A bill passed Friday by the Kansas Legislature is a good measure that everyone hopes is seldom used.

Although the Kansas House had previously refused to consider the bill, legislators in both houses overwhelmingly approved a measure Friday that would provide $250,000 to families of Kansas National Guard members killed in a combat zone. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has supported the measure and is expected to sign it.

The bill doubles the $125,000 death benefit passed earlier in the session.

The action took place in what usually is a ceremonial and sparsely attended session to mark the Legislature’s final adjournment. With an uncharacteristically large turnout, the bill was approved by a vote of 36-0 in the Senate with four members absent, and 103-8 in the House with 14 members absent.

A few opponents continued to maintain that the bill was too “open-ended” or that providing life insurance benefits for families would be more responsible, but the majority clearly agreed with Senate President Steve Morris that the death benefit is “the least we can do.”

The $250,000 will be paid to the families of three Kansas National Guard soldiers who have died in the Iraq War: 1st Sgt. Clinton Wisdom and Sgt. Don Clary, both killed on Nov. 8; and Sgt. Derrick J. Lutters, killed May 1.

As Morris said, the money is the least the state can do for the families of these soldiers. Kansans should honor their sacrifice gladly and hope the state won’t be called upon to make such a payment very many times in the future.