Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sb12 Death Benefit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House advances death‑benefit bill for public‑safety spouses with one‑year delay
Summary
The House uncircled and amended Senate Bill 12 to delay its effective date from July 1, 1994, to July 1, 1995, citing budgeting needs; the amended bill passed the body 7–1 and was referred to the Senate for consideration of the House amendment.
The body moved to "uncircle" Senate Bill 12, a measure to equalize death benefits for surviving spouses of public‑safety employees between Division A (with Social Security) and Division B (without Social Security).
Representative Valentine, speaking as sponsor, proposed amending the bill’s effective date from July 1, 1994, to July 1, 1995, saying the one‑year delay would allow agencies time to budget for the change. "This gives us a year to actually budget it in each of the respective agencies which would have to do it," the sponsor said.
Representative Bowman, who declared a conflict of interest, urged support on equity grounds and recounted his career in law enforcement and the sacrifices of spouses. The House recorded the vote on the amended bill as 7 affirmative and 1 negative; the bill passed and was referred to the Senate for consideration of the House amendment.
The amendment affects the bill’s effective date; the text of other substantive provisions was explained by the sponsor as equalizing benefits across categories of surviving spouses.
