[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6509 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6509


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 1, 2020

  Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
provide public safety officer death and disability benefits for certain 
 public safety officers who contract COVID-19, 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 ``Public Safety Officer Pandemic 
Response Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. DEATH AND DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS 
              IMPACTED BY COVID-19.

    Section 1201 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection:
    ``(o) For purposes of this part:
            ``(1) COVID-19 (or complications therefrom) shall be 
        presumed to constitute a personal injury within the meaning of 
        subsection (a), sustained in the line of duty by a public 
        safety officer and directly and proximately resulting in death, 
        in the case of a public safety officer who was diagnosed with, 
        who received a positive test for, or for whom evidence 
        indicated that the officer was infected with, COVID-19, unless 
        such officer was not on duty during the 45-day period prior to 
        being diagnosed with or having positive test for COVID-19.
            ``(2) The Attorney General shall accept claims, including 
        supplemental claims, under this section from an individual 
        who--
                    ``(A) was serving as a public safety officer and 
                was injured or disabled in the line of duty as a result 
                of the terrorist attacks on the United States that 
                occurred on September 11, 2001, or in the aftermath of 
                such attacks developed a condition described in section 
                3312(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
                300mm-22(a)); and
                    ``(B) was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the period 
                described in paragraph (3), which, in combination with 
                the injury or disability described in subparagraph (A), 
                permanently and totally disabled or directly and 
                proximately resulted in the death of the individual.
        In assessing a claim under this paragraph, the presumption of 
        causation described in paragraph (1) shall apply.
            ``(3) The presumption described in paragraph (1) and 
        standard in subsection (p) shall apply with respect to a 
        diagnosis of COVID-19 (or complications therefrom) beginning on 
        January 20, 2020, and ending on January 20, 2022.
            ``(4) The term `COVID-19' means a disease caused by severe 
        acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
    ``(p) In determining whether the personal injury under subsection 
(b) resulting from COVID-19 (or complications therefrom) was a 
catastrophic injury, the Attorney General's inquiry shall apply the 
presumption in subsection (o) and be limited to whether the individual 
is permanently prevented from performing any gainful work as a public 
safety officer.''.

SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' or this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 27, 2020.

            Attest:

                                             CHERYL L. JOHNSON,

                                                                 Clerk.