H.R. 2812: Protecting America’s First Responders Act

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H.R. 2812: Protecting America’s First Responders Act

116th Congress · introduced 2019-05-16 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

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Official title

Protecting America’s First Responders Act

Plain summary

Protecting America's First Responders Act This bill revises the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program. That program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors of public safety officers who are killed or injured in the line of duty. Specifically, it revises the payment amount of disability benefits for claims pending more than one year. The amount must be based on the date of the adjudication of such claim rather than the date of the injury. It also increases the interim benefit payment amount and adjusts it based on the Consumer Price Index. Additionally, the payment amount of death benefits must be the greater of (1) the amount payable as of the date of the public safety officer's death, or (2) the amount payable based on the date of the adjudication of the claim. Currently, such amount is based only on the date of death. Next, the bill includes within the definition of firefighter for purposes of benefits an individual whose primary duty during an emergency response is to secure the scene or manage traffic. Further, the bill allows applicants who were denied benefits in the previous three years to reapply for benefits. The Bureau of Justice Assistance of the Department of Justice (DOJ) must use all available investigative tools, including subpoenas, to (1) expedite the processing of a claimant's eligibility for a death, disability, or education benefit; and (2) obtain necessary information from third parties (e.g., public agencies). Finally, DOJ must provide retroactive educational assistance to eligible survivors of public safety officer.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [D-NJ-9] · 44 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Joe Courtney (D-CT), Julia Brownley (D-CA), John H. Rutherford (R-FL), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), David Kustoff (R-TN), Angie Craig (D-MN), John Garamendi (D-CA), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Darren Soto (D-FL), Tom Cole (R-OK), Josh Harder (D-CA), Pete Stauber (R-MN)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr2812.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr2812 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116