State Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, announced Wednesday that he has withdrawn House Bill 227 from the legislative agenda, citing the need to resolve a statutory conflict before moving forward. The bill, originally aimed at strengthening and expanding line-of-duty death benefits for Alabama firefighters, was set for consideration on Tuesday before Bedsole voluntarily pulled it.
The proposed legislation was introduced after it came to light that existing laws governing firefighter death benefits contained loopholes. These gaps, according to Bedsole, have led to questionable claims that could jeopardize the long-term viability of the benefit fund.
“My bill was drafted in order to protect, guarantee and even expand the line of duty death benefits awarded to firefighters,” Bedsole said in a statement. “But at the last minute, we discovered a conflict with another existing statute that was unaddressed in the legislation.”
In addition to closing loopholes, HB227 would have extended the timeframe in which work-related cancer claims could be filed—an expansion designed to better support firefighters facing long-term health complications from service-related exposures.
Rather than force a vote on a bill with unresolved issues, Bedsole chose to step back.
“I felt it was unfair to ask my fellow House members to vote on the measure while knowing that the conflict existed and was left dangling,” he said.
While the legislation is now off the table for the current session, Bedsole made clear that the issue remains a top priority and will return in future sessions.
“Passing the legislation will become easier with the buy-in, cooperation, and participation of firefighters across the state, and I will continue reaching out to them to find a workable and mutually agreeable compromise,” he said.
Bedsole emphasized that the bill was brought forward with “the best and most honorable intentions,” and he remains committed to ensuring the financial stability of Alabama’s firefighter death benefit program.
“I remain committed to ensuring that the program providing line of duty death benefits to the families of firefighters remains financially solvent and fiscally healthy for many years to come,” he said.
