[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 16, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H5059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HOMETOWN HEROES' CLAIMS MUST BE RESOLVED

  (Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of our brave men and 
women in uniform, the police officers, firefighters and other public 
service officers who protect our communities.
  As yesterday was National Peace Officers Memorial Day, there is no 
better time to call on the Department of Justice to award the benefits 
due to our law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate 
sacrifice in defending our Nation.
  For 30 years now we have made a strong statement about the value our 
Nation places on the contribution for those who serve our community 
through the Public Safety Officers Benefit plan. About 4 years ago, 
however, I learned the PSOB was routinely rejecting claims or requiring 
burdensome documentation from these officers and first responders who 
died from a heart attack or stroke while serving our communities. I 
felt that this was wrong, and so did most of my colleagues here in 
Congress. In a strong bipartisan effort, Congress unanimously passed 
and the President signed it and the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit 
Act became law.
  Since 2003, when the law was enacted, only two claims have been 
awarded out of the more than 240 received, while nearly 40 claims have 
been rejected. The rest languish in a bureaucratic mess.
  I urge the Department of Justice to act swiftly and fairly on the 
remaining claims and pay these claims to provide this much needed and 
much deserved benefit as we observe National Police Week.

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