Madison…Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) is announcing his support for Assembly Bill 300/Senate Bill 266 that would provide health insurance benefits for families of police officers who die in the line of duty. The legislation requires local governments to pay the health insurance premiums for the fallen officer’s spouse and dependent children. Speaker Vos has been working on an amendment with the Assembly bill author Rep. John Spiros (R-Marshfield) to ensure that the legislation also covers the Wisconsin State Patrol.
“No family whose loved one paid the ultimate sacrifice should have to worry about their own health insurance,” said Speaker Vos. “It’s a benefit that the state gives to families of fallen fire fighters; it’s time we extend it to law enforcement who serve and protect our communities.”
The amendment to the legislation also changes the funding mechanism. The state will now reimburse local governments’ costs through shared revenue appropriations. In addition, the amendment would be applied retroactively to cover incidents that occurred on or after January 1, 2019.
The bipartisan bill was introduced last month and is awaiting committee action.
