Legislation Aims to Boost Benefits, Hiring for Law Enforcement
Legislation introduced this month would address law enforcement and public safety officer health benefits and recruitment efforts.
Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act (Honor Act)
Legislation has been introduced that would ensure that the families of public safety personnel who die or become disabled after contracting cancer will receive benefits through the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program.
According to the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), cancer was the leading cause of death among firefighters in the line of duty last year, accounting for 74 percent of deaths, with the “average house fire containing more than 140 hazardous chemicals.”
Currently, the PSOB program only approves benefits for firefighters, first responders, and their families, if the death or disability can be directly traced an on-the-job injury, or to duty-related heart and psychological conditions.
According to FLEOA President Larry Cosme, “Law enforcement face a variety of risks of the job. While most are apparent–such as an active threat or a lethal weapon–many are not uncoverable until years later. Given the distance in time between a potential carcinogenic exposure and cancer development, it can be difficult to attribute an officer’s medical condition to a specific on-the-job incident. As a result, the current Public Safety Officer Benefits system denies law enforcement earned benefits simply because science has not caught up with this reality.”
Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), the Co-Chairman of the House Law Enforcement Caucus and the House Fire Services Caucus and Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) introduced the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act (H.R. 1719) to establish a legal presumption that certain cancers were contracted on the job. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced companion legislation in their respective chamber.
“This legislation will fix a hole in the law to make sure that first responders who get sick from their service receive their full federal benefits,” said Representative Pascrell.
“Occupational cancer is the number one killer of fire fighters, and the fact that the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program does not provide Line of Duty benefits to surviving families is unacceptable,” said Edward Kelly, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), who urged quick passage of the legislation.
President Biden endorsed the legislation and is calling on Congress to pass it.
Public Safety Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injury Health Act
Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced a bill to shine a light on the prevalence and dangers of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and concussions suffered by public safety officers.
The Public Safety Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injury Health Act (S.894) requires the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to collect and publish information on traumatic brain injuries suffered by public safety officers. It also requires that the CDC provide recommendations and protocols for identifying, treating, and diagnosing concussions.
Under the legislation, the CDC would send information to mental health professionals on the “connection between concussions and traumatic brain injuries with acute stress disorders and suicidal inclinations.”
“Given that brain injuries can often go undetected in public safety professions, our bill would help ensure public safety officers have access to the information they need to identify an injury, seek treatment, and navigate the potential effects of these injuries on their quality of life,” said Senator Cornyn.
The bill received an endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) as well as the National Association of Police Organizations, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), and the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association.
FOP President Patrick Yost stated, “We believe that this is an important first step in addressing the issue of the long-term impact on the lives and health that concussions and TBIs have in the public safety community.”
Filling Public Safety Vacancies Act
On the hiring front, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) introduced a bill to help state and local law enforcement agencies fill vacancies.
Both senators cited numerous law enforcement vacancies in their home states as a reason for the legislation.
The Filling Public Safety Vacancies Act would provide a one-time emergency boost in funding for the hiring of law enforcement officers under the COPS Hiring Program, which assists state and local agencies with the hiring and rehiring of law enforcement officers.
It will also establish new vetting requirements for officers hired using supplemental funding. These new requirements would include background checks and mental health evaluations which agencies hiring officers through the COPS program are not currently required to provide.
Eddie Garcia, President of Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) and Chief of the Dallas Police Department said, “COPS Hiring Grants are a critical tool, and this infusion of new resources will assist local law enforcement agencies with continuing to hire and rehire additional high-qualified law enforcement officers to serve their communities.”