Posted on October 11, 2023
HARTFORD – State Rep. Dave Yaccarino (R-87) on Wednesday highlighted a new, lesser-known provision in the two-year state budget that provides more financial support for the families of law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty.
The biennium budget signed by Gov. Lamont in June allocated $500,000 in each of fiscal years 2024 and 2025 to create the Fallen Officer Fund, an initiative proposed by House Republicans in the 2023 legislative session. The bill became an element of budget negotiations last spring after it garnered unanimous bipartisan support during the Appropriations Committee process.
“Our law enforcement officers in North Haven and across Connecticut are among our bravest neighbors who serve our community every day. Now, they will know that Connecticut will support their families if something is to happen to them on the job,” Rep. Yaccarino said. “House Republicans proposed this fund earlier this year when we recognized a gap in support for these affected families. I am proud to have supported it and am thankful for the bipartisan support that it received.”
Effective July 1, 2023, the fund covers any Connecticut state or municipal police officer as well as any auxiliary, intermittent, special, part-time, or reserve police officer. The family of an officer killed in the line of duty will receive a one-time lump sum benefit of $100,000, within available appropriations. The payment is not taxable under state law. It cannot be reduced or offset due to other benefits that may be awarded to families, such as financial assistance provided through the Police Association of Connecticut.
Heading into the 2023 legislative session, House Republicans, Yaccarino said, were moved to act in response to rising danger faced by police officers.
“Police officers and law enforcement face constant obstacles in Connecticut, where violent crime continues to rise and policies in Hartford restrict their ability to perform on the job. With that and the concerns for their own personal safety, we must offer constant and strong support for the work they do to keep our neighborhoods safe,” he said. “The Fallen Officer Fund is an opportunity to do just that and I look forward to finding future ways to support our officers and their families.”
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