They do not answer the call to serve alone, however. While they may not have put on the uniform, their families stand right alongside them providing comfort and support, spending days and nights worrying about the well-being of their loved ones and whether or not they will return home. When tragedy strikes, they are the ones who are left to pick up the pieces. We unfortunately just saw this in the tragedy that occurred in the death of an officer this weekend.
Currently in our state, the Public Safety Officers Benefit Act provides a one-time payment of $25,000 to an officer’s surviving spouse and dependents if the officer dies or is permanently disabled in the line of duty. This amount has not been updated for two decades, since the fund was created in 2004, failing to keep up with the increased cost of health care and funeral arrangements. The bill in front of us seeks to rectify this issue by doubling the benefit amount to $50,000 to ensure the adequate support of the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, providing them with the financial stability and recognition they deserve for their loved one’s service. While no amount of money can ever fully repay the debt we owe to the brave safety officers or the families they leave behind, we can and we must do better by them.
I ask my colleagues here today to vote in favor of Senate Bill No. 834 and get this done for the families of fallen heroes across our state.
Senator Singh moved that the Senate return to consideration of the following bill:
Senate Bill No. 401
The motion prevailed.
The following bill was read a third time:
Senate Bill No. 401, entitled
A bill to create a state voting rights act; to provide for the powers and duties of certain state and local governmental officers and entities; to provide for a court-appointed monitor under certain circumstances; to prohibit certain discriminatory activity and to prescribe civil sanctions; to create a fund; to provide remedies; to prescribe penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The Assistant President pro tempore, Senator Geiss, assumed the Chair.
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: