This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If the governor, not the federal government, activates the Utah National Guard and a member is killed, he or she currently would receive no death benefit from the state.
The House took the first step to change that Monday, and provide a $100,000 death benefit.
Representatives passed HB98 on a 73-0 vote, and sent it to the Senate.
Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, said national guard members activated by the federal government would receive the same federal death benefits available to soldiers on active federal duty.
He said in a world where terrorism and natural disasters could lead the state to activate the guard more often, it makes sense to create death benefits for its members.
Lee Davidson