HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4967        FILED ON: 3/29/2022

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4454

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Rob Consalvo

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act providing certain death benefits for the widow of a former firefighter of the City of Boston.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4967        FILED ON: 3/29/2022

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4454

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act providing certain death benefits for the widow of a former firefighter of the City of Boston.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 1. Notwithstanding section 100 of chapter 32 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, and to promote the public good, there shall be paid a line of duty death benefit from the Boston Retirement Board to Maria Rodriguez, the widow of LeRoi Rodriguez, a former firefighter of the city of Boston who died as a result of injuries sustained while performing the essential duties of a firefighter. The benefits shall be paid and administered in accordance with section 100 of chapter 32 of the General Laws. Maria Rodriguez shall receive a lump sum payment from the Boston Retirement Board equal to the total accumulated retirement deductions paid by LeRoi Rodriguez into the annuity savings fund.

Section 2. Such line of duty death benefit shall be paid to Maria Rodriguez and consist of an annual amount of pension equal to the amount of salary which would have been paid to said Fire Lieutenant LeRoi Rodriguez had he continued in service as a Boston Firefighter. This line of duty death benefit shall maintain parity with the Boston firefighters collective bargaining pay increases. In case of any surviving eligible children there shall be paid to Maria Rodriguez the sum of three hundred and twelve dollars per annum for each such child until such time as all such children have attained age eighteen or have attained age twenty-two if a full-time student.

Section 3. Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the surviving children of LeRoi Rodriguez, a deceased firefighter in the City of Boston, shall be eligible for original appointment to the Boston Fire Department and shall be considered survivors under section 26 of chapter 31 of the General Laws. In order to have their names so certified, said surviving children must first pass the written and physical examinations required of all candidates for entrance to the fire service.

Section 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.