IMPORTANT - Colorado House Bill 1076

Marty, this could affect you and anyone else who draws Social Security retirement and gets terminated from employment in Colorado. Colorado (and only three other states plus the District of Columbia) have a Unemployment Insurance Benefits offset provision in state law.

Under the law, if you draw Social Security, your Unemployment Benefits are reduced $1 for every $2 you receive in Social Security. At first glance, you might say "Makes sense" but think about who it affects and what the effect is. I worked for a long time, and paid into the system, to get to where I could draw benefits. Unemployment is meant as a partial income replacement for workers who lose their job through no fault of their own. Would it make sense to deny or reduce a woman's benefits because she had a husband who still had an income?

Fear not, I suspect AARP has been lobbying in Colorado and Representative Sal Pace of Pueblo (Thank you, Sir) introduced HB 1076 that would do away with this inequity. The bill has passed the House and is being considered in the Senate. There is a committee hearing scheduled for Friday and it could be up for a full Senate vote before the end of March. If passed, it would take effect immediately.

I urge all Colorado workers currently drawing Social Security (and those who think they might collect someday but will still need to work) to contact all the Colorado Senators to insure that HB 1076 becomes law.