| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §1596 is enacted to read: |
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| | 1.__Amount; recipients.__In any case in which the Chief of the | State Police determines under rules issued pursuant to this | section that a state police officer, referred to in this section | as "officer," has died as the direct and proximate result of a | personal injury sustained in the line of duty, the State shall | pay a benefit of $50,000 as follows: |
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| A.__If there is no surviving child of the officer, to the | surviving spouse of such officer; |
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| B.__If there are a surviving child or children and a | surviving spouse, 1/2 to the surviving child or children of | the officer in equal shares and 1/2 to the surviving spouse; |
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| C.__If there is no surviving spouse, to the child or | children of the officer in equal shares; or |
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| D.__If there is no surviving child or spouse of the officer, | to the parent or parents of the officer in equal shares. |
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| | 2.__Interim benefit payment.__Whenever the Chief of the State | Police determines upon showing of need and prior to final action | that the death of an officer is one with respect to which a | benefit will probably be paid, the chief shall notify the | Treasurer of State of this determination, and the Treasurer of | State may make an interim benefit payment not exceeding $3,000 to | the individual or individuals entitled to receive a benefit under | subsection 1 in the manner set out in subsection 1. |
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| | 3.__Deduction of interim payment.__The Treasurer of State | shall deduct the amount of an interim payment made pursuant to | subsection 2 from the amount of any final benefit paid to the | individual or individuals entitled to receive a benefit under | subsection 1. |
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| | 4.__Repayment of interim payment; waiver.__If no final benefit | is paid, the recipient or recipients of any interim payment under | subsection 2 are liable for repayment of the amount received.__ | The Chief of the State Police may waive all or part of the | repayment if the chief determines that undue hardship would | result from such repayment. |
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| | 5.__Reductions from final benefit payment.__The benefit | payable under this section is in addition to any other benefit |
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