Lawmakers couldn’t agree last year whether to permanently provide health insurance to the survivors of police officers and firefighters who die in the line of duty. Starting next week, they’ll have another chance.
A bill to provide survivors with insurance was among the first bills filed ahead of the legislative session, starting on Jan. 17. Some surviving families have received state-funded insurance in recent years, but it isn’t enshrined in state law.
Rep. Andy Josephson, an Anchorage Democrat, is sponsoring the bill, HB23, and said filing the bill early makes it more likely to be enacted.
“These are folks that feel duty-bound – and have, many of them, since their youth – to participate in high-risk activity for the benefit of the public,” Josephson said.