I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7042 
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
provide adequate benefits for public safety officers injured or killed 
in the line of duty, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 24, 2008 
Mr. CAZAYOUX introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 to provide adequate benefits for public safety 
officers injured or killed in the line of duty, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘First Responders Sup-
port Act of 2008’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXPANDING DISABILITY BENEFITS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1201 of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
3796) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘$250,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$350,000’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘subsection (h)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subsection (h)(1)’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘permanently and totally’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘, to the extent that appro-
priations are provided’’ and all that follows and 
inserting ‘‘a benefit in an amount determined in 
accordance with subsection (h)(2) to such offi-
cer.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (h)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘the effective date of this 
subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘the date of enact-
ment of the First Responders Support Act of 
2008’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(h)’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2)(A) Subject to subsection (b) and subparagraph 
(B) of this paragraph, the amount of a benefit paid under 
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subsection (b) to a public safety officer who has become 
disabled as the direct result of a catastrophic injury sus-
tained in the line of duty shall be in an amount equal to 
the benefit that is payable under subsection (a) in the ap-
plicable year, multiplied by the level of disability of the 
public safety officer, as determined in accordance with 
subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(B) No benefit shall be paid under subsection (b) 
if the level of disability of the public safety officer is less 
than 50 percent. 
‘‘(C) The Director shall adopt and apply a schedule 
of levels of disability of public safety officers associated 
with specific injuries or combinations of injuries, based 
upon the average impairments of earning capacity result-
ing from the injuries concerned.’’. 
(b) DEFINITION OF CATASTROPHIC INJURY.—Sec-
tion 1204(1) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b(1)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘permanently prevent an individual from per-
forming any gainful work’’ and inserting ‘‘substantially di-
minishes the ability of an individual to perform gainful 
work’’. 
(c) EXPEDITING BENEFITS.—Section 1201 of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 
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U.S.C. 3796) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(n) Not later than 3 months after the date on which 
a claimant submits all information required for a claim 
under this subpart, the Bureau shall determine whether 
the claimant is eligible to receive a benefit under this sub-
part.’’. 
(d) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 9 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General 
shall promulgate regulations to carry out the amendments 
made by this section. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General, 
in addition to any other amounts otherwise authorized to 
be appropriated, $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 
through 2013 to hire employees for the Bureau of Justice 
Assistance and obtain the technology and equipment nec-
essary to expedite the processing of claims and make dis-
ability determinations under subpart 1 of part L of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 
U.S.C. 3796 et seq.), as amended by this section. 
SEC. 3. EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1212(a) of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
3796d–1(a)) is amended— 
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(1) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(2)(A) Except as provided in paragraph (3), and 
subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph, financial 
assistance under this subpart shall— 
‘‘(i) consist of direct payments to an eligible de-
pendent; and 
‘‘(ii) be paid at the monthly rate of not more 
than $1,500. 
‘‘(B) The Director shall promulgate regulations to es-
tablish the amount of financial assistance under subpara-
graph (A) for an eligible dependent, which shall be based 
on the portion of the normal full-time academic workload 
for the course of study, as determined by the eligible edu-
cational institution, that the eligible dependent is pur-
suing. 
‘‘(C) On October 1 of each fiscal year beginning after 
the date of enactment of the First Responders Support 
Act of 2008, the Director shall adjust the level of the ben-
efit payable during that fiscal year under subparagraph 
(A)(ii), to reflect the annual percentage change in the 
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, pub-
lished by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, occurring in the 
1-year period ending on June 1 immediately preceding 
such October 1.’’; and 
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