[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 62 (Friday, May 15, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4930-S4931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CARE FOR POLICE SURVIVORS ACT OF 1998

  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to consideration of Calendar 347, H.R. 3565.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3565) to amend Part L of the Omnibus Crime 
     Control and Safety Streets Act of 1968.

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. ALLARD. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read 
the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, and that any statements relating to the bill appear at this 
point in the Record.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 3565) was deemed read the third time and passed.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate has passed the 
House companion legislation--H.R. 3565--to S. 1985 the ``Care for 
Police Survivors Act of 1998'', which I introduced along with Senators 
Hatch, Leahy, DeWine and Sessions.
  This week we celebrate National Police Week. As we honor those who 
protect us, it is important that we remember those who have fallen in 
the line of duty. However, more than mere remembrance is necessary. We 
must work to ensure that the loved ones these officers leave behind are 
comforted and assisted in every way. The Care for Police Survivors Act 
does just that.
  This legislation modifies the Public Safety Officers Death Benefit 
program, which--as my colleagues know--establishes national programs 
that counsel and assist the families of slain police officers. The 
purpose of the Care for Police Survivors Act, which the House of 
Representatives passed overwhelmingly (403-8), is to enhance these 
national programs. It does so by directing more funds to these programs 
that counsel and support these families in the aftermath of tragedy. 
Under current law, these counseling programs have a ceiling of 
$150,000, this bill changes this to a floor of $150,000.
  Mr. President, I have long been concerned about the plight of 
families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty--last 
year, Senator Specter and I introduced the Public Safety Officers 
Educational Assistance Act which provides for the education of the 
spouse and dependent children of law enforcement officers who die or 
are totally disabled in the line of duty. In that vein, this 
legislation offers assurance to those in the public safety profession--
and even to those considering

[[Page S4931]]

service as public safety officers--that there is a well established 
support system in place to comfort and assist their families and loved 
ones in the event that they die in the line of duty.
  Mr. President, it is critical that we not only remember, but offer 
real help to the families of those police officers who have made the 
ultimate sacrifice to keep our streets and homes safe.

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