The proposed bill, General Assembly Committee Bill No. 6408, aims to expand compensation for dependents in cases of death resulting from an accident. It modifies subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of section 31-306 of the general statutes by repealing the existing language and substituting it with new provisions. The bill introduces two categories for compensation distribution: (A) for one or more persons who are wholly dependent in fact on the deceased, the compensation will be divided according to their relative degree of dependence; and (B) for the next of kin of the deceased employee, the compensation will be divided equally among them.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that compensation will be payable for a maximum of 312 weeks from the date of the employee's death. It maintains that compensation for those wholly dependent will be at the full compensation rate, while for those partially dependent, it will not exceed the full compensation rate or be less than twenty dollars weekly, depending on the average weekly contributions made by the deceased. The effective date for these changes is set for July 1, 2025.