Jim Cooper Proposes Ban On Death Gratuity For Lawmakers' Spouses [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Huffington Post

Jim Cooper Proposes Ban On Death Gratuity For Lawmakers' Spouses
The Huffington Post | By Ashley Alman Posted: 11/23/2013 6:08 pm EST | Updated: 11/23/2013 6:14 pm EST

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) introduced a resolution in the House this week, proposing a ban on death gratuities for spouses of deceased lawmakers.

When a member of Congress dies in office, an item is inserted into the next appropriations bill, granting the equivalent of one year's pay to the survivors of the lawmaker.

On Saturday, Cooper told The Hill that members of Congress should not receive such "special treatment," but should secure their families' futures through life insurance, "like regular citizens."

"The death gratuity became customary starting in 1918 before the birth of modern life insurance (1924), the creation of Social Security (1935), the establishment of civil service pensions (1942), and health benefits under Medicare (1965)," Cooper said. "A lot has changed since 1918, and the gratuity custom should have been abandoned a long time ago."


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