SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday that would double the statute of limitations for survivors of firefighters and police to file for job-related death benefits that exceed $300,000.
The bill would allow families to file for death benefits for up to nine years after the diagnosis of an on-duty caused illness or injury. Deaths caused by cancer, tuberculosis, blood-borne infectious disease, for instance, would apply.
Assembly Bill 2451 passed with a 51-18 vote in favor, with most Democrats supporting the bill while many Republicans opposed it, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Assembly Speaker John A. Perez, the creator of the bill, argued that the extension in time would target situations in which a public safety official suffered an injury or illness but lived longer than the current 4.5 year statute of limitation.
Opponents said that Bill 2451 could cost local governments hundreds of millions in the years to come and the extra costs aren’t affordable in the current economic climate.