An Act providing killed in the line of duty benefits to Joanne Songy, surviving spouse of Detective John D. Songy, a police officer of the town of Rutland

This bill directs two state retirement boards to provide killed-in-action benefits to Joanne Songy, the surviving spouse of Detective John D. Songy from Rutland. The legislation specifically applies to benefits under sections 100 and 100A of the General Laws, which are typically reserved for officers who die while performing their duties. Although the officer died from complications related to COVID-19 rather than an immediate line-of-duty incident, the act treats this death as qualifying for these specific benefits. Additionally, the bill ensures that any payments made to the surviving spouse are non-taxable to the extent allowed by state law. The financial responsibility for these payments is assigned to both the Worcester regional retirement board and the state board of retirement.