Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2001
PL 107-12 (H.R.802), enacted 05/30/2001

115 STAT. 20 
PUBLIC LAW 107-12—MAY 30, 2001 
Public Law 107-12 
107th Congress 
May 30, 2001 
[H.R. 802] 
Public Safety 
Officer Medal of 
Valor Act of 
2001. 
42 u s e 15201 
note. 
42 u s e 15201. 
42 u s e 15202. 
Oongress. 
President 
An Act 
To authorize the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the "Pubhc Safety Officer Medal 
ofValorActof2001". 
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF MEDAL. 
After September 1, 2001, the President may award, and present 
in the name of Congress, a Medal of Valor of appropriate design, 
with ribbons and appurtenances, to a pubhc safety officer who 
is cited by the Attorney General, upon the recommendation of 
the Medal of Valor Review Board, for extraordinary valor above 
and beyond the call of duty. The Public Safety Medal of Valor 
shall be the highest national award for valor by a public safety 
officer. 
SEC. 3. MEDAL OF VALOR BOARD. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF BOARD.—There is established a Medal 
of Valor Review Board (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the 
"Board"), which shall be composed of 11 members appointed in 
accordance with subsection (b) and shall conduct its business in 
accordance with this Act. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) MEMBERS.—The members of the Board shall be individ-
uals with knowledge or expertise, whether by experience or 
training, in the field of public safety, of which— 
(A) two shall be appointed by the majority leader of 
the Senate; 
(B) two shall be appointed by the minority leader of 
the Senate; 
(C) two shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House 
of Representatives; 
(D) two shall be appointed by the minority leader of 
the House of Representatives; and 
(E) three shall be appointed by the President, including 
one with experience in firefighting, one with experience 
in law enforcement, and one with experience in emergency 
services. 
(2) TERM.—The term of a Board member shall be 4 years. 
(3) VACANCIES.—^Any vacancy in the membership of the 
Board shall not affect the powers of the Board and shall be 
filled in the same manner as the original appointment. 
PUBLIC LAW 107-12—MAY 30, 2001 
115 STAT. 21 
(4) OPERATION OF THE BOARD.— 
; 
(A) CHAIRMAN.—The Chairman of the Board shall be 
elected by the members of the Board from among the 
members of the Board. 
(B) MEETINGS.—The Board shall conduct its first Deadline, 
meeting not later than 90 days after the appointment of 
^ 
the last member appointed of the initial group of members 
appointed to the Board. Thereafter, the Board shall meet 
at the call of the Chairman of the Board. The Board shall 
meet not less often than twice each year. 
(C) VOTING AND RULES.—^A majority of the members 
shedl constitute a quorum to conduct business, but the 
Board may establish a lesser quorum for conducting 
hearings scheduled by the Board. TTie Bogu-d may establish 
by majority vote any other rules for the conduct of the 
Board's business, if such rules are not inconsistent with 
this Act or other applicable law. 
(c) DUTIES.—The Board shall select candidates as recipients 
of the Medal of Valor from among those applications received by 
the National Medal of Valor Office. Not more often than once 
each year, the Board shall present to the Attorney General the 
name or names of those it recommends as Medal of Valor recipients. 
In a given year, the Board shall not be required to select any 
recipients but may not select more than 5 recipients. The Attorney 
General may in extraordinary cases increase the number of recipi-
ents in a given year. The Board shedl set an annual timetable 
for fulfilling its duties under this Act. 
(d) HEARINGS.— 
cU. 
: 
; -
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board may hold such hearings, sit 
£uid act at such times and places, administer such oaths, take 
such testimony, and receive such evidence as the Board con-
' 
siders advisable to carry out its duties. 
(2) WITNESS EXPENSES.—Witnesses requested to appear 
before the Board may be paid the same fees as are paid to 
witnesses under section 1821 of title 28, United States Code. 
The per diem and mileage allowances for witnesses shall be 
paid from funds appropriated to the Board. 
(e) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The Board may 
secure directly from any Federal department or agency such 
information as the Board considers necessary to carry out its duties. 
Upon the request of the Boeu-d, the head of such department or 
agency may furnish such information to the Board. 
(f) INFORMATION TO BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL.—The Board shall 
not disclose any information which may compromise an ongoing 
law enforcement investigation or is otherwise required by law to 
be kept confidential. 
SEC. 4. BOARD PERSONNEL MATTERS. 
42 USC 15203. 
(a) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—(1) Except as provided in 
paragraph (2), each member of the Board shall be compensated 
at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic 
pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 
5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel 
time) during which such member is engaged in the performance 
of the duties of the Board. 
. .= ^ 
115 STAT. 22 
PUBLIC LAW 107-12—MAY 30, 2001 
(2) All members of the Board who serve as officers or employees 
of the United States, a State, or a local government, shall serve 
without compensation in addition to that received for those services. 
(b) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the Board shall be 
allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 
at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter 
I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from 
their homes or regular places of business in the performance of 
service for the Board. 
42 use 15204. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER.—The term "pubUc safety 
officer" means a person serving a public agency, with or without 
compensation, as a firefighter, law enforcement officer, or emer-
gency services officer, as determined by the Attorney General. 
For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "law enforcement 
officer" includes a person who is a corrections or court officer 
or a civil defense officer. 
(2) STATE.—The term "State" means each of the seversJ 
States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwegdth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, Amer-
ican Samoa, and the CommonwesJth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General 
such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 
SEC. 7. NATIONAL MEDAL OF VALOR OFFICE. 
There is established within the Department of Justice a 
National Medsd of Valor Office. The Office shall provide staff sup-
port to the BoEu-d to establish criteria and procedures for the submis-
sion of recommendations of nominees for the Medal of Valor and 
for the final design of the Medal of Valor. 
SEC. 8. CONFORMING REPEAL. 
Section 15 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 
of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2214) is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following 
new subsection (a): 
"(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established an honorary 
award for the recognition of outstanding £ind distinguished service 
by public safety officers to be known as the Director's Award For 
Distinguished Public Safety Service ('Director's Award')."; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking paragraph (1); and 
(B) by striking "(2)"; 
(3) by striking subsections (c) and (d) and redesignating 
subsections (e), (f), and (g) as subsections (c), (d), and (e), 
respectively; and 
(4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated— 
(A) by striking paragraph (1); and 
(B) by striking "(2)". 
42 use 15207. 
SEC. 9. CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT. 
The Board shall consult with the Institute of HergJdry within 
the Department of Defense regeu-ding the design £uid artistry of 
42 use 15205. 
Establishment. 
42 use 15206. 
PUBLIC LAW 107-12—MAY 30, 2001 
115 STAT. 23 
the Medal of Valor. The Board may also consider suggestions 
received by the Department of Justice regarding the design of 
the medal, including those made by persons not employed by the 
Department. 
Approved May 30, 2001. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 802 (S. 39): 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 107-15 (Comm. on the Judiciary). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 147 (2001): 
Mar. 22, considered and passed House. 
May 14, considered and passed Senate.