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 said section 100 of said chapter 32. 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. The benefit under section 1 shall be paid to Maria Rodriguez and consist of an annual amount of pension equal to the amount of salary that would have been paid to LeRoi Rodriguez had he continued in service as a Boston firefighter. The line of duty death benefit shall maintain parity with the city of Boston firefighters collective bargaining pay increases. In the case of any surviving eligible children there shall be paid to Maria Rodriguez the sum of $312 per annum for each such child until such time as all such children have attained 18 years of age or have attained 22 years of age 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 of 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 its passage
Approved, December 8, 2022.