[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 11, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H3399-H3400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




MYCHAL JUDGE POLICE AND FIRE CHAPLAINS PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS' BENEFIT 
                              ACT OF 2002

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from 
the Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 2431) to amend the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to ensure that chaplains 
killed in the line of duty receive public safety officer death 
benefits, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                S. 2431

       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 ``Mychal Judge Police and Fire 
     Chaplains Public Safety Officers' Benefit Act of 2002''.

     SEC. 2. BENEFITS FOR CHAPLAINS.

       (a) In General.--Section 1204 of the Omnibus Crime Control 
     and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (7) as (3) 
     through (8), respectively;
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
       ``(2) `chaplain' includes any individual serving as an 
     officially recognized or designated member of a legally 
     organized volunteer fire department or legally organized 
     police department, or an officially recognized or designated 
     public employee of a legally organized fire or police 
     department who was responding to a fire, rescue, or police 
     emergency;''; and

[[Page H3400]]

       (3) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (8), as redesignated 
     by paragraph (1), by inserting after ``firefighter,'' the 
     following: ``as a chaplain,''.
       (b) Eligible Beneficiaries.--Section 1201(a) of such Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 3796(a)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``or'' at the end;
       (2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
       (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(4) if there is no surviving spouse or surviving child, 
     to the individual designated by such officer as beneficiary 
     under such officer's most recently executed life insurance 
     policy, provided that such individual survived such officer; 
     or''.
       (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect on September 11, 2001, and shall apply to 
     injuries or deaths that occur in the line of duty on or after 
     such date.

  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.
  A similar House bill (H.R. 3297) was laid on the table.

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