[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 93 (Friday, June 27, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SUE W. KELLY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 1997

  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation which 
seeks to support the family members of public safety officers who are 
killed in the line of duty.
  Police officers and firefighters lay their lives on the line on a 
daily basis, Mr. Speaker, and sadly, all too often they make the 
ultimate sacrifice in the service of their communities. This tragic 
fact was illustrated most recently in my district in New York when a 
volunteer firefighter, Michael Neuner, who was also a police officer, 
was killed while fighting a fire in the town of Southeast.
  This unfortunate story is repeated around the country, Mr. Speaker. 
These are our friends, our neighbors, our loved ones, and they leave 
behind families who must continue on. The death of a father or mother 
takes an obvious emotional toll, but it also impacts the financial 
security of the family, particularly when it comes to meeting 
educational expenses.
  The Public Safety Officers Memorial Scholarship Act seeks to address 
this particular problem. Specifically, the bill authorizes the 
Secretary of Education to award education scholarships to the spouse or 
dependent child of a public safety officer--police or firefighter--who 
is killed in the line of duty. These scholarships may be used to cover 
education expenses associated with elementary and secondary education 
(K-12), or to attend a post secondary institution as a full-time or 
part-time student.
  Last year, Congress adopted similar legislation to award education 
assistance to family members of Federal law enforcement officers killed 
in the line of duty. I was pleased to support that legislation, and 
even more pleased to introduce this bill, which takes the next logical 
step and extends this benefit to the families of all public safety 
officers who are killed while serving their communities.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important 
legislation.

                          ____________________