[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 47 (Friday, April 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Leahy, Mr. DeWine, and 
        Mr. Sessions):
  S. 1985. A bill to amend Part L of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968; read twice and placed on the calendar.


               the care for police survivors act of 1998

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, during the week of May 12, the country will 
honor once again those law enforcement and public safety officers who 
have died in the line of duty. It is entirely fitting that we do this. 
And as we remember those who have fallen in defense of the public 
safety, we should also do all we can to comfort and assist the families 
and loved ones they have left behind. The bill I rise to introduce 
today, the Care for Police Survivors Act of 1998, will help ensure that 
we are doing so.

  First, this bill, which was introduced in the House as H.R. 3565, 
will strengthen programs available to the families of slain police 
officers. For instance, the bill will allow groups like Concerns for 
Police Survivors, more commonly referred to as COPS, to increase and 
improve their services to these families. Second, this bill provides 
authority to the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to spend 
no less than $150,000 out of the Public Safety Officers' Benefits 
program to support and enrich national peer support and counseling 
programs for families of police officers lost in the line of duty.
  Second, this act will expedite the process of handling cases pending 
before the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Office by allowing the 
expenditure of PSOB program funds on outside hearing officers. 
Currently, survivors of fallen police officers have to wait entirely 
too long to obtain an appeal hearing for the denial of benefits. By 
enacting this bill, we will make the process of helping these families 
less burdensome.
  I am pleased to be joined by Senators Biden, Leahy, DeWine, and 
Sessions in introducing this bill in the Senate. On Tuesday of this 
week, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 3565 by a 
403 to 8 vote. I urge my colleagues to join me in expeditiously passing 
this legislation to demonstrate our tremendous gratitude and support 
for these heroes and their families.
                                 ______