[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 44 (Tuesday, April 21, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H2065-H2066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 CARE FOR POLICE SURVIVORS ACT OF 1998

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3565) to amend Part L of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3565

       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 ``Care for Police Survivors 
     Act of 1998''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS' DEATH BENEFITS.

       (a) National Programs for Families of Public Safety 
     Officers Who Have Died in the Line of Duty.--Section 1203 of 
     Part L of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
     1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796a-1) is amended to read as follows: ``The 
     Director is authorized to use no less than $150,000 of the 
     funds appropriated for this part to maintain and enhance 
     national peer support and counseling programs to assist 
     families of public safety officers who have died in the line 
     of duty.''.
       (b) Administrative Provision.--Section 1205 of Part L of 
     the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 
     U.S.C. 3796c) is amended by adding at the end the following 
     new subsection:
       ``(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
     Bureau is authorized to use appropriated funds to conduct 
     appeals of public safety officers' death and disability 
     claims.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. McCollum) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum).


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on May 15, less than a month from now, the families of 
police officers who died in the line of duty will gather on the west 
front of the Capitol and remember the courage and sacrifice of their 
fallen loved ones at the 17th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial 
Service. These grief-stricken survivors will be joined by thousands of 
police officers and distinguished guests from around this nation. This 
solemn event marks the conclusion of National Police Week.
  Among the most important activities occurring during Police Week are 
special seminars and programs for the families of police officers 
killed in the line of duty, including a day of fun for their children 
at the FBI's training academy at Quantico, Virginia.
  I mention this, Mr. Speaker, because it is directly related to the 
legislation we are considering today, H.R. 3565, the Care for Police 
Survivors Act of 1998. This bill will, among other things, enhance the 
programs available to the families of fallen police officers during 
National Police Week. It will allow groups like Concerns for Police 
Survivors, or COPS, as it is called, to expand their current services 
to these families in crisis. COPS sponsors the Police Week seminars 
that I just mentioned.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 35675 makes two simple but important amendments to 
the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act which was signed into law more 
than 20 years ago. The bill will substantially improve the way the 
families of police officers and firefighters who die in the line of 
duty are cared for during the most difficult moments of their grief.
  First, the bill authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Justice 
Assistance to expend not less than $150,000 out of the Public Safety 
Officers' Benefits program to maintain and enhance national peer 
support and counseling programs to assist families of public safety 
officers who have died in the line of duty.
  Current law limits or caps the amount the Director can spend for this 
purpose to $150,000. This change will not require any new funding. It 
simply allows the Justice Department to spend more of the funding it 
now receives on these support services.
  The need to assist the families of fallen police officers and 
firefighters is far greater than the cap will allow. Organizations such 
as Concerns for Police Survivors and the National Fallen Firefighters 
Foundation are attempting to reach hundreds of family members each year 
who suffer the horrible tragedy of losing a loved one employed in 
public safety. Among the many services provided by Concerns for Police 
Survivors are grief seminars, training for line-of-duty death 
notification, and special programs for the children of fallen police 
officers.
  H.R. 3565 will reduce the current backlog of cases pending before the 
Public Safety Officers' Benefits Office by authorizing the expenditure 
of PSOB program funds on outside hearing officers. Under current law, 
the PSOB Office must wait an unreasonably long period of time for the 
availability of a Justice Department hearing officer to hear the appeal 
of a family member whose application has been turned down.
  By permitting the PSOB Office to use its program funds to pay various 
expenses related to the appeals of rejected death and disability 
claims, we will shorten the agonizing wait of family members attempting 
to be heard on their claims. Again, this change does not increase the 
overall cost of the PSOB program.
  Mr. Speaker, as I said in the committee markup, there is nothing that 
we can do to fully heal the emotional wounds of husbands, wives, 
children, moms, and dads caused by a police officer's or firefighter's 
death in the line of duty. It is a crushing blow. With this 
legislation, we can only hope that there might be greater solace found 
in the most severe moments of otherwise very severe pain. Given the 
sacrifice public safety officers willingly make in the devotion to 
their communities, we can do nothing less.
  I wanted to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Schumer), the 
ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, and the other original 
cosponsors of this bill for their support. This bill was approved 
unanimously by both the Subcommittee on Crime and the full Committee on 
the Judiciary.
  It is my hope and expectation that the House will approve this bill 
today and that the other body will work quickly so that the President 
can put a signature on it in time for National Police Week and the 
National Peace Officers' Memorial Service. This would be a small but 
meaningful demonstration of this Congress' support for our Nation's 
public safety officers and their family.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
McCollum) on this legislation, along with the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Schumer), the ranking member.
  So many of us are familiar with the line, ``a thin blue line'' and 
the words ``an officer down,'' striking words that we have heard either 
by way of fiction or fact, tragic words when we hear that someone who 
has put their life on the line for so many of us has been injured or 
killed.
  I believe H.R. 3565, the Care for Police Survivors Act, is the right 
way to go. I hope not only do we move this legislation expeditiously 
but we are able to stand along with those officers as we commemorate 
this time in May when we commemorate and acknowledge those officers who 
have given their lives, that we, too, in the Federal Government care 
about police officers.
  I rise, therefore, in strong support of H.R. 3565. This bill would 
amend a very important and valuable program that pays benefits to the 
families of public safety officers who are killed or totally disabled 
in the line of duty.
  Mr. Speaker, when I go home to the district, many times I meet with 
friends of mine who are police officers, many of whom I work with as a 
member of the City Council of the City of Houston and also as a 
municipal court judge.
  Many times, some of them would say, we have not seen you in some of 
the tragedies where we would come together and worship, commemorating 
the loss of life. Certainly that is not a time when I would like to see 
my friends. But I also have shared with them the agony of funeralizing 
those men and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty or 
tragically been injured.

[[Page H2066]]

  I would like to be able to go home now, Mr. Speaker, and say to them 
that we are concerned and considerate about those tragic losses. 
Therefore, in supporting the Care for Police Survivors Act, in addition 
to cash benefits, we would have, as this program includes, counseling 
available to these families.
  Under current law, there is a cap on the amount that can be spent for 
such counseling. The demand for counseling services is greater than can 
be met under the cap, and so this bill lifts the cap.
  There is already sufficient money in the Department of Justice budget 
to pay for counseling for all affected families, so this bill will not 
require any additional appropriations. The bill is supported by the 
Department of Justice as well as by the National Association of Police 
Officers, which represents nearly 300,000 police officers, and the 
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, which 
represents more than 100,000 local correctional officers.
  These brave men and women put their lives at risk to protect the rest 
of us, and the benefits provided under this program are the least we 
can do in return.
  Just a couple weeks ago, one of our deputy sheriffs, a woman, lost 
her life. A few weeks ago as well, Officer Higgins was shot and was 
down. She survived, but she is now in a rehabilitation process. I would 
like to think that this bill would help her and her family go through 
the next couple of months of her rehabilitation and, yes, her coming 
back into full force, full activity, and a good quality of life. We 
must recognize those and those left behind.
  So, therefore, I commend the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) 
the chairman, and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Schumer), the 
ranking member, for their sponsorship of this bill, and I urge my 
colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3565. This bill would 
amend a very important and valuable program that pays benefits to the 
families of public safety officers who are killed or totally disabled 
in the line of duty.
  In addition to cash benefits, this program makes counseling available 
to these families--however, under current law, there is a cap on the 
amount that can be spent for such counseling. The demand for counseling 
services is greater than can be met under the cap, and so this bill 
lifts the cap. There is already sufficient money in the Department of 
Justice budget to pay for counseling for all affected families, so this 
bill will not require any additional appropriations.
  The bill is supported by the Department of Justice, as well as by the 
National Association of Police Officers, which represents nearly 
300,000 police officers, and the American Federation of State, County 
and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents more than 100,000 
local correctional officers. These brave men and women put their lives 
at risk to protect the rest of us, and the benefits provided under this 
program are the least we can do in return.
  I commend Chairman McCollum and ranking member Schumer for their 
sponsorship of this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I simply want to acknowledge what the gentlewoman has 
said about listing the strong support the police officer organizations 
have for this bill. I think the one she did not mention that I want to 
add to the list, maybe it is a neglect on your list there, is the 
Fraternal Order of Police. They also have strongly endorsed this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further request for time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me simply say that I am glad that the gentleman from 
Florida added the Fraternal Order of Police. I think we are safe to say 
that this bill is supported by a multitude of police and law 
enforcement agencies and certainly our local communities.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this important 
legislation that will benefit the survivors of public safety officers 
who have been killed in the line of duty.
  Sadly, my state of North Carolina has experienced a rash of violence 
against our brave men and women in law enforcement. In recent months, 
five officers have been killed in and around my Second Congressional 
District. These tragic crimes have occurred in our smallest towns and 
in our biggest cities. It is an outrage that those whose service keeps 
our streets and communities safe and protects our citizens must pay the 
ultimate price in the line of duty.
  To honor their sacrifices and assist their families, last year I 
established the North Carolina Law Enforcement Survivors Scholarship 
Fund to assist the families of my state's officers who fall in service 
to the people. I strongly opposed the Congressional pay raise this 
House passed last year, and I donated the raise I would have received 
to create this fund. The scholarship will help cover costs such as 
books and room and board for higher education for the children and 
spouses of these local heroes who make the ultimate sacrifice. This 
scholarship is the least we can do to honor their memories.
  H.R. 3565 represents an appropriate action by Congress to assist the 
families of public safety officers who have been killed in the line of 
duty. This bill authorizes the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to 
spend no less than $150,000 each year to provide counseling and peer 
support programs for victims' families. The measure also permits BJA to 
use funds in its mandatory appropriation to administer the appeals of 
claims for benefits by the family members of slain officers. I urge the 
House to pass H.R. 3565.
  Mr. Speaker, law enforcement officers put their lives on the line 
each and every day to provide us with safe streets and communities. Our 
values demand that we tend to the families of those heroes who 
sacrifice so much for the greater good.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, 
and I am happy to yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3565.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5, rule I, and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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