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WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday adopted legislation sponsored by Bainbridge Township, OH, GOP Rep. Dave Joyce to ensure that families of first responders who die from or are disabled by the coronavirus get Public Safety Officers Benefit program payments for firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians who are killed or disabled in the line of duty.
The bill, co-sponsored by Rocky River GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez and Warrensville Heights Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge, passed on a noncontroversial voice vote. It passed the U.S. Senate on May 14, so it will become law after President Donald Trump signs it. Their Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act creates a presumption that if a first responder is diagnosed with the coronavirus within 45 days of their last day on the job, the Department of Justice will treat it as a line of duty incident and provide the payments.
“This pandemic has underscored the fact that our first responders and public safety officers are our first line of defense in our communities when disaster strikes,” said a statement from Joyce. “Each and every day these brave men and women continue to serve and protect our communities despite the threat that COVID-19 poses.”
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who introduced the measure in the U.S. Senate, said the law was needed to keep the survivors of first responders who die from COVID-19 from having to prove their loved one contracted it on the job.
“First responders always answer the calls to action, selflessly placing others before themselves,” Grassley said in a Senate floor speech. “In recognition of the many sacrifices they make, Congress established the Public Safety Officers Benefit program in 1976. This program provides first responders with a one-time payment if they die or are totally disabled on duty.
“Let me be clear, nothing can ever put back together a family who has lost a loved one, but the PSOB program provides some economic relief to grieving families and peace of mind to the first responders themselves in knowing that their families won’t be left destitute if tragedy were to befall them ... The last thing a grieving family needs to be worried about after the loss of a loved one is whether or not they’ll be able to successfully prove that their loved one contracted COVID on duty.”
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