Legislation Helping Police Families Becoming Law, Mehaffie Says

October 22, 2026

HARRISBURG – Rep. Tom Mehaffie’s initiative to ensure the families of fallen police officers have continued access to health insurance benefits is headed to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk to become law.

Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) authored the language that was amended into House Bill 453. Together, the original bill and amendment will not only provide insurance to a fallen officer’s spouse for his or her lifetime, but also cover children until age 26 and ensure 911 dispatchers are categorized as first responders.

Mehaffie started working on the measure in 2020 after the widow of Derry Township Officer Michael L. Henry Jr. told him she received a letter about her insurance being discontinued.

“Losing a family member is stressful enough without the additional burden of questioning coverage, copays and the unexpected financial commitments associated with a medical appointment,” Mehaffie said. “This is a small thing we can do to help families grieving the loss of a police officer who died serving his or her community.”

Mehaffie’s proposal mirrors the benefits already available to Pennsylvania State Police families experiencing line-of-duty deaths.

“I’ve talked to Gov. Shapiro about the value of this protection for municipal officers and am hopeful he’ll sign House Bill 453 into law to give the law enforcement community greater peace of mind,” he said.

The House Law Enforcement Caucus, with several police chiefs and officers in attendance at its meeting, lent support to Mehaffie’s bill language during a meeting in April.



Representative Thomas L. Mehaffie III
106th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Fitch
717-260-6563
jfitch@pahousegop.com