A BILL to amend and reenact § 9.1-402 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries.
HB1317 amends Virginia’s Line of Duty Act to increase the death benefit paid to beneficiaries of certain public safety employees and related retirees. The bill keeps the existing benefit structure for line-of-duty deaths occurring on or before December 31, 2005 ($75,000) and on or after January 1, 2006 ($100,000), but raises the benefit for certain other covered deaths from $25,000 to $75,000 when the death occurs on or after January 1, 2025. The covered deaths in this third category include deaths arising out of and in the course of employment, deaths within five years of retirement, and certain cancer-related deaths within 10 years of retirement.
The bill applies to beneficiaries of deceased law-enforcement officers, firefighters, and other eligible public safety personnel, including certain campus police officers and private police officers covered under the statute. It also preserves the existing payment mechanics, under which benefits are paid by the nonparticipating employer or from the Line of Duty Fund on behalf of participating employers and certain contributing institutions or departments. The measure would therefore increase the financial obligation associated with qualifying deaths under the Line of Duty Act and expand the amount payable to survivors in those cases.
The available legislative history suggests the bill was not advanced during the session and was continued to the next session in the House Appropriations Committee by voice vote. There were no recorded votes or committee transcript excerpts provided, so there is no detailed public record here of debate or amendments. The committee action indicates the bill had at least some level of consideration, but not enough support or time to move forward in the current session.
Overall, the bill appears to have been viewed as a benefits enhancement for survivors of public safety workers, with the main policy effect being a substantial increase in death payments for a subset of covered beneficiaries. Because the bill was referred to Appropriations, the likely issue was fiscal impact on the Line of Duty Fund and participating employers rather than eligibility policy. No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials, but the likely area of concern would be the cost of increasing survivor benefits and how those costs would be funded.
HB1317 would amend § 9.1-402 of the Code of Virginia, increasing the Line of Duty Act payment for certain deaths from $25,000 to $75,000 for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2025, while leaving the older $75,000 and $100,000 benefit tiers unchanged. The bill would affect beneficiaries of deceased law-enforcement officers, firefighters, and other covered public safety personnel, including certain campus police officers and private police officers, and would increase obligations paid by nonparticipating employers, the Line of Duty Fund, and other covered entities as applicable.
The bill’s apparent sentiment is generally supportive of public safety survivors and their families, as it increases financial benefits in recognition of line-of-duty and related qualifying deaths. However, the fact that it was continued to the next session in Appropriations suggests fiscal caution or unresolved budget concerns. With no recorded opposition or transcript excerpts, the available record shows consideration rather than clear controversy.
The main likely point of contention is fiscal: raising the death benefit from $25,000 to $75,000 would increase costs for the Line of Duty Fund, participating employers, and other covered payors. Any debate would likely center on whether the benefit increase is affordable, how it should be funded, and whether the higher amount should apply broadly to all qualifying deaths or only to deaths occurring after a specified date. No specific objections or supporters are identified in the provided materials.