§ 143A-13.  Office of the Lieutenant Governor; creation; awards.

(a) Creation. - There is hereby created an office of the Lieutenant Governor.

(b) Medal of Valor Award. - The Lieutenant Governor may award the "Medal of Valor Award" to a first responder upon recommendation from the highest-ranking official or member of a first responder unit. The Lieutenant Governor may award no more than two Medal of Valor Awards to first responders each calendar year, except that a third may be awarded under special circumstances as determined by the Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor may also award one Medal of Valor Award to one first responder unit, once each calendar year. A Medal of Valor Award shall be for a first responder or first responder unit that has performed great acts of heroism while under threat of personal risk to safety, beyond the call of duty in the field. For the purposes of this subsection, a "first responder" includes any firefighter, paramedic, law enforcement officer, emergency medical services personnel, or rescue squad member. (1971, c. 864, s. 3; 2023-94, s. 2.)