POLICE & FIRE DUTY DEATH BENEFIT: END REMARRIAGE PENALTY
House Bill 4827
Sponsor: Rep. Scott Shackleton
Committee: Senior Health, Security and Retirement
Complete to 7-30-01
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4827 AS INTRODUCED 5-24-01
Under the Fire Fighters and Police Officers Retirement Act, the surviving spouse of an officer is eligible for a duty death pension payable throughout the spouse's life, or until his or her remarriage. However, the act also contains a provision that, if adopted by a municipality, specifies that the remarriage of a surviving spouse does not render him or her ineligible to receive a duty death pension or a pension payable to a surviving spouse of an officer who died while still employed after attaining 20 years of service and without designating a survivor option.
House Bill 4827 would eliminate the remarriage restriction with regard to surviving spouses who are receiving a duty death pension, and delete from the act the provision allowing local governments to choose whether to discontinue the remarriage restriction. Thus, the remarriage restriction would be removed generally under the act, whether or not the municipality chose to eliminate it.
In addition, the bill would delete language added in 1982 to address one particular situation in the city of Centerline.
MCL 38.556 et al.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.