Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act of 2020 Public Law 116–157, as amended Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act of 2020 157 119–60 Statute Compilation United States House of Representatives Office of the Legislative Counsel text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. GPO Statute Compilations USLM converter, version 20240419 2026-01-30 Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act of 2020 15760 116 2020-08-14 Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act of 2020 [(Public Law 116–157)] [As Amended Through P.L. 119–60, Enacted December 18, 2025] [Currency: This publication is a compilation of the text of Public Law 116–157. It was last amended by the public law listed in the As Amended Through note above and below at the bottom of each page of the pdf version and reflects current law through the date of the enactment of the public law listed at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/comps/] [Note: While this publication does not represent an official version of any Federal statute, substantial efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents. The official version of Federal law is found in the United States Statutes at Large and in the United States Code. The legal effect to be given to the Statutes at Large and the United States Code is established by statute (1 U.S.C. 112, 204).]
AN ACTTo 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. [34 U.S.C. 10281 note] 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 during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on the termination date; (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 during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on the termination date; 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. (c) Termination Date.—For purposes of this section, the term “termination date” means the earlier of— (1) the date on which the public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) on January 31, 2020, with respect to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19), expires; and (2) December 31, 2023. (d) Definition.—In this section, the term “line of duty action” includes any action— (1) in which a public safety officer engaged at the direction of the agency served by the public safety officer; or (2) the public safety officer is authorized or obligated to perform.