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An Act To Increase the Death Benefit for Firefighters, Law Enforcement Officers and Emergency Medical Services Personnel
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  25 MRSA §1611, sub-§1-A  is enacted to read:
 
1-A.  Consumer Price Index.     "Consumer Price Index" means the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, CPI-U, as compiled by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §1612, as amended by PL 2009, c. 421, §3, is further amended to read:
§ 1612.Death benefit
 
1. Amount; recipients.   In a case in which the chief determines under rules adopted pursuant to this section that a law enforcement officer has died while in the line of duty or in a case in which the State Fire Marshal determines under rules adopted pursuant to this section that a firefighter has died while in the line of duty or in a case in which the director determines under rules adopted pursuant to this section that an emergency medical services person has died while in the line of duty, the State shall pay a benefit of $50,000 as follows:$75,000.
 
Beginning July 1, 2021 and annually thereafter, the benefit amount must be indexed to the Consumer Price Index whenever there is a percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index from July 1st to June 30th of the previous year. A firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency medical services person who dies while in the line of duty must be paid the benefit amount as indexed immediately prior to that firefighter's, law enforcement officer's or emergency medical services person's death. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services shall adopt rules to calculate the annual percentage increase in the death benefit.
 
The State shall pay the benefit as follows:
 
A. If there is no surviving child of the firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency medical services person, to the surviving spouse of the person;
 
B. If there is a surviving child or children and a surviving spouse of the firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency medical services person, 1/2 to the surviving child or children in equal shares and 1/2 to the surviving spouse;
 
C. If there is no surviving spouse of the firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency medical services person, to the child or children in equal shares; or
 
D. If there is no surviving child or spouse, to the parent or parents of the firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency medical services person in equal shares.
 
2. Interim benefit payment.   Interim benefits may be paid as follows.
 
A. When the State Fire Marshal determines upon showing of need and prior to final action that the death of a firefighter is a death for which a benefit will probably be paid, the State Fire Marshal may make an interim benefit payment not exceeding $3,000 to the individual or individuals entitled to receive a benefit under subsection 1 in the manner set out in subsection 1.
 
B. When the chief determines upon showing of need and prior to final action that the death of an officer is a death for which a benefit will probably be paid, the chief may make an interim benefit payment not exceeding $3,000 to the individual or individuals entitled to receive a benefit under subsection 1 in the manner set out in subsection 1.
 
C. When the director determines upon showing of need and prior to final action that the death of an emergency medical services person is a death for which a benefit will probably be paid, the director may make an interim benefit payment not exceeding $3,000 to the individual or individuals entitled to receive a benefit under subsection 1 in the manner set out in subsection 1.
 
3. Deduction of interim payment.   The State Fire Marshal, the chief or the director, as the case may be, shall deduct the amount of an interim payment made pursuant to subsection 2 from the amount of any final benefit paid to the individual or individuals entitled to receive a benefit under subsection 1.
 
4. Repayment of interim payment; waiver.   If a final benefit is not paid, the recipient or recipients of any interim payment under subsection 2 are liable for repayment of the amount received. The State Fire Marshal in the case of a firefighter, the chief in the case of a law enforcement officer or the director in the case of an emergency medical services person may waive all or part of the repayment if that official determines that undue hardship would result from that repayment.
 
5. Execution or attachment prohibited.   A benefit paid under this section is not subject to execution or attachment.
 
6. Other benefits.   The $50,000death benefit payable under this section may not be considered a benefit paid under "similar law" for purposes of Title 5, sections 18005 and 18605 and may not be used to reduce any accidental death benefit amount payable under those provisions or under any other provision of law.
 
7. Payment from the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund.   Benefits are payable from the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund as provided in Title 5, section 1532, subsection 6. If funds in the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund are insufficient to pay a death benefit when due, the benefit must be paid as soon as a sufficient balance exists.
 
8. Rulemaking.   The State Fire Marshal, the chief and the Emergency Medical Services' Board shall adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this section, except when the Department of Administrative and Financial Services adopts rules as described in this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A2-A.
 
SUMMARY
This bill increases the death benefit for a law enforcement officer, firefighter or emergency medical services person who has died while in the line of duty from $50,000 to $75,000 through June 30, 2021. For deaths occurring after June 30, 2021, the Department of Administrative and Financial Services is required to adopt rules to annually calculate an increase in the death benefit based on the previous year's increase in the Consumer Price Index.