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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to expand death benefits to the families of peace officers and firefighters who die in the line of duty.
HB288, sponsored by Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, would increase the lump sum that spouses of officers killed in the line of duty receive, as well as provide health coverage for the officer’s surviving family.
Currently, surviving spouses are only granted $1,500 in such circumstances, which Ray said is not sufficient to support families who have not only lost a loved one, but also a source of income and often health insurance.
The bill would replace the $1,500 with a sum that equals the fallen officer’s final average salary and offer continuing health coverage for the spouse, as well as the officer’s children until they either marry or reach the age of 26, Ray said.
“I think this is a small thank you for a tremendous sacrifice,” he said. “If you’ve ever dealt with a death in the line of duty and the families, it’s quite traumatic, and their whole world changes in a matter of seconds.
"Until you’ve been there and had to go through that, you’ll never understand the heartbreak and all the problems that go with it," Ray said.
In addition to requiring employers to provide fallen officers’ families with continuing health coverage, the bill would also instruct those employers to designate a person to aid surviving spouses with applying for death benefits.
“This is not a lot, but it goes a long way,” Ray said.
The House voted 72-0 to pass HB288. The bill now moves on to the Senate for further consideration.
