MassLive: Bill by Sen. Ed Markey would extend death benefits to private university officers, including Sean Collier
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, has co-sponsored a bill that would extend federal death benefits to families of first responders who work at private colleges, including slain MIT police officer Sean Collier.
The U.S. Department of Justice already runs a Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program. The program gives a one-time payment, currently $333,604, to survivors of public safety officers who die from of injuries sustained in the line of duty. It also pays disability benefits to police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians who are permanently and totally disabled from injuries sustained in the line of duty.
Some officers at public universities are eligible for the program. This bill, the Equity in Law Enforcement Act of 2014, would extend eligibility to police officers at private universities.
If passed, the bill would be retroactive to April 15, 2013, the day of the Boston Marathon bombing.
