- Published: 22 May 2019
SPRINGFIELD – The burial benefit for law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty would be increased under a proposal by State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) that passed the Senate recently.
“No family of a fallen officer or firefighter should have to worry about not being able to afford to bury their loved one,” Morrison said. “These individuals selflessly dedicated their lives in the protection of our neighbors and communities, and this is the least we as a state can do to honor their sacrifice.”
Currently, the state burial benefit for firefighters, State Police officers or local law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty is $10,000. Morrison’s plan – contained in House Bill 2028 – would increase that benefit to $20,000, acknowledging the ever-increasing costs associated with burials. Neither the benefit for State Police officers nor the benefit for local law enforcement officers and firefighters has been raised since its creation in the late 1990s.