Iowa Governor Culver Signs Legislation To Help Families Of Fallen Police, Fire Fighters

April 17, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed legislation today to help family members of police and fire fighters who die in the line-of-duty receive benefits.

“Every day, police officers and fire fighters across the state put the lives on the line in order to keep each one of us and our families safe,” said Governor Culver. “If they make the ultimate sacrifice for us, the least we can do is make it easier for their families to receive benefits.”

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Signed this afternoon by the Governor, House File 707 broadens the definition of who may receive the $100,000 Death Benefit for Police and Firefighters killed in the line of duty to include an adult child of the deceased. Current law defines “child” as under age 18 or under age 22 if a student. The new law allows the adult children of police officers and fire fighters the right to receive a line-of-duty death benefit.

Other bills signed by Governor Culver today are:

Senate File 81 – an Act relating to assisting schools to recover from disaster by changing the approval method for transfers of emergency fund moneys, by modifying certain funding provisions to relate to disaster recovery, and by allowing area education agency boards greater authority to purchase and lease-purchase property.

Senate File 441 – an Act relating to local emergency management by modifying provisions of the statewide mutual aid compact.

Senate File 445 – an Act relating to teacher compensation by requiring school corporations to incorporate teacher compensation into individual salary schedules and by eliminating the educational excellence program.

House File 381 – an Act relating to the practice of pharmacy by establishing a registration program for pharmacy support persons and regulating the internet sale of prescription products, including a program of registration of pharmacy internet sites, making penalties applicable, and establishing a general definition for the term "internet site".

House File 672 – an Act relating to individual development accounts available to certain persons with low income and providing effective and applicability date provisions.

Senate File 279 – an Act providing for the establishment of an abbreviated electric transmission franchise process, and providing an effective date.

Source: Iowa Governor