund and disability compensation program.
• Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senado)
2. 2025-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senado)
3. 2025-03-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)
4. 2025-02-27Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
5. 2025-02-26Senate Hopper (Senado)

• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)Patrocinador principal
• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-010)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)

• workers' compensation
• police officer benefits
• law enforcement disability
• public safety
• state agencies