The bill establishes the Montana End of Watch Trust, which aims to provide financial support for health insurance benefits to local and state government officers who are catastrophically injured or die in the line of duty. It creates a state special revenue account and an oversight board attached to the Department of Justice for administrative purposes. Additionally, the bill stipulates that benefits received from the trust will not be considered taxable income and allows for retroactive payments from the trust to eligible beneficiaries.

To implement these provisions, the bill amends several sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA), specifically sections 2-18-704, 15-30-2110, 15-30-2120, and 25-13-608. It also includes a fund transfer and an appropriation to support the trust's establishment and operations. Notably, the bill supersedes existing unfunded mandate laws, ensuring that local and state governments are not burdened with additional costs without funding.

Statutes affected:
SB0294_1.pdf: 2-18-704, 15-30-2110, 15-30-2120
SB0294_2.pdf: 2-18-704, 15-30-2110, 15-30-2120
SB0294_3.pdf: 2-18-704, 15-30-2110, 15-30-2120
Amended: 2-18-704, 15-30-2110, 15-30-2120
Introduced: 2-18-704, 15-30-2110, 15-30-2120