AN ACT to extend the law enforcement officers', firemen's, rescue squad workers', and civil air patrol members' death benefit to permanent part‑time and temporary law enforcement officers and detention officers.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 143‑166.2(d) reads as rewritten:
"(d)	The term "law‑enforcement officer", "officer", or "fireman" shall mean a sheriff and all law‑enforcement officers employed  full‑time, permanent part‑time, or temporarily by a sheriff, the State of North Carolina or any county or municipality  thereof, whether paid or unpaid; and all full‑time custodial employees and probation and parole officers of the North Carolina Department of  Correction; and all full time institutional and full‑time, permanent part‑time, and temporary detention employees of the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency  Prevention and full‑time, permanent part‑time, and temporary detention officers employed by any sheriff, county or municipality, whether paid or unpaid. The term "firemen" shall mean both "eligible fireman"; or "fireman" as defined in G.S. 58‑86‑25 and all full‑time, permanent part‑time and temporary employees of the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, during the time they are actively engaged in fire‑fighting activities; and shall mean all full‑time employees of the North Carolina Department of Insurance during the time they are actively engaged in fire‑fighting activities, during the time they are training fire fighters or rescue squad workers, and during the time they are engaged in activities as members of the State Emergency Response Team, when the Team has been activated. The term "rescue squad worker" shall mean a person who is dedicated to the purpose of alleviating human suffering and assisting anyone who is in difficulty or who is injured or becomes suddenly ill by providing the proper and efficient care or emergency medical services. In addition, this person must belong to an organized rescue squad which is eligible for membership in the North Carolina Association of Rescue Squads, Inc., and the person must have attended a minimum of 36 hours of training and meetings in the last calendar year. Each rescue squad belonging to the North Carolina Association of Rescue Squads, Inc., must file a roster of those members meeting the above requirements with the State Treasurer on or about January 1 of each year, and this roster must be certified to by the secretary of said association. In addition, the term "rescue squad worker" shall mean a member of an ambulance service certified by the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to Article 7 of Chapter 131E of the General Statutes. The Department of Health and Human Services shall furnish a list of ambulance service members to the State Treasurer on or about January 1 of each year. The term "Civil Air Patrol members" shall mean those senior members of the North Carolina Wing‑Civil Air Patrol 18 years of age or older and currently certified pursuant to G.S. 143B‑491(a). The term "fireman" shall also mean county fire marshals when engaged in the performance of their county duties. The term "rescue squad worker" shall also mean county emergency services coordinators when engaged in the performance of their county duties."
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of State Treasurer the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 2005-2006 fiscal year to implement the provisions of this act.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective November 1, 2004, and applies to all deaths occurring on or after that date.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 24th day of August, 2005.

	s/	 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 James B. Black
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Michael F. Easley
	 Governor

Approved 1:42 p.m. this 8th day of September, 2005