[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7031 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7031

    To extend public safety officer death benefits to public safety 
  officers whose death is caused by COVID-19, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 27, 2020

 Mr. Joyce of Ohio (for himself, Ms. Fudge, and Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To extend public safety officer death benefits to public safety 
  officers whose death is caused by 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 ``Safeguarding America's First 
Responders Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) an infectious disease pandemic known as COVID-19 
        exists;
            (2) to date, there is much still unknown about COVID-19, 
        but it is known that COVID-19 and related complications may be 
        fatal;
            (3) services provided by public safety officers are 
        nonetheless essential during this pandemic;
            (4) due to the COVID-19 pandemic and what is currently 
        known about how the disease is spread, public safety officers 
        are uncharacteristically at risk of contracting the disease; 
        and
            (5) although the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program 
        currently covers deaths and permanent and total disabilities 
        resulting from infectious disease sustained by public safety 
        officers in carrying out their duties, the determination of 
        claims involving personal injuries believed to have resulted 
        from COVID-19 or its complications may be uniquely challenging 
        or delayed given the lack of--
                    (A) definitive testing and medical records at this 
                time; and
                    (B) a definitive uniform body of medical 
                information about how the disease is spread or its 
                effects.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish a carefully 
drawn framework wherein claims under the Public Safety Officers' 
Benefits program, arising under the unique circumstances described in 
subsection (a), can be processed expeditiously and under fair and clear 
standards.

SEC. 3. PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER BENEFITS.

    (a) Death Benefits.--As determined by the Bureau of Justice 
Assistance, unless competent medical evidence establishes that the 
death of a public safety officer (as defined in section 1204 of title I 
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
10284)) was directly and proximately caused by something other than 
COVID-19, COVID-19 (or complications therefrom) suffered by the public 
safety officer shall be presumed to constitute a personal injury within 
the meaning of section 1201(a) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281(a)), sustained in the 
line of duty by the officer and directly and proximately resulting in 
death, if--
            (1) the officer engaged in a line of duty action or 
        activity between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021;
            (2) the officer was diagnosed with COVID-19 (or evidence 
        indicates that the officer had COVID-19) during the 45-day 
        period beginning on the last day of duty of the officer; and
            (3) evidence indicates that the officer had COVID-19 (or 
        complications therefrom) at the time of the officer's death.
    (b) Disability Benefits.--As determined by the Bureau of Justice 
Assistance, COVID-19 (or complications therefrom) suffered by a public 
safety officer shall be presumed to constitute a personal injury within 
the meaning of section 1201(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10281(b)), sustained in the 
line of duty by the officer, if--
            (1) the officer engaged in a line of duty action or 
        activity between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021; and
            (2) the officer was diagnosed with COVID-19 (or evidence 
        indicates that the officer had COVID-19) during the 45-day 
        period beginning on the last day of duty of the officer.
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