Bill > A5261

Introduced Session

Under current law, State Police recruits are not sworn members of the New Jersey State Police until the recruits complete the required training and graduate from the New Jersey State Police Academy. As a result, the death cannot be classified as a death of a member and therefor benefits cannot be provided to the survivors. This bill classifies the death of a State Police recruit who dies during required pre-servicing training, or complications therefrom, as a death in the line of duty and provides an accidental death benefit to the surviving spouse, surviving child, or surviving parent of the State Police recruit. Under the bill, the benefit paid to the surviving spouse must be at least $50,000. The bill provides that if there is no surviving spouse, a final compensation of at least $50,000 would be used to calculate the death benefit to the surviving child or surviving parent, as the case may be. On December 1, 2020, Lucas C. Homeijer, 27, of Boonton, succumbed to injuries sustained during a training exercise at the New Jersey State Police Academy. Mr. Homeijer, the son and nephew of retired troopers, was an Eagle Scout, a past attendee of Trooper Youth Week, and a member of the 161st Class of the New Jersey State Police Academy. It is the sponsor's belief that this bill will honor the commitment and sacrifices of State Police recruits who die while training to become State Troopers.

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Aura Dunn (R)*,  Jean Stanfield (R), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee (on 01/12/2021)