Written by Nicholas Persac

The state Legislature gave final approval Tuesday to a bill that will retroactively qualify the families of the two fraud investigators killed in Ville Platte earlier this month for the same benefits given to the families of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Senate Bill 271, sponsored by state Sen. Robert Marionneaux, D-17, passed through both of the state's chambers and now will head to Gov. Bobby Jindal's desk, where he will sign the bill into law, according to Kyle Plotkin, a spokesman for Jindal.

"That's fantastic news," said Robert Jeansonne, whose son Rhett Jeansonne was one of the two Department of Insurance investigators killed. "Both of the families could really use the help."

Rhett Jeansonne, 39, and fellow Department of Insurance investigator Kim McEleveen-Sledge, 44, both of Denham Springs, died June 7 when they went to Lavergne Insurance Agency on official business. John Melvin Lavergne killed the unarmed investigators as they collected files for an ongoing case.

State law currently gives $250,000 to the surviving spouse of a law enforcement officer or firefighter killed in the line of duty. The law also awards $25,000 to each of the dependent children of such officers and firefighters.

Those benefits now are expanded to retroactively qualify Jeansonne's and McEleveen-Sledge's families and now will apply to government workers in other agencies who die while investigating a criminal matter.

Both Jeansonne and McEleveen-Sledge have surviving spouses and children, but neither qualified for the benefits under the old requirements because the investigators are not POST-certified officers.

"They are not absolutely a police officer, but they are doing the same job by delivering a warrant," Robert Jeansonne said. "They definitely should qualify."

Expanding the benefit requirements faced a tight timeline because this year's legislative session ends Thursday. The Senate fast-tracked the bill by suspending normal rules to provide enough time for the legislative process to be completed.

The bill unanimously passed committees in the House and Senate and unanimously passed in the full House and Senate.

Robert Jeansonne said he spoke with state Sen. Dale Erdey, R-13, throughout the legislative process. Erdey represents the area in which Jeansonne and McEleveen-Sledge lived, and Robert Jeansonne said Erdey played an intricate role in passing the legislation. "The Legislature did outstanding work," Robert Jeansonne said.

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