2024 Senate Bill 834 / Public Act 128

AI Analysis – Experimental

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the "Public Safety Officers Benefit Act" by revising section 4 of the 2004 PA 46 (MCL 28.634). The primary objective of the bill is to increase the financial benefit provided to the beneficiaries of public safety officers who die or become permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of injuries sustained in the line of duty. Specifically, the bill proposes to raise the benefit amount from $25,000 to $50,000. The allocation of this benefit follows a hierarchy: it is first directed to the surviving spouse, if any; if there is no surviving spouse, it goes to the deceased officer's dependents; if there are no dependents, the payment is made to the officer's estate. In cases where the officer is permanently and totally disabled, the benefit is paid to the spouse, or if there is no spouse, to the dependents, and if there are no dependents, to the entity providing care to the disabled officer. Additionally, the bill stipulates that this benefit is to be paid in addition to any other benefits the beneficiary may receive due to the officer's death.