Committee Recommends Bill To Insure Officers' Families After Death

A legislative study committee voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend lawmakers next session approve a bill that gives health insurance to families of police officers killed in the line of duty.

Proponents say recent events in the country, like terrorist attacks, prompted them to proposed the legislation.

Certain kinds of officers already have funding dedicated to their families if they are killed while working. But others, like conservation and DNR officers, have nothing. The proposed bill would provide health insurance to those families.

Some who support the proposal want to make it retroactive. Indianapolis Republican Sen. Michael Crider is a former conservation officer and introduced the bill to a study committee. He says he’s open to the idea.

"Those discussions kind of complicate the issue, so I’m willing to consider those but I’m not willing to kill the bill, or kill the idea," Crider says.

Some lawmakers have voiced concern about the fiscal impact of the bill. But its supporters say with an average of one death per year, and an average family insurance cost of 17,000 dollars, the benefit far exceeds the cost.