FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Senate has voted to increase death benefits for the surviving spouses and children of police officers killed in the line of duty.
The bill cleared the Senate on Thursday. It returns to the House, which could send the measure to Gov. Matt Bevin if it accepts minor changes to the bill.
The bill would cover a wide range of public employees, including police officers, firefighters and other state workers. But the focus was on the family members of police officers.
Currently, their spouses can receive 25 percent of the officer’s salary, or take whatever retirement benefits the officer was eligible for at the time of death. The bill would change that, letting spouses receive 75 percent of their loved one’s salary.
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The legislation is House Bill 185.
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