Catherwood LibraryILR School

On Monday, President Bush signed into law a bill making any life insurance beneficiary of a firefighter or police officer eligible to receive a $250,000 federal death benefit for public safety officers who die in the line of duty. Prior to the passage of the law---which is retroactive to September 11, 2001---only spouses and children were eligible to receive the benefit. The White House has described the ratification as an attempt to respect the wishes of many of the unmarried individuals who died in the September 11 attacks, but has drawn both praise from gay rights groups and criticism from conservatives for the fact that same-sex domestic partners are among those eligible to receive the benefit under the new law.