Since three Pittsburgh police officers were killed in the line of duty in April, spouses of two of the officers have received only a quarter of their monthly salaries.

To rectify that in the future, Gov. Ed Rendell signed a bill late Friday -- approved unanimously by the Senate and House last week -- extending fuller death benefits to the families of public safety workers across the state.

The bill from state Sen. Sean Logan, D-Monroeville, guarantees state-backed benefits to families of police officers, firefighters and medics killed while on duty, at an amount equal to the killed worker's full monthly salary. The benefit is for the life of the spouse and for children until they are 18, 23 if they go to college.

Previously, small towns covered the entire cost of their police benefits, while the Pennsylvania State Police and forces in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and third-class cities such as Allentown and Scranton covered only a portion.

Police union officials have long lobbied to close the loophole and a bid to do so last year -- which would have triggered bigger benefits for the families of the officers shot in Stanton Heights -- stalled. Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge No. 1 is continuing to raise money to offset expenses for the families.

The bill will not extend benefits to officers killed earlier this year.

"Obviously, [the bill] still doesn't bring back the person [killed] and doesn't solve a lot of problems, but it makes the job easier. We don't have to worry our families won't be financially secure," city FOP president Dan O'Hara said yesterday. "It's a common-sense bill that was a long time coming."

Families face a thicket of complicated pension rules and formulas in the days following their loved one's death. The bill will help clear that up, said Joe King, president of Pittsburgh Fire Fighters Local 1.

"It brings together a clear understanding that when any public safety worker is killed in the line of duty, they get 100 percent salary," Mr. King said.

In a time of otherwise partisan budget-related rancor in Harrisburg, the House approved changes to Mr. Logan's bill 196-0 on Thursday, and the next day the Senate confirmed the changes, 49-0. After the bill's failure last year, Mr. Logan re-introduced it in February.

"The overwhelming bipartisan effort on this bill again proves the state's dedication and gratitude to police officers and other emergency responders," Mr. Logan said in a prepared statement. "They can now be assured that if something were to ever happen to them in the line of duty that their loved ones will be OK."

Since 2002, according to Mr. Logan's office, 23 police officers and 15 firefighters have been killed statewide, leaving families ineligible for full death benefits.

In addition to the three Pittsburgh police officers without full benefits killed in April, this year a Philadelphia officer was killed in February and a state trooper from Monroe County was killed on duty in June.

The governor's signature means the changes will take effect immediately, noted state FOP president Les Neri.

"We appreciate them acting on this as quickly as they did. Getting this [bill] through during an exceptionally tough budget season showed us they didn't forget about our men and women risking their lives every day," he said.

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