Arizona Voters Approve Proposition 311, “Back The Blue Act” to Support Families of First Responders Killed by Criminal Acts

Voters in Arizona have given their resounding support to Proposition 311, which promises to provide a sizable financial cushion to the families of fallen first responders. According to

the Arizona State Legislature

, the measure sets up a $250,000 state death benefit to the surviving spouse or children of a first responder killed in the line of duty due to a criminal act. This new initiative is unique in that its funding mechanism does not draw from taxpayer money but rather is sourced from a $20 penalty fee on every criminal conviction in the state, starting July 1, 2025.

The allocation of these funds, however, is not without its boundaries. A poignant reminder of this comes from an interview with Angela Harrolle, who shared her story with

FOX 10 Phoenix

. Harrolle, having lost her husband Bruce in a rescue mission in 2008, made it clear that families such as her own would not benefit under the new law because her husband’s death, though in the line of duty, was not a result of a criminal act. “What I’ve learned about this [proposition] is that the beneficiaries or the people who have access to this $250,000 are exclusive to those who have lost a loved one truly in the line of duty due to a criminal act,” Harrolle explained.

Proposition 311 comes with another layer. It increases the criminal punishment for aggravated assault against first responders, expanding the scope to include other roles beyond peace officers. If the individual committing an aggravated assault knows or has reason to know the victim is a first responder engaged in official duties, the crime’s classification will elevate from a class 5 felony to class 4. If the first responder is injured, it escalates to a class 3 felony. These changes, as outlined by

the legislative council’s analysis

, will also come into effect on July 1, 2025, and are set to be repealed on January 1, 2033.

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