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Committee hears bill to expand death and disability benefits for first responders with job-related PTSD and suicide
Summary
The House Appropriations Committee heard testimony on a bill to extend death and disability benefits to public-safety personnel who die by suicide or become permanently disabled due to job-related PTSD or other trauma-related disorders.
The House Appropriations Committee heard testimony on House Bill 76, a measure to extend death and disability benefits to Maryland public-safety personnel whose deaths or permanent disabilities result from job-related post-traumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder or other trauma- and stress-related conditions.
Sponsor Delegate Mary Lehman said the bill would amend the Public Safety Article to align state death and disability benefits for qualifying public-safety personnel with a federal law enacted in August 2022. The legislation would cover law enforcement officers, correctional officers, volunteer and career firefighters and rescue squad members, public-safety aviation employees, certain service members who served in Afghanistan or Iraq, and 9-1-1 call takers.
Janet DeMarin, a volunteer fire chief, described a volunteer she had lost to suicide and said there had been no support or benefits available to the family; she urged lawmakers to provide protections for volunteers and their families. Joel McCrae of the Maryland State Firefighters Association asked the committee to note that benefits for volunteer service are funded by state appropriations and said the fiscal note might understate future costs if the program expands to more beneficiaries.
Hope Larson, a board-certified trauma counselor and volunteer chaplain, and Sarah Laird, the widow of a battalion chief who died in a workplace fire, described the mental-health toll on first responders and survivors and urged the committee to recognize suicide and PTSD as occupational hazards deserving of benefit coverage.
Supporters emphasized that the bill does not create new underlying entitlement policies but aligns state definitions and benefit triggers to ensure consistent treatment across branches and service types. The committee took testimony but did not vote during the hearing.
Ending: Sponsor asked for a favorable report and noted the bill builds on previous session work and letters of support from veterans' and first-responder groups.
