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Committee favorably reports bill to extend National Guard death benefit to State Guard members
Summary
Senate Judiciary B advanced House Bill 120, which would extend Louisiana National Guard line‑of‑duty death benefits to members of the Louisiana State Guard. Brig. Gen. Larry Benton testified the State Guard is a state‑level militia under Title 29 and currently lacks comparable statutory benefits.
House Bill 120, presented Tuesday by Representative Wiley, was reported favorably by the Senate Judiciary B Committee without amendment.
Brigadier General Larry Benton, director of human resources for the Louisiana Military Department and commander of the Louisiana State Guard, testified that the bill would extend the $250,000 line‑of‑duty death benefit currently available to Louisiana National Guard members to members of the Louisiana State Guard when they die while on state active duty. Benton described the State Guard as a state‑only military force organized under Title 29, Section 5, not subject to federal activation, and said it numbers about 250 members organized in four regions who drill quarterly.
“It’s strictly a state entity under the authority of the governor,” Benton said, and the legislation “rectifies this oversight” by providing the same line‑of‑duty death benefit for State Guard members who perform emergency operations and other state duties alongside National Guard personnel.
Committee members had no amendments and moved the bill forward by unanimous consent. Senator McMath moved that the committee report House Bill 120 favorably; with no objection, the motion passed.
The bill now advances to the Senate with committee endorsement.
