Bill > SF2821

This bill expands the definition of "killed in the line of duty" for public safety officers to include several additional circumstances and provides a process for retroactive benefit claims. The bill broadens the definition to include deaths resulting from heart attacks, strokes, or vascular ruptures during emergency response activities, suicide linked to posttraumatic stress disorder or within 45 days of a traumatic event, and deaths caused by specific infectious diseases including COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, meningitis, MRSA, whooping cough, and streptococcus pneumoniae. It also modifies the definition of "public safety officer" to include part-time state or fire department employees, and establishes a process for reviewing and potentially awarding benefits for deaths occurring between February 1, 2020, and July 1, 2025, that were previously denied. Notably, the bill allows retroactive claims to be filed by July 1, 2027, and requires the commissioner of public safety to review and potentially award benefits for previously denied claims based on the expanded definitions. This legislation aims to provide broader support and recognition for public safety officers who die in the line of duty or as a result of job-related circumstances.

Justice

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2821&ssn=0&y=2025