Military organizations on Thursday urged lawmakers to pass legislation named after Sgt. Bishop Evans, a soldier who died while rescuing migrants on the Rio Grande, that would guarantee National Guard troops on state deployment $500,000 in death benefits for their survivors.
Evans’ death in April exposed a lack of benefits for National Guard service members deployed to Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s lengthy and unprecedented border security deployment. While state law guarantees law enforcement officers, like Department of Public Safety troopers, a $500,000 death benefit if they die on duty, National Guard troops who stand shoulder to shoulder with those troopers on the mission do not have the same guarantee.
“We just want parity,” said Marvin Harris, executive director for the National Guard Association of Texas. “Military Department members and their family should have the benefits guaranteed to other public service employees serving in the same scope of work.”
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