July 5, 2004

IMMEDIATE RELEASE……………
Contact: Candace Ouillette Gaumond @ 413.599.4785

CANDARAS SECURES PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION RESTORING BENEFITS TO WIDOW OF SLAIN SPRINGFIELD POLICE OFFICER

BOSTON – State Representative Gale D. Candaras (D – Wilbraham) announced today that she has secured the passage of special legislation reinstating surviving spouse benefits to Doris Beauregard-Shecrallah of Wilbraham. Beauregard-Shecrallah is the wife of slain Springfield police officer, Alain Beauregard. The bill has passed the house and senate and is now on the governor’s desk for signature.

Officer Alain Beauregard was killed in the line of duty in November of 1985, leaving his wife, Doris, and their children. According to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 32, Section 100, Doris Beauregard was entitled to surviving spouse benefits as a result of her husband’s death in the line of duty. However, her remarriage to Mr. Shecrallah in 1985 triggered a state law that automatically terminated her surviving spouse benefits.

Candaras, sponsor of Beauregard-Shecrallah’s legislation, said, “Mrs. Beauregard-Shecrallah was a young widow. She wanted to start a new life for herself and her small children. Her traditional, Catholic upbringing and concern for her children’s welfare made marriage the only acceptable choice for her. State law forced her to choose between a legal marriage to Mr. Shecrallah and a substantial economic loss. She had already suffered the loss of her husband and she was, by virtue of her remarriage, deprived of the benefits he had worked and died to secure for her and their children. This wasn’t fair and it wasn’t good public policy.”

In July 2000, legislation passed allowing for the continuation of benefits to the surviving spouses of police officers who choose to remarry but the law did not grandfather in those surviving spouses who remarried prior to July 2000. Beauregard-Shecrallah’s earlier remarriage excluded her from receiving surviving spouse benefits while other widows who remarried after July 2000, continued to receive their benefits without interruption.

“The 2000 legislation gave prospective relief only and, for this reason, did not help Mrs. Beauregard-Shecrallah. We reviewed the matter and found she was among a very small group of surviving spouses in the Commonwealth who had been deprived of benefits as a result of remarriage. Our special legislation restores her benefits retroactively and closes a very painful chapter in her life. One person can be heard, and she was,” said Candaras.

Beauregard-Shecrallah has kept her late husband’s memory alive. She is an active and long-time member of the National Concerns of Police Survivors Program, an organization that provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Over the years, Beauregard-Shecrallah has comforted and assisted many surviving families through her efforts and by coordinating numerous events, such as the Blue Light Memorial Ceremony, an event held in Springfield that honors fallen police officers. When notified of the passage of the bill, Mrs. Beaureguard-Shecrallah said:

“I’m happy that the House and Senate have passed my bill. This has been a long process and I’m relieved that the Legislature recognized the unfairness of depriving me of Alain’s death benefits because I remarried before 2000. I am thankful for all the hard work Representative Candaras did on my bill and the kindness she showed me. My legislation would have never passed without her help,” said Beauregard-Shecrallah. “I also appreciate the support and encouragement that the many other dignitaries have given me. Everyone has been so wonderful.”

Candaras has written to Governor Romney advocating for the passage of this bill. Ten days have passed since the bill was placed on the Governor’s desk, and no action was taken. Under The Massachusetts Constitution, if the Governor takes no action on a bill within ten days of receipt of the bill from the Legislature, the bill automatically becomes law unless the Legislature is out of session. As of this week, the Legislature still remains in session.

“Mrs. Beauregard-Shecrallah has struggled with this issue for almost twenty years and her children are nearly grown,” Candaras said. “But, if we can make it right for her, we should.”