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Committee unanimously advances bill letting surviving spouses of Pittsburgh firefighters keep pensions if they remarry
Summary
House Bill 797 would remove the remarriage disqualification for surviving spouses of Pittsburgh firefighters; the committee passed the bill by voice vote after sponsor testimony and support from Pittsburgh Firefighters Local 1.
House Bill 797, sponsored by Representative Benham, would amend provisions of the Second Class City Fireman Relief Law to allow surviving spouses of Pittsburgh firefighters to continue receiving pension benefits if they remarry.
Representative Benham told the committee that state law currently ends pension benefits for surviving spouses of firefighters in second-class cities upon remarriage, a restriction not found for other classes of municipalities. She said the change would correct an inconsistency and that Pittsburgh Firefighters Local 1 supported the bill.
"I believe that all first responders and their families deserve to be rewarded and recognized for their service to our communities and that surviving spouses of Pittsburgh Firefighters should not be denied this honor on remarriage due to legislative oversight," Benham said.
The committee adopted the bill by voice vote; the chair said the bill "passes out of the committee unanimously" and will be reported to the House for consideration.
