New law protects families of fallen Colorado state workers

Families of state workers who die on the job won’t lose their benefits days after their loved ones perish under a new state law.

The Denver Post reports Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the law on Wednesday, which keeps benefits in place for a year following a worker’s death.

The bill had broad bipartisan support in the state House and Senate.

The law goes into effect immediately. It’s inspired by the death of Colorado State Patrol Trooper Cody Donahue, who was struck and killed by a vehicle while responding to a crash near Castle Rock in 2016.

If a state worker died on the job under the old policy, their family’s benefits – such as health and dental insurance – ended at the end of the month that person passed away.