HB1293
To Increase The Payment Of A Claim To Designated Beneficiaries Or Survivors Of Certain Public Employees Killed In The Line Of Duty.
AI-Generated Summary
This bill proposes amendments to existing Arkansas law concerning death benefits for certain public employees killed in the line of duty. The primary change is to increase the death benefit payment from $150,000 to $250,000. This increase applies to beneficiaries or survivors of specific public employees, including police officers, wildlife officers, certain Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism employees, Division of Community Correction and Division of Correction employees, jailers, coroners, state highway employees, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and Arkansas Forestry Commission employees. The bill also specifies conditions for death benefits related to cancer for firefighters, including limitations and the establishment of a Firefighter Benefit Review Panel. This panel will review cancer-related death benefit claims and make recommendations to the Arkansas State Claims Commission. The amendments specify how a portion of these increased benefits will be funded through state department agency funds. The bill clarifies that these provisions do not affect other benefits or grant new causes of action against governmental entities.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
The primary beneficiaries of this bill are the designated beneficiaries or survivors of certain public employees who are killed in the line of duty. This includes the surviving families and dependents of police officers, wildlife enforcement officers, certain state park and correctional employees, jailers, coroners, state highway employees, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and Arkansas Forestry Commission employees. Additionally, firefighters who die from specific types of cancer linked to occupational exposure may see an increase in their death benefits under the new provisions.
Who Might Suffer?
The bill's increased benefit payouts would likely necessitate additional funding from state government sources. While not explicitly stated as negatively impacted, state government agencies and taxpayers, through their funding of state budgets, would bear the direct financial responsibility for these increased death benefits. The specific mechanisms for funding the increase, such as the use of 'appropriate state department agency fund accounts,' suggest that budgets within these departments may need reallocation or augmentation, potentially impacting other areas of state expenditure.