A bipartisan group of legislators wants to double the amount of money the state is allowed to pay out to New Hampshire first responders who are injured in the line of duty.

If passed, House Bill 282, sponsored by Belmont Republican Rep. Douglas Trottier, would increase the total cap on the First Responder’s Critical Injury Benefit, which provides financial compensation to injured first responders, from $500,000 to $1 million every two years. Each individual injured first responder is eligible to receive $125,000 through this benefit. The benefit is in addition to other worker’s compensation claims.

The bill is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of Republicans and Democrats.

Brian Ryll, president of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire and captain of the Portsmouth Fire Department, attended a hearing Tuesday in Concord to testify in favor of the bill.

“Although, there’s considerable evolution in firefighting policies, procedures, best practices,” he said, “the fact remains that the dedicated firefighters that protect this state are constantly at risk for catastrophic injury, a devastating illness or death.”

Ryll acknowledged that the state’s payouts for this benefit have not yet hit that $500,000 limit, but he said he believes this benefit will be paid out more over time as more first responders learn about it.

The cap has not been increased since the First Responder’s Critical Injury Benefit was established by legislation in 2014.

The benefit was created in the wake of the grisly shooting of Manchester Police Officer Daniel Doherty. Doherty was shot five times in March 2012 and suffered from physical ailments as a result of the shooting for years after, some of which were not covered by typical worker’s compensation, according to news reports at the time.