Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021
Latest action · Nov 9, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 30, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protecting America's First Responders Act of 2021
This bill makes changes to the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program. The PSOB program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty or permanently disabled as a result of catastrophic injuries sustained in the line of duty.
Among the changes, the bill
- expands the public safety officers eligible for coverage under the PSOB program to include firefighters whose primary duty during an emergency response is to secure the scene or manage traffic and cadets or trainees in candidate-officer training;
- extends coverage under the PSOB program to certain public safety officers responding outside their jurisdiction;
- increases the interim benefit amount payable on a claim for death benefits and requires the interim amount to be adjusted annually for inflation;
- increases the benefit amount payable on a death or disability claim that has been pending for more than 365 days on the date of the final determination;
- allows the Department of Justice (DOJ) to use investigative tools, including subpoenas, to expedite the processing of claims and obtain information or documentation from third parties (e.g., public agencies);
- specifies that an injury resulting from a neurocognitive disorder qualifies as a catastrophic injury for the purposes of disability benefits;
- requires (currently, authorizes) DOJ to provide retroactive education benefits to qualifying children and spouses;
- specifies that hearing officers appointed to review claims are special government employees (i.e., employees who perform temporary duties for a limited period of time) and are authorized to conduct examinations; and
- allows responders to the World Trade Center or their surviving family members to file claims for death or disability benefits in certain circumstances.
Cosponsors 24
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 30, 2021 to Oct 26, 2021; 8 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NY | Andrew R. Garbarino | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| R-NE | Don Bacon | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| R-FL | John H. Rutherford | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| R-OK | Markwayne Mullin | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| D-AZ | Tom O'Halleran | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| D-NY | Brian Higgins | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-IA | Cynthia Axne | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-GA | David Scott | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Jefferson Van Drew | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Thomas R. Suozzi | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-FL | Val Butler Demings | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | May 12, 2021 | |
| R-NY | Nicole Malliotakis | Jul 16, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Jul 26, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Raul Ruiz | Jul 26, 2021 | |
| R-NY | John Katko | Aug 3, 2021 | |
| R-MN | Pete Stauber | Aug 3, 2021 | |
| R-TN | David Kustoff | Aug 10, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Josh Harder | Sep 21, 2021 | |
| R-PR | Jenniffer González-Colón | Oct 26, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Apr 30, 2021 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Nov 9, 2021 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 9, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Apr 30, 2021Introduced in House
- Apr 30, 2021Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H4874 | John H. Rutherford R-FL | Sep 22, 2021 |
| House | Debate and remarks H2253 | Bill Pascrell, Jr. D-NJ | May 12, 2021 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 75, April 30, 2021, page H2135.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1511 | Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021 | Identical bill | Nov 18, 2021 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- 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.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Administrative remedies
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Department of Justice
- Disability and paralysis
- Disability assistance
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Employee benefits and pensions
- Fires
- First responders and emergency personnel
- Health personnel
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Law enforcement officers
- Neurological disorders
- New York City
- Terrorism
- Worker safety and health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 30, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
