[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 26 (Thursday, February 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S884-S885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Conrad, 
        and Mr. Franken):
  S. 385. A bill to include nonprofit and volunteer ground and air 
ambulance crew members and first responders for certain benefits; to 
the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today I again introduce legislation to 
correct an inequity in the U.S. Department of Justice's Public Safety 
Officers Benefits, PSOB, Program, by extending benefits to nonprofit 
Emergency Medical Services, EMS, providers who die or are permanently 
disabled in the line of duty. I am pleased to be joined in this effort 
by Senator Sanders and Senator Schumer.
  The legislation is named after Dale Long, a long-time paramedic and 
shift supervisor with the Bennington Rescue Squad in Vermont. Dale Long 
died two years ago in a tragic, on-duty accident while treating and 
transporting a patient. He had a superb 25-year career as a Vermont 
paramedic. He helped many, many people in ways they will never forget, 
and Dale Long will not be forgotten.
  I had the pleasure and honor of meeting Dale in 2009--less than two 
months before his death--when he was in Washington to receive the 
prestigious Star of Life Award from the American Ambulance Association. 
Dale earlier had received Vermont's EMS Advanced Rescuer of the Year 
Award, in 2008. In 2010, Dale was honored as part of the National EMS 
Memorial Service.
  Dale's tragic passing highlighted a major shortcoming in the current 
PSOB program, which Congress established more than 30 years ago to lend 
a hand to police officers, firefighters and medics who lose their lives 
or are permanently disabled in the line of duty. The current benefit 
only applies to public safety officers employed by a Federal, State, or 
local government entity. With many communities around the United States 
choosing to have their emergency medical services provided by nonprofit 
agencies, medics working for these nonprofit services unfortunately are 
not eligible for this help under the PSOB program.

[[Page S885]]

  Nonprofit public safety officers provide identical services to 
governmental officers and do so daily in the same dangerous 
environments. With a renewed appreciation for the vital and timely 
community service of first responders since the national tragedy of 
September 11, 2001, more people are answering the call to serve their 
communities. At the same time, more rescue workers are falling through 
the cracks of the PSOB program.
  The Dale Long Emergency Medical Service Provider Protection Act will 
correct this inequality by extending the PSOB program to cover 
nonprofit EMS officers who provide emergency medical and ground or air 
ambulance service. These emergency professionals protect and promote 
the public good of the communities they serve, and we should not 
unfairly penalize them and their families simply because they work or 
volunteer for a nonprofit organization.
  The modest cost of this remedy also is fully offset and will not add 
to the federal deficit.
  This is a carefully crafted, commonsense remedy to a clear 
discrepancy in the law. I am pleased with the widespread support this 
bill has earned. Momentum continues to build for this solution, and I 
will keep at this effort until the Dale Long Emergency Medical Service 
Provider Protection Act becomes the law of the land.
  I thank several first responder organizations--including the American 
Ambulance Association, the National Association of EMTs, the 
International Association of Fire Fighters, the International 
Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Fraternal Order of Police--for 
their support of this effort.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 385

       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 ``Dale Long Emergency Medical 
     Service Providers Protection Act''.

     SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY.

       Section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
     Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (7), by striking ``public employee member 
     of a rescue squad or ambulance crew;'' and inserting 
     ``employee or volunteer member of a rescue squad or ambulance 
     crew (including a ground or air ambulance service) that--
       ``(A) is a public agency; or
       ``(B) is (or is a part of) a nonprofit entity serving the 
     public that--
       ``(i) is officially authorized or licensed to engage in 
     rescue activity or to provide emergency medical services; and
       ``(ii) is officially designated as a pre-hospital emergency 
     medical response agency;''; and
       (2) in paragraph (9)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``as a chaplain'' and 
     all that follows through the semicolon, and inserting ``or as 
     a chaplain;'';
       (B) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``or'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (C) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking the period and 
     inserting ``; or''; and
       (D) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew who, as 
     authorized or licensed by law and by the applicable agency or 
     entity (and as designated by such agency or entity), is 
     engaging in rescue activity or in the provision of emergency 
     medical services.''.

     SEC. 3. OFFSET.

       Of the unobligated balances available under the Department 
     of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund, $12,000,000 are 
     permanently cancelled.

     SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       The amendments made by section 2 shall apply only to 
     injuries sustained on or after June 1, 2009.
                                 ______