Senator Karla Bigham (DFL – Cottage Grove) said today that she attended a bipartisan roundtable with Congresswoman Angie Craig, local leaders, and law enforcement officials to discuss state and federal proposals to expand the survivor benefits for public safety officers. Currently, death by suicide resulting from workrelated PTSD is not accepted as a “death in the line of duty.” This hurts families of public safety officers by excluding them from receiving survivor benefits.

“Our heroes in law enforcement make tremendous sacrifices every day, and many of them see things they cannot unsee. To honor and respect these heroes, we must work to end the stigma on PTSD and acknowledge that death by suicide resulting from workrelated PTSD should be recognized as a death in the line of duty,” said Senator Bigham. “Today’s roundtable is an indication of the bipartisan coalition we’ve built to work together on this issue to show how much we value first responders, their families, and the tremendous sacrifices they make for our communities.”

“I would like to thank Katie Slifko for her steadfast advocacy and Congresswoman Angie Craig for her leadership on this issue at the federal level.”

If anyone is thinking about suicide please call Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1800273TALK (8255) or text MN to 741741.

Senator Bigham Appointed to the Judiciary and Public Safety Conference Committee Senator Bigham has been appointed to the Judiciary and Public Safety conference committee to negotiate a final bill between the Minnesota House and Senate. The Senator said it is an honor to serve as a conferee and to continue her commitment to ensure that every Minnesotan feels safe in their community.