Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Secure Death Benefits for Surviving Spouses of State Employees

Bill supports spouses of deceased high-risk state employees

DENVER, CO – The Senate today passed Senator Tony Exum’s, D-Colorado Springs, bipartisan bill to ensure that surviving spouses of deceased state employees will receive lifetime death benefits.

Currently, a surviving spouse may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation death benefits for the rest of their life, but if they remarry, they forfeit the right to these benefits. HB24-1139, cosponsored by Senator Perry Will, R-New Castle, would ensure lifetime workers’ death benefits for surviving spouses of state employees with high-risk jobs, even if they remarry.

“Having served for over 35 years as a firefighter, I know the difficulties spouses of lost employees go through in the wake of their passing – and death benefits are critical for them during their times of need,” said Exum. “The current remarriage penalty forces a surviving spouse to relive the trauma of their loss and prevents them from moving forward with their lives. With this bill, widows can choose to remarry without sacrificing financial security.” 

The bill defines a job with high-risk classification as state troopers, Colorado Bureau of Investigations officers, corrections officers, community parole officers, state firefighters, port of entry officers, parks and wildlife officers, campus safety officers, and CDOT safety and maintenance workers.

The bill now heads to the House for further consideration. Follow its progress HERE.