II 

Calendar No. 83 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1208 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 with 

respect to payments to certain public safety officers who have become 

permanently and totally disabled as a result of personal injuries sustained 

in the line of duty, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 11, 2019 

Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. 

TESTER, Mr. CRAMER, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. 

TILLIS, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. COONS, Mrs. 

BLACKBURN, and Mr. DAINES) introduced the following bill; which was 

read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

MAY 13, 2019 

Reported by Mr. GRAHAM, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 

Act of 1968 with respect to payments to certain public 

safety officers who have become permanently and totally 

disabled as a result of personal injuries sustained in 

the line of duty, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting America’s 

3 First Responders Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PAYMENT OF DEATH AND DISABILITY BENEFITS 

5 UNDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS’ 

6 DEATH BENEFITS PROGRAM. 

7 Section 1201 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 

8 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281) is amend9 ed— 

10 (1) in subsection (b), by striking the period at 

11 the end and inserting the following: ‘‘, unless the 

12 claim under this subsection has been pending for 

13 more than 1 year, in which case the amount payable 

14 shall be the amount that would be payable if the cat15 astrophic injury occurred on the date on which the 

16 Bureau makes a final determination that the public 

17 safety officer is entitled to a benefit payment under 

18 this subsection.’’; 

19 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘$3,000’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘$6,000, adjusted in accordance with sub21 section (h),’’; 

22 (3) in subsection (h), by inserting ‘‘and the 

23 level of the interim benefit payable immediately be24 fore such October 1 under subsection (c)’’ after 

25 ‘‘subsection (a)’’; 


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1 (4) by striking subsection (i) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(i) The amount payable under subsection (a), with 

4 respect to the death of a public safety officer, shall be the 

5 greater of— 

6 ‘‘(1) the amount payable under that subsection 

7 as of the date of death of the public safety officer; 

8 or 

9 ‘‘(2) the amount that would be payable under 

10 that subsection if the death of the public safety offi11 cer occurred on the date on which the Bureau makes 

12 a final determination that the public safety officer is 

13 entitled to a benefit payment under that sub14 section.’’; and 

15 (5) in subsection (m), by inserting ‘‘, (b),’’ after 

16 ‘‘subsection (a)’’. 

17 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE PUBLIC 

18 SAFETY OFFICERS’ DEATH BENEFITS PRO19 GRAM. 

20 Section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 

21 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284) is amend22 ed— 

23 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) ‘catastrophic injury’ means an injury, the 

2 direct and proximate consequences of which— 

3 ‘‘(A) permanently prevent an individual 

4 from performing any gainful work; or 

5 ‘‘(B) cause an individual to become— 

6 ‘‘(i) paraplegic; 

7 ‘‘(ii) quadriplegic; or 

8 ‘‘(iii) blind;’’; 

9 (2) in paragraph (3), in the matter preceding 

10 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘at the time of the 

11 public safety officer’s fatal or catastrophic injury’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘as of the date of the public safety of13 ficer’s death from a fatal injury or the date of deter14 mination of the public safety officer’s disability from 

15 a catastrophic injury’’; 

16 (3) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through 

17 (9) as paragraphs (6) through (10), respectively; 

18 and 

19 (4) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(5) ‘gainful work’— 

22 ‘‘(A) means any activity usually performed 

23 for pay or profit, regardless of whether a profit 

24 is realized; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) does not include work performed in a 

2 situation in which, after an individual sustains 

3 an injury— 

4 ‘‘(i) the individual— 

5 ‘‘(I) re-enters the workforce; and 

6 ‘‘(II) leaves the workforce after 

7 less than 90 days because of the in8 ability of the individual to overcome 

9 the injury; 

10 ‘‘(ii) because of the injury— 

11 ‘‘(I) the individual is permitted, 

12 in carrying out work, to— 

13 ‘‘(aa) perform at a lower 

14 standard of productivity or effi15 ciency than other similarly situ16 ated employees; 

17 ‘‘(bb) work irregular hours; 

18 or 

19 ‘‘(cc) take frequent rest pe20 riods; or 

21 ‘‘(II) the individual is only able 

22 to work within a framework of spe23 cially arranged circumstances, such as 

24 a circumstance in which 1 or more 

25 other individuals are required to assist 


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1 the individual in preparing for work 

2 or traveling to and from work; 

3 ‘‘(iii)(I) the individual practices a 

4 hobby usually performed for pay or profit, 

5 regardless of whether a profit is realized; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(II) the primary intent of the indi8 vidual in practicing the hobby described in 

9 subclause (I)— 

10 ‘‘(aa) is physical, mental, or emo11 tional rehabilitation of the individual 

12 from the injury; and 

13 ‘‘(bb) is not realization of profit; 

14 or 

15 ‘‘(iv) the individual is given the oppor16 tunity to work— 

17 ‘‘(I) despite the injury of the in18 dividual; and 

19 ‘‘(II) on the basis of— 

20 ‘‘(aa) a family relationship 

21 of the individual; 

22 ‘‘(bb) a past association of 

23 the individual with the employer 

24 giving the individual the oppor25 tunity to work; or 


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1 ‘‘(cc) any other altruistic 

2 reason;’’. 

3 SEC. 4. RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this sec5 tion— 

6 (1) the term ‘‘covered beneficiary’’ means an in7 dividual who— 

8 (A) is, or was, a child or spouse of a cov9 ered individual described in paragraph (3)(B); 

10 and 

11 (B) would have been eligible for edu12 cational assistance under subpart 2 of part L of 

13 title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

14 Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) 

15 if the amendments made by section 3 of this 

16 Act had been in effect on the date on which the 

17 determination described in paragraph (3)(B)(i) 

18 of this subsection was made; 

19 (2) the term ‘‘covered claimant’’ means an indi20 vidual who is a claimant on the estate of a deceased 

21 covered individual— 

22 (A) described in paragraph (3)(B); and 

23 (B) who died on or before the date of en24 actment of this Act; 

25 (3) the term ‘‘covered individual’’ means— 


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1 (A) a beneficiary of a benefit under the 

2 Public Safety Officers’ Death Benefit Program 

3 that was paid— 

4 (i) with respect to a death or dis5 ability of a public safety officer sustained 

6 as the direct or proximate result of a per7 sonal injury sustained in the line of duty; 

8 and 

9 (ii) during the covered period; or 

10 (B) a public safety officer who— 

11 (i) was determined during the covered 

12 period to be ineligible for a benefit pay13 ment under section 1201(b) of title I of 

14 the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

15 Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281(b)); 

16 and 

17 (ii) would have been eligible for a ben18 efit payment under subpart L of that title 

19 due to the disability of the public safety of20 ficer if the amendments made by section 3 

21 had been in effect on the date on which the 

22 determination described in clause (i) was 

23 made; 

24 (4) the term ‘‘covered period’’ means the pe25 riod— 


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1 (A) beginning on the date of enactment of 

2 title XIII of the Crime Control Act of 1990 

3 (Public Law 101–647; 104 Stat. 4834); and 

4 (B) ending on the day before the date of 

5 enactment of the Protecting America’s First 

6 Responders Act; 

7 (5) the term ‘‘public safety officer’’ has the 

8 meaning given the term in section 1204 of title I of 

9 the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

10 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284); and 

11 (6) the term ‘‘Public Safety Officers’ Death 

12 Benefit Program’’ means the program established 

13 under part L of title I of the Omnibus Crime Con14 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281 

15 et seq.). 

16 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sec17 tions 2 and 3 shall apply to a death or disability of a public 

18 safety officer sustained as the direct or proximate result 

19 of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty— 

20 (1) subject to subsection (c), during the covered 

21 period; or 

22 (2) on or after the date of enactment of this 

23 Act. 

24 (c) PAYMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

2 upon application of a covered individual, covered 

3 beneficiary, or covered claimant, the Bureau of Jus4 tice Assistance shall make a lump sum payment to 

5 the covered individual, covered beneficiary, or cov6 ered claimant in the amount equal to the difference, 

7 if any, between— 

8 (A) in the case of a covered individual— 

9 (i) the amount of the total benefit 

10 payment the covered individual would have 

11 received under the Public Safety Officers’ 

12 Death Benefit Program as of the date of 

13 the lump sum payment, if the amendments 

14 made by sections 2 and 3 had been in ef15 fect on the date on which the covered indi16 vidual— 

17 (I) received the final benefit pay18 ment under the Public Safety Offi19 cers’ Death Benefit Program; or 

20 (II) was determined to be ineli21 gible for a benefit payment under sec22 tion 1201(b) of title I of the Omnibus 

23 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

24 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281(b)); and 


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1 (ii) the amount of the total benefit 

2 payment the covered individual received 

3 under the Public Safety Officers’ Death 

4 Benefit Program before the date of enact5 ment of this Act; 

6 (B) in the case of a covered beneficiary, 

7 the amount of the total benefit payment the 

8 covered beneficiary would have received under 

9 subpart 2 of part L of title I of the Omnibus 

10 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

11 (34 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) if the amendments 

12 made by section 3 of this Act had been in effect 

13 on the date on which the determination de14 scribed in subsection (a)(3)(B)(i) of this section 

15 was made; and 

16 (C) in the case of a covered claimant, the 

17 amount of the total benefit payment the covered 

18 individual on whose estate the covered claimant 

19 is a claimant would have received under the 

20 Public Safety Officers’ Death Benefit Program 

21 as of the date of the lump sum payment, if the 

22 amendments made by sections 2 and 3 had 

23 been in effect on the date on which the deter24 mination described in subsection (a)(3)(B)(i) of 

25 this section was made. 


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1 (2) APPLICATION.—A covered individual desir2 ing a lump sum payment under paragraph (1) shall 

3 apply to the Bureau of Justice Assistance for such 

4 lump sum payment not later than 3 years after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act. 

6 SEC. 5. DUE DILIGENCE IN PAYING BENEFIT CLAIMS 

7 UNDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS’ 

8 DEATH BENEFITS PROGRAM. 

9 Section 1206(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Con10 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10288(b)) 

11 is amended by striking ‘‘the Bureau may not’’ and all that 

12 follows and inserting the following: ‘‘the Bureau— 

13 ‘‘(1) shall use all available investigative tools, 

14 including subpoenas, to— 

15 ‘‘(A) expedite the processing of the benefit 

16 claim; and 

17 ‘‘(B) obtain necessary information or docu18 mentation from third parties, including public 

19 agencies; and 

20 ‘‘(2) may not abandon the benefit claim unless 

21 the Bureau has used the investigative tools available 

22 to the Bureau to obtain the necessary information or 

23 documentation, including subpoenas.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO DEPENDENTS OF 

2 PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS KILLED OR DIS3 ABLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. 

4 Section 1216(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Con5 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10306(b)) 

6 is amended, in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘may’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘shall’’. 

8 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

9 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting America’s 

10 First Responders Act’’. 

11 SEC. 2. PAYMENT OF DEATH AND DISABILITY BENEFITS 

12 UNDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS’ 

13 DEATH BENEFITS PROGRAM. 

14 Section 1201 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 

15 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in subsection (b), by striking the period at 

18 the end and inserting the following: ‘‘, unless the 

19 claim under this subsection has been pending for 

20 more than 1 year, in which case the amount payable 

21 shall be the amount that would be payable if the cata22 strophic injury occurred on the date on which the Bu23 reau makes a final determination that the public safe24 ty officer is entitled to a benefit payment under this 

25 subsection.’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘$3,000’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘$6,000, adjusted in accordance with sub3 section (h),’’; 

4 (3) in subsection (h), by inserting ‘‘and the level 

5 of the interim benefit payable immediately before such 

6 October 1 under subsection (c)’’ after ‘‘subsection (a)’’; 

7 (4) by striking subsection (i) and inserting the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(i) The amount payable under subsection (a), with 

10 respect to the death of a public safety officer, shall be the 

11 greater of— 

12 ‘‘(1) the amount payable under that subsection 

13 as of the date of death of the public safety officer; or 

14 ‘‘(2) the amount that would be payable under 

15 that subsection if the death of the public safety officer 

16 occurred on the date on which the Bureau makes a 

17 final determination that the public safety officer is 

18 entitled to a benefit payment under that subsection.’’; 

19 and 

20 (5) in subsection (m), by inserting ‘‘, (b),’’ after 

21 ‘‘subsection (a)’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE PUBLIC 

2 SAFETY OFFICERS’ DEATH BENEFITS PRO3 GRAM. 

4 Section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 

5 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284) is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(1) ‘catastrophic injury’ means an injury, the 

10 direct and proximate consequences of which— 

11 ‘‘(A) permanently prevent an individual 

12 from performing any gainful work; or 

13 ‘‘(B) cause an individual to become— 

14 ‘‘(i) paraplegic; 

15 ‘‘(ii) quadriplegic; or 

16 ‘‘(iii) blind;’’; 

17 (2) in paragraph (3), in the matter preceding 

18 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘at the time of the 

19 public safety officer’s fatal or catastrophic injury’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘as of the date of the public safety offi21 cer’s death from a fatal injury or the date of deter22 mination of the public safety officer’s disability from 

23 a catastrophic injury’’; 

24 (3) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, including 

25 an individual who, in the capacity of the individual 

26 as such a member, engages in scene security or traffic 


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1 management as the primary or only duty of the indi2 vidual during emergency response’’ before the semi3 colon; 

4 (4) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (9) 

5 as paragraphs (6) through (10), respectively; and 

6 (5) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(5) ‘gainful work’— 

9 ‘‘(A) means any activity usually performed 

10 for pay or profit, regardless of whether a profit 

11 is realized; and 

12 ‘‘(B) does not include work performed in a 

13 situation in which, after an individual sustains 

14 an injury— 

15 ‘‘(i) the individual— 

16 ‘‘(I) re-enters the workforce; and 

17 ‘‘(II) leaves the workforce after 

18 less than 90 days because of the inabil19 ity of the individual to overcome the 

20 injury; 

21 ‘‘(ii) because of the injury— 

22 ‘‘(I) the individual is permitted, 

23 in carrying out work, to— 

24 ‘‘(aa) perform at a lower 

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1 ciency than other similarly situ2 ated employees; 

3 ‘‘(bb) work irregular hours; 

4 or 

5 ‘‘(cc) take frequent rest peri6 ods; or 

7 ‘‘(II) the individual is only able 

8 to work within a framework of spe9 cially arranged circumstances, such as 

10 a circumstance in which 1 or more 

11 other individuals are required to assist 

12 the individual in preparing for work 

13 or traveling to and from work; 

14 ‘‘(iii)(I) the individual practices a 

15 hobby usually performed for pay or profit, 

16 regardless of whether a profit is realized; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(II) the primary intent of the indi19 vidual in practicing the hobby described in 

20 subclause (I)— 

21 ‘‘(aa) is physical, mental, or emo22 tional rehabilitation of the individual 

23 from the injury; and 

24 ‘‘(bb) is not realization of profit; 

25 or 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the individual is given the oppor2 tunity to work— 

3 ‘‘(I) despite the injury of the indi4 vidual; and 

5 ‘‘(II) on the basis of— 

6 ‘‘(aa) a family relationship 

7 of the individual; 

8 ‘‘(bb) a past association of 

9 the individual with the employer 

10 giving the individual the oppor11 tunity to work; or 

12 ‘‘(cc) any other altruistic 

13 reason;’’. 

14 SEC. 4. RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY. 

15 (a) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section— 

16 (1) the term ‘‘covered beneficiary’’ means an in17 dividual who— 

18 (A) is, or was, a child or spouse of a covered 

19 individual described in paragraph (3)(B); and 

20 (B) would have been eligible for educational 

21 assistance under subpart 2 of part L of title I 

22 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 

23 Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) if the 

24 amendments made by section 3 of this Act had 

25 been in effect on the date on which the deterVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 13, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 \\ALPHA3\E\BILLS\S1208.RS S1208

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1 mination described in paragraph (3)(B)(i) of 

2 this subsection was made; 

3 (2) the term ‘‘covered claimant’’ means an indi4 vidual who is a claimant on the estate of a deceased 

5 covered individual— 

6 (A) described in paragraph (3)(B); and 

7 (B) who died on or before the date of enact8 ment of this Act; 

9 (3) the term ‘‘covered individual’’ means— 

10 (A) a beneficiary of a benefit under the 

11 Public Safety Officers’ Death Benefit Program 

12 that was paid— 

13 (i) with respect to a death or disability 

14 of a public safety officer sustained as the di15 rect or proximate result of a personal in16 jury sustained in the line of duty; and 

17 (ii) during the covered period; or 

18 (B) a public safety officer who— 

19 (i) was determined during the covered 

20 period to be ineligible for a benefit payment 

21 under section 1201(b) of title I of the Omni22 bus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

23 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281(b)); and 

24 (ii) would have been eligible for a ben25 efit payment under subpart L of that title 


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1 due to the disability of the public safety of2 ficer if the amendments made by section 3 

3 had been in effect on the date on which the 

4 determination described in clause (i) was 

5 made; 

6 (4) the term ‘‘covered period’’ means the pe7 riod— 

8 (A) beginning on the date of enactment of 

9 title XIII of the Crime Control Act of 1990 (Pub10 lic Law 101–647; 104 Stat. 4834); and 

11 (B) ending on the day before the date of en12 actment of the Protecting America’s First Re13 sponders Act; 

14 (5) the term ‘‘public safety officer’’ has the mean15 ing given the term in section 1204 of title I of the 

16 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

17 (34 U.S.C. 10284); and 

18 (6) the term ‘‘Public Safety Officers’ Death Ben19 efit Program’’ means the program established under 

20 part L of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

21 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281 et seq.). 

22 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sec23 tions 2 and 3 shall apply to a death or disability of a public 

24 safety officer sustained as the direct or proximate result of 

25 a personal injury sustained in the line of duty— 


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1 (1) subject to subsection (c), during the covered 

2 period; or 

3 (2) on or after the date of enactment of this Act. 

4 (c) PAYMENT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

6 upon application of a covered individual, covered 

7 beneficiary, or covered claimant, the Bureau of Jus8 tice Assistance shall make a lump sum payment to 

9 the covered individual, covered beneficiary, or covered 

10 claimant in the amount equal to the difference, if 

11 any, between— 

12 (A) in the case of a covered individual— 

13 (i) the amount of the total benefit pay14 ment the covered individual would have re15 ceived under the Public Safety Officers’ 

16 Death Benefit Program as of the date of the 

17 lump sum payment, if the amendments 

18 made by sections 2 and 3 had been in effect 

19 on the date on which the covered indi20 vidual— 

21 (I) received the final benefit pay22 ment under the Public Safety Officers’ 

23 Death Benefit Program; or 

24 (II) was determined to be ineli25 gible for a benefit payment under secVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 13, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 \\ALPHA3\E\BILLS\S1208.RS S1208

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1 tion 1201(b) of title I of the Omnibus 

2 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

3 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281(b)); and 

4 (ii) the amount of the total benefit 

5 payment the covered individual received 

6 under the Public Safety Officers’ Death 

7 Benefit Program before the date of enact8 ment of this Act; 

9 (B) in the case of a covered beneficiary, the 

10 amount of the total benefit payment the covered 

11 beneficiary would have received under subpart 2 

12 of part L of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 

13 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10301 

14 et seq.) if the amendments made by section 3 of 

15 this Act had been in effect on the date on which 

16 the determination described in subsection 

17 (a)(3)(B)(i) of this section was made; and 

18 (C) in the case of a covered claimant, the 

19 amount of the total benefit payment the covered 

20 individual on whose estate the covered claimant 

21 is a claimant would have received under the 

22 Public Safety Officers’ Death Benefit Program as 

23 of the date of the lump sum payment, if the 

24 amendments made by sections 2 and 3 had been 

25 in effect on the date on which the determination 


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1 described in subsection (a)(3)(B)(i) of this sec2 tion was made. 

3 (2) APPLICATION.—A covered individual, covered 

4 beneficiary, or covered claimant desiring a lump sum 

5 payment under paragraph (1) shall apply to the Bu6 reau of Justice Assistance for such lump sum pay7 ment not later than 3 years after the date of enact8 ment of this Act. 

9 SEC. 5. DUE DILIGENCE IN PAYING BENEFIT CLAIMS UNDER 

10 THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS’ DEATH BENE11 FITS PROGRAM. 

12 Section 1206(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Con13 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10288(b)) is 

14 amended by striking ‘‘the Bureau may not’’ and all that 

15 follows and inserting the following: ‘‘the Bureau— 

16 ‘‘(1) shall use all available investigative tools, in17 cluding subpoenas, to— 

18 ‘‘(A) expedite the processing of the benefit 

19 claim; and 

20 ‘‘(B) obtain necessary information or docu21 mentation from third parties, including public 

22 agencies; and 

23 ‘‘(2) may not abandon the benefit claim unless 

24 the Bureau has used the investigative tools available 


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1 to the Bureau to obtain the necessary information or 

2 documentation, including subpoenas.’’. 

3 SEC. 6. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO DEPENDENTS OF 

4 PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS KILLED OR DIS5 ABLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. 

6 Section 1216(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Con7 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10306(b)) is 

8 amended, in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘may’’ and in9 serting ‘‘shall’’. 

10 SEC. 7. COLLECTION OF DATA ON KILLED OR DISABLED 

11 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. 

12 Section 534(a) of title 28, United States Code, is 

13 amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

15 end; 

16 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 

17 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

18 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(5) operate a central clearinghouse for statistics 

20 on law enforcement officers under the Uniform Crime 

21 Reporting Program, including data on law enforce22 ment officers who, while performing their duties, 

23 were— 

24 ‘‘(A) feloniously killed; 

25 ‘‘(B) accidentally killed; 


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1 ‘‘(C) feloniously assaulted; or 

2 ‘‘(D) severely and permanently disabled.’’. 

3 SEC. 8. GAO REPORT ON MEDICAL COSTS. 

4 (a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘disabled 

5 officer’’ means a public safety officer to whom a benefit is 

6 payable under subpart 1 of part L of title I of the Omnibus 

7 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 

8 10281 et seq.) based on the permanent and total disability 

9 of the officer, as described in section 1201(b) of that subpart 

10 (34 U.S.C. 10281(b)). 

11 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

12 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 

13 United States shall submit to the Committee on the Judici14 ary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of 

15 the House of Representatives a report that estimates the av16 erage medical costs incurred by a disabled officer over the 

17 lifetime of the officer after sustaining the injury that caused 

18 the disability. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
Calendar No. 83 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1208 

A BILL 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

and for other purposes. personal injuries sustained in the line of duty, permanently and totally disabled as a result of certain public safety officers who have become Streets Act of 1968 with respect to payments to 

MAY 13, 2019 

Reported with an amendment 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS