2024 -- S 2314 | |
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LC004518 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELIEF OF INJURED AND DECEASED FIRE | |
FIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS | |
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Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, Burke, Britto, Bissaillon, and F. Lombardi | |
Date Introduced: February 12, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 45-19-4.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-19 entitled "Relief of |
2 | Injured and Deceased Fire Fighters and Police Officers" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 45-19-4.3. One time death benefit — Death benefits to family of deceased police |
4 | officers, correctional officers, and firefighters. |
5 | (a) If an active or retired police officer, capitol police officer, correctional officer, |
6 | firefighter, crash rescue crew person, fire marshal, or deputy fire marshal of any city, town, fire |
7 | district, or the state of Rhode Island or deputy sheriff or a correctional officer or member of a |
8 | volunteer auxiliary fire force or volunteer crash rescue or ambulance corps is killed or dies from |
9 | injuries received while in the performance of his or her duties, there shall be paid a killed-in-line- |
10 | of-duty benefit to be administered by the board of police officer’s and firefighter’s relief. The |
11 | benefit shall be in the sum of forty percent (40%) one hundred percent (100%) of the federal death |
12 | benefits for law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. The benefit shall be |
13 | paid as follows: |
14 | (1) If there is no surviving child of such officer, to the surviving spouse or domestic partner |
15 | of such officer; |
16 | (2) If there is a surviving child or children and a surviving spouse or domestic partner, one- |
17 | half (½) to the surviving child or children of such officer in equal shares and one-half (½) to the |
18 | surviving spouse or domestic partner; |
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1 | (3) If there is no surviving spouse or domestic partner, to the child or children of said officer |
2 | in equal shares; |
3 | (4) If there is no surviving spouse, domestic partner, or surviving child, to the individual |
4 | designated by such officer as beneficiary under such officer’s most recently executed life insurance |
5 | policy; provided, that such individual survived such officer; or |
6 | (5) If none of the above, to the parent or parents of such officer in equal shares. |
7 | (b) Domestic partners shall certify by affidavit to the board of police officer’s and |
8 | firefighter’s relief that the: (1) partners are at least eighteen (18) years of age and mentally |
9 | competent to contract; (2) partners are not married to anyone; (3) partners are not related by blood |
10 | to a degree which would prohibit marriage in the state of Rhode Island; (4) partners reside together |
11 | and have resided together for at least one year; (5) partners are financially interdependent as |
12 | evidenced by at least two (2) of the following: (i) domestic partnership agreement or relationship |
13 | contract; (ii) joint mortgage or joint ownership of primary residence; (iii) two (2) of: (A) joint |
14 | ownership of motor vehicle; (B) joint checking account; (C) joint credit account; (D) joint lease; |
15 | and/or (iv) the domestic partner has been designated as a beneficiary for the deceased’s will, |
16 | retirement contract or life insurance. |
17 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELIEF OF INJURED AND DECEASED FIRE | |
FIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS | |
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1 | This act would increase the killed-in-line-of-duty benefit for active or retired police officer, |
2 | capitol police officer, correctional officer, firefighter, crash rescue crew person, fire marshal or |
3 | deputy fire marshal from forty percent (40%) to one hundred percent (100%) of the federal death |
4 | benefit. |
5 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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