Bill
HB 3255
Extends employer-paid health coverage for surviving spouses and dependents of certain public safety workers killed or catastrophically injured, removing remarriage as a termination
Status and key dates
- Bill number: HB 3255
- Sponsor: Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (chief Senate sponsor: Sen. Mike Porfirio)
- Introduced/Filed: February 2025 (filed with Clerk 2/6/2025; listed as filed 2/24/2025)
- House action: Passed the Illinois House (record shows 3rd reading/passed in April 2025, final House vote recorded 4/08/2025, 108–0). Fiscal note filed 4/01/2025.
- Senate action: Transmitted to the Senate 4/09/2025; as of early May 2025, read in the Senate and referred to committee(s) (Assignments / Economic Development).
- Affects: amendment to the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act (820 ILCS 320/10)
Purpose / intent
- To extend and clarify employer-paid group health insurance benefits for surviving spouses of certain public safety employees who suffer catastrophic injury or are killed in the line of duty — specifically removing a prior limitation that terminated employer-paid coverage for a surviving spouse upon remarriage.
What the bill does — main provisions
- Amends 820 ILCS 320/10 (Public Safety Employee Benefits Act) to require that an employer of a full‑time law enforcement officer, correctional officer, probation officer, or firefighter who, on or after the effective date, suffers a catastrophic injury or is killed in the line of duty shall:
- Pay the entire premium for a health insurance plan for the employee’s spouse, and for each dependent child under the conditions described in the statute (generally until majority, or until age 25 if dependent or a student).
- If the injured employee subsequently dies, continue to pay the entire health insurance premium for the surviving spouse (no longer limited “until remarried”) and for dependent children under the existing age/ dependency rules.
- Clarifies plan choice and enrollment mechanics: employer shall offer the same choice of health plans available to currently employed peers; State Employee Group Insurance Act plans allow election changes only in open enrollment or after qualifying events.
- Defines “health insurance plan” to exclude supplemental benefits that are not part of the basic group health insurance plan.
- Reduces benefits under this section by amounts payable from other sources (coordination of benefits).
- Establishes criminal and administrative remedies for fraud:
- Willfully making or causing false statements to obtain coverage under this Section is a Class A misdemeanor.
- Upon conviction for such fraud, a beneficiary forfeits the right to receive benefits under this Section and must reimburse the employer for benefits paid because of the fraud. Conviction includes a plea or trial determination of guilt even if adjudication is withheld.
Eligibility limitations
- Coverage under the Act applies only when the catastrophic injury or death occurred in specified line-of-duty circumstances: response to fresh pursuit, response to a reasonably believed emergency, an unlawful act by another, or during the investigation of a criminal act.
- The bill does not limit any other health or pension benefits for which the officer, firefighter, spouse, or dependent children may otherwise be eligible.
Who is affected
- Primary: surviving spouses and dependent children of covered full‑time public safety employees (law enforcement, correctional, probation officers, firefighters) who are catastrophically injured or killed in specified line‑of‑duty incidents on or after the bill’s effective date.
- Secondary: public employers (municipalities, counties, state agencies, or other governmental employers) that must pay the full premium for employer-sponsored group health plans for these survivors; potential fiscal impact noted (fiscal note filed).
Practical impact
- Removes remarriage as a terminating event for employer-paid survivor health coverage, potentially extending employer liability for spousal premiums indefinitely (or until other statutory conditions apply).
- Ensures surviving spouses keep the same employer-plan options available to active employees (subject to enrollment rules).
- Imposes penalty and recovery mechanisms to deter and remediate fraudulent claims.
Notes
- The bill text uses “on or after the effective date of this Act” — the specific effective date is set by statute or later amendment if enacted.
- Fiscal implications (long-term premium costs for employers) will vary by jurisdiction and the number of eligible survivors; a fiscal note was requested and filed.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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