HB 1545 -
By Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature finds that the current
system of stopping payment of industrial insurance death benefits to
surviving spouses upon the remarriage of the surviving spouse may be
based on archaic notions that are not in-line with modern society.
Many pension programs, including the law enforcement officers' and
firefighters' retirement system, have removed the remarriage
prohibition and allow surviving spouses to continue to receive benefits
after remarriage. The legislature further finds that some surviving
spouses of law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement
system members have expressed concerns that terminating benefits upon
remarriage penalizes the spouse for moving on with his or her life.
The legislature declares that it is time to study the policy of
terminating industrial insurance death benefits upon remarriage of the
surviving spouse and determine whether changes need to be made to the
workers' compensation system.
(2) The workers' compensation advisory committee must study the
current practice of terminating industrial insurance death benefits
upon remarriage of the surviving spouse of a law enforcement officers'
and firefighters' retirement system member. The study must address the
following:
(a) The reasons behind the policy of terminating death benefits
upon remarriage of the surviving spouse;
(b) Potential costs to the workers' compensation system if
industrial insurance death benefits are continued after remarriage of
the surviving spouse of a law enforcement officers' and firefighters'
retirement system member, and potential costs if this policy were
applied to all workers;
(c) Methods to offset potential costs, including providing a
reduced benefit if the surviving spouse chooses to receive benefits for
life;
(d) How workers' compensation death benefits are administered in
other states and whether any state continues these benefits after
remarriage; and
(e) Such other items the workers' compensation advisory committee
deems necessary.
(3) The workers' compensation advisory committee must report its
findings to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December
1, 2009.
(4) This section expires January 1, 2010."
HB 1545 -
By Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development
On page 1, line 2 of the title, after "officers;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "creating a new section; and providing an expiration date."
EFFECT: Requires the Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee to study issues relating to allowing a surviving spouse to continue to receive industrial insurance death benefits after remarriage. The committee must consider potential costs to the workers' compensation system as a whole and as it relates to providing this benefit to LEOFF members only. The committee must also study how other states administer their workers' compensation death benefits and ways to offset costs in this state. A report must be given to the legislature by December 1, 2009.