Honoring Fallen Officers
 Police officers are the first line of defense in our communities. They work tirelessly day and night to protect the men, women and children in our state, but unfortunately, keeping others safe can mean sacrificing their own safety. Thousands of brave Wisconsin men and women selflessly put themselves in harms way every day while their families wait and pray they will come home safe. Tragically, there are times when the line of duty requires an officer to give everything they have, and their loved ones are left waiting. This terrible reality means that the families that support our officers sacrifice tremendously and deserve our respect and gratitude.
Among the many hardships families encounter after an officer is killed in the line of duty is losing health insurance. In many cases, a husband or wife will begin receiving notices that their health insurance is being severed only days after losing their spouse. The last thing these families need is the stress of trying to find and pay for health insurance while they are struggling with grief and trying to prepare a funeral service.
To help alleviate this burden, I authored Senate Bill 192 which would continue health coverage for immediate family members of police officers that die in the line of duty. I was proud to testify in favor of the bill before the Senate Committee on Elections & Local Government during a public hearing on Wednesday, September 23.
These men and women are heroes, and they, and their families, deserve our recognition, our thanks and our support. We can never return the fathers and mothers that these families lost, or erase the grief that plagues them year after year. What we can do is honor these heroes by helping to make sure their families are taken care of. I am proud to bring this bill forward, and I hope my colleagues join me in supporting this important measure.
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