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Committee considers technical changes to End of Watch trust to clarify benefits and administration
Summary
House Bill 487 clarifies who qualifies for End of Watch trust benefits, narrows the definition of catastrophic injury to severe physical incapacity, and confirms DOJ rulemaking and trust administration details; law-enforcement groups supported the cleanup language.
Sen. Barry Usher presented House Bill 487 as a technical cleanup to the End of Watch trust established to provide medical continuation and up to 60 monthly payments to families of officers catastrophically injured or killed in the line of duty. "The bill does not substantially change any of that," Usher said, calling the language a clarification to enable DOJ to implement the program.
Stakeholders including the Montana Police Protective Association, Association of Montana Troopers, Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, chiefs of police and the Department of Justice voiced strong support for the clarifications. Shelby DeMars and Jesse Luther, who helped draft the amendments, said the changes narrow the catastrophic-injury definition to ensure the fund serves those most in need, clarify dependent eligibility, and protect the $10 million principal while allowing unobligated interest to be used for administration and payouts.
Alex Sturhan of DOJ thanked the sponsor and stakeholders for collaborative work and confirmed DOJ will have rulemaking authority for program administration. Chad Vanisco, DOJ general counsel, appeared as an informational witness and explained legal and administrative details.
Committee members asked whether the bill intentionally limits coverage to physical incapacitation (excluding PTSD). The sponsor and witnesses stated that the cleanup narrows catastrophic injury to physical conditions that leave an individual unable to care for themselves 24 hours a day; related bills address PTSD for first responders.
The sponsor also described funding mechanics: a $10 million principal in a trust is intended to pay benefits from interest; if principal is drawn, House Bill 2 would replenish it to maintain the $10 million target. Questions about a department's authority to accept donations and the Department of Justice's administrative fee (language allowing assessment not to exceed 15% of amounts appropriated to DOJ) were responded to by witnesses, who described how appropriations and trust administration would function in practice.
What’s next: The committee closed the hearing; sponsors asked for a green vote. Several clarifications about definitions and administrative language may be addressed in amendments.
