HB4133 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB094 13922 WGH 48803 b

94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
HB4133

Introduced 10/20/05, by Rep. Richard P. Myers

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

820 ILCS 315/3

from Ch. 48, par. 283

Amends the Line of Duty Compensation Act. Provides that, if no beneficiary is designated or surviving at the death of an Armed Forces member killed in the line of duty, compensation under the Act shall be paid in the following priority: to the surviving beneficiaries designated in the Armed Forces member's Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Election and Certificate; in accordance with the Armed Forces member's valid will; or in accordance with the provisions of the Act that apply to other line-of-duty deaths. Applies regardless of when the death occurred, unless compensation was paid before the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning employment.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Line of Duty Compensation Act is amended by changing Section 3 as follows:

(820 ILCS 315/3) (from Ch. 48, par. 283)

Sec. 3. Duty death benefit.

(a) If a claim therefor is made within one year of the date of death of a law enforcement officer, civil defense worker, civil air patrol member, paramedic, fireman, chaplain, State employee, or Armed Forces member killed in the line of duty, compensation shall be paid to the person designated by the law enforcement officer, civil defense worker, civil air patrol member, paramedic, fireman, chaplain, State employee, or Armed Forces member. However, if the Armed Forces member was killed in the line of duty before October 18, 2004, the claim must be made within one year of October 18, 2004.

(b) The amount of compensation, except for an Armed Forces member, shall be $10,000 if the death in the line of duty occurred prior to January 1, 1974; $20,000 if such death occurred after December 31, 1973 and before July 1, 1983; $50,000 if such death occurred on or after July 1, 1983 and before January 1, 1996; $100,000 if the death occurred on or after January 1, 1996 and before May 18, 2001; $118,000 if the death occurred on or after May 18, 2001 and before July 1, 2002; and $259,038 if the death occurred on or after July 1, 2002 and before January 1, 2003. For an Armed Forces member killed in the line of duty (i) at any time before January 1, 2005, the compensation is $259,038 plus amounts equal to the increases for 2003 and 2004 determined under subsection (c) and (ii) on or after January 1, 2005, the compensation is the amount determined under item (i) plus the applicable increases for 2005 and thereafter determined under subsection (c).

(c) Except as provided in subsection (b), for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2003, the death compensation rate for death in the line of duty occurring in a particular calendar year shall be the death compensation rate for death occurring in the previous calendar year (or in the case of deaths occurring in 2003, the rate in effect on December 31, 2002) increased by a percentage thereof equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the index known as the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: U.S. city average, unadjusted, for all items, as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the 12 months ending with the month of June of that previous calendar year.

(d) If no beneficiary is designated or surviving at the death of the law enforcement officer, civil defense worker, civil air patrol member, paramedic, fireman, chaplain, or State employee, or Armed Forces member killed in the line of duty, the compensation shall be paid as follows:

(1) when there is a surviving spouse, the entire sum shall be paid to the spouse;

(2) when there is no surviving spouse, but a surviving descendant of the decedent, the entire sum shall be paid to the decedent's descendants per stirpes;

(3) when there is neither a surviving spouse nor a surviving descendant, the entire sum shall be paid to the parents of the decedent in equal parts, allowing to the surviving parent, if one is dead, the entire sum; and

(4) when there is no surviving spouse, descendant or parent of the decedent, but there are surviving brothers or sisters, or descendants of a brother or sister, who were receiving their principal support from the decedent at his death, the entire sum shall be paid, in equal parts, to the dependent brothers or sisters or dependent descendant of a brother or sister. Dependency shall be determined by the Court of Claims based upon the investigation and report of the Attorney General.

(d-l) If no beneficiary is designated or surviving at the death of the Armed Forces member killed in the line of duty, the compensation shall be paid as follows:

(1) the entire sum shall be paid to the surviving beneficiaries designated in the Armed Forces member's Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Election and Certificate (SGLV-8286) (or in any other designation certificate for the Armed Forces member's Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance specified by the Department of Defense) in effect at the time of the Armed Forces member's death;

(2) if there are no surviving beneficiaries designated under subdivision (1) and the Armed Forces member left a valid will, the entire sum shall be paid in accordance with the will; and

(3) if there are no surviving beneficiaries designated under subdivision (1) and the Armed Forces member did not leave a valid will, the entire sum shall be paid shall be paid in accordance with subsection (d).

This subsection (d-1) applies regardless of when the death occurred, unless compensation was paid before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly.

(e) When there is no beneficiary designated or surviving at the death of the law enforcement officer, civil defense worker, civil air patrol member, paramedic, fireman, chaplain, State employee, or Armed Forces member killed in the line of duty and no surviving spouse, descendant, parent, dependent brother or sister, or dependent descendant of a brother or sister, no compensation shall be payable under this Act.

(f) No part of such compensation may be paid to any other person for any efforts in securing such compensation.

(g) This amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly applies to claims made on or after October 18, 2004 with respect to an Armed Forces member killed in the line of duty.

(Source: P.A. 92-3, eff. 5-18-01; 92-609, eff. 7-1-02; 93-1047, eff. 10-18-04; 93-1073, eff. 1-18-05.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.