SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Law Enforce-
ment Officers Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 
2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) According to the Department of Justice, in 
the past 7 years, an average of 150 Federal law en-
forcement officers per year sustained physical inju-
ries while dealing with an assaultive subject. 
(2) More than 70 Federal agencies employ Fed-
eral law enforcement officers but only 2 such agen-
cies have an awards mechanism to recognize Federal 
law enforcement officers who are injured in the line 
of duty. 
(3) In contrast to the lack of an awards mecha-
nism for Federal law enforcement officers, the Presi-
dent awards the Purple Heart for military personnel 
wounded or killed during armed service, and most 
State and local police departments have commenda-
tions and medals for officers who are injured in the 
line of duty. 
(4) Formal congressional recognition does not 
exist to honor Federal law enforcement officers who 
are injured in the line of duty.
(5) It is appropriate for Congress to recognize 
and honor the brave men and women in Federal law 
enforcement who are injured while putting them-
selves at personal risk in the line of duty. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF A BADGE. 
The Attorney General may award, and a Member of 
Congress or the Attorney General may present, in the 
name of Congress a Congressional Badge of Bravery (in 
this Act referred to as the ‘‘Badge’’) to a Federal law en-
forcement officer who is cited by the Attorney General, 
upon the recommendation of the Congressional Badge of 
Bravery Board, for sustaining a physical injury on or after 
January 1, 2007, while in the line of duty. 
SEC. 4. NOMINATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An agency head may nominate for 
a Badge an individual who meets the following criteria: 
(1) The individual is a Federal law enforcement 
officer working within the agency of the agency head 
making the nomination. 
(2) The individual sustained a physical injury 
while in the line of duty. 
(3) The individual faced personal risk when the 
injury described in paragraph (2) occurred.
(4) The injury described in paragraph (2) oc-
curred during some form of conduct characterized as 
bravery by the agency head making the nomination. 
(b) CONTENTS.—A nomination under subsection (a) 
shall include— 
(1) a written narrative, of not more than 2 
pages, describing the circumstances under which the 
nominee sustained a physical injury described in 
subsection (a) and how the circumstances meet the 
criteria described in such subsection; 
(2) the full name of the nominee; 
(3) the home mailing address of the nominee; 
(4) the agency in which the nominee served on 
the date when such nominee sustained a physical in-
jury described in subsection (a); 
(5) the occupational title and grade or rank of 
the nominee; 
(6) the field office address of the nominee on 
the date when such nominee sustained a physical in-
jury described in subsection (a); and 
(7) the number of years of service in the Fed-
eral government by the nominee as of the date when 
such nominee sustained a physical injury described 
in subsection (a). 
(c) SUBMISSION DEADLINE.—
(1) INJURIES
SUSTAINED
BEFORE
AUGUST 
15.—In the case of an individual who sustained a 
physical injury described in subsection (a) on or 
after January 1 of a year and before August 15 of 
such year, to nominate such individual under such 
subsection for a Badge, an agency head shall submit 
such nomination to the Congressional Badge of 
Bravery Board by February 15 of the following year. 
(2) INJURIES SUSTAINED ON OR AFTER AUGUST 
15.—In the case of an individual who sustained a 
physical injury described in subsection (a) on or 
after August 15 of a year, to nominate such indi-
vidual under such subsection for a Badge, an agency 
head shall submit such nomination to the Congres-
sional Badge of Bravery Board by February 15 of 
the second year following the date on which the indi-
vidual sustained such physical injury. 
SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL BADGE OF BRAVERY BOARD. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Department of Justice a Congressional Badge of Brav-
ery Board (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Board’’). 
(b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Board are the fol-
lowing: 
(1) Design the Badge with appropriate ribbons 
and appurtenances.
(2) Select an engraver to produce each Badge. 
(3) Not later than July 15 of each year, from 
among the nominations timely submitted to the Con-
gressional Badge of Bravery Board by February 
15th of such year, endorse as recipients of the 
Badge such nominations who meet the criteria de-
scribed in section 4(a) and submit to the Attorney 
General a list of such nominations so endorsed. 
(4) After submission to the Attorney General of 
the list described in paragraph (3)— 
(A) procure the Badges from the engraver 
selected under paragraph (2); 
(B) send a letter announcing the award of 
each Badge to the agency head who nominated 
the endorsed recipient of such Badge; 
(C) send a letter to each Member of Con-
gress representing the congressional district 
where the endorsed recipient of each Badge re-
sides to offer such Member an opportunity to 
present such Badge; 
(D) provide for the presentation of each 
Badge in accordance with section 7; and 
(E) provide for the posting of the name of 
each endorsed recipient of the Badge on the 
public Internet site of the Department of Jus-
tice in a manner that acknowledges the Federal 
service and bravery of each such recipient. 
(5) Set an annual timetable for fulfilling the 
duties described in this subsection. 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Board 
shall be composed of 7 members (in this Act re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Board members’’) appointed as fol-
lows: 
(A) One member jointly appointed by the 
majority leader and minority leader of the Sen-
ate. 
(B) One member jointly appointed by the 
Speaker and minority leader of the House of 
Representatives. 
(C) One member from the Department of 
Justice appointed by the Attorney General. 
(D) Four members of the Federal Law 
Enforcement Officers Association appointed by 
the Executive Board of the Federal Law En-
forcement Officers Association. 
(2) LIMITATIONS.— 
(A) APPLICABLE
TO
MEMBERS
OF
THE 
FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSO-
CIATION.—No more than 5 Board members
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4056 
AN ACT 
To establish an awards mechanism to honor Fed-
eral law enforcement officers injured in the line 
of duty.