Sen. Byron Pelton’s SB26-039 Advances Unanimously to Senate Committee of the Whole

Senate Bill SB26-039, the Fire and Police Pension Association Disability and Survivor Benefits measure, cleared a key hurdle when the Senate Committee on Finance voted to send the bill unamended to the Committee of the Whole with a recommendation for the consent calendar. The committee action on Feb. 3 passed unanimously, recorded as "Y: 9 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0."

The bill, introduced Jan. 27, 2026, carries bipartisan sponsorship from Sen. Byron Pelton, R‑Sterling, and Sen. Marc Snyder, D, with companion sponsors in the House, Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D, and Rep. Rick Taggart, R. The measure is described broadly as "Concerning the administration by the fire and police pension association of disability and survivor benefits."

Legislative Council Staff summarizes the core aim as an administrative clean-up. "The bill updates the Fire and Police Pension Association’s (FPPA’s) Statewide Death & Disability Plan by reorganizing and recodifying existing law, removing outdated provisions, and clarifying ambiguous [language]," the fiscal note states. The same fiscal analysis is explicit that "The bill does not change benefit amounts, eligibility service requirements, or require additional funding from the state, employers, or members."

Policy summaries assembled by a legislative tracker identify several procedural changes the measure would authorize. Billtrack50 notes the bill "removes the current requirement that the association require every member who applies for disability retirement benefits to have 3 independent medical exams and instead authorizes the board of the association (board) to appoint a medical advisor to assess the needs of each applicant for disability retirement," and it would allow "the board to create rules for a streamlined appeal process for denied benefits and for managing mental health claims" and "permits the Association to require members with an occupational disability (a disability preventing them from performing their assigned duties) to participate in rehabilitation and retraining programs."

Fiscal staff projects no state budget impact from those revisions. The initial fiscal note, drafting number LLS 26-0444, records State Revenue $0 and State Expenditures $0 for FY 2026-27 and FY 2027-28, and shows no change in state FTE. For questions on the fiscal analysis, Legislative Council Staff analyst Erin Reynolds can be reached at 303-866-4146 or erin.reynolds@coleg.gov.

For Logan County residents, the bill’s changes are primarily administrative but consequential for how disability and survivor claims are processed for local firefighters and police. FPPA’s Statewide Death & Disability Plan covers over 16,000 first responders across more than 250 Colorado departments and is funded by member and employer payroll contributions. Streamlining exams and appeals could alter timelines for claim resolution and the association’s interaction with local departments.

Procedurally, the Senate Second Reading was laid over to Feb. 9, and a hearing is scheduled Feb. 9 at 7:30 a.m. on the Senate Floor. If the bill remains on the consent calendar and clears the Committee of the Whole, it would move more quickly through the chamber. Residents with questions about how the proposed administrative changes might affect a family member who is a first responder should contact their legislators or the Legislative Council Staff fiscal analyst for details.