{"format":1,"id":"117-s-1511","congress":117,"number":"S. 1511","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021","title_source":"Short Title(s) from Engrossed Amendment House bill text","official_title":"A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 with respect to payments to certain public safety officers who have become permanently and totally disabled as a result of personal injuries sustained in the line of duty, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 with respect to payments to certain public safety officers who have become permanently and totally disabled as a result of personal injuries sustained in the line of duty, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Title(s) from Engrossed Amendment House bill text","title":"Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text","title":"Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed Senate","title":"Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Titles as Passed House","title":"Protecting America's First Responders Act of 2021"}],"outcome":"became_law","law_number":"Public Law 117-61","introduced":"2021-04-29","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2021-10-27","vote":{"id":"117-2021-h338","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended","title":"Protecting America’s First Responders Act","result":"Passed","yea":420,"nay":3,"present":0,"not_voting":8,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2021/roll338.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"voice","date":"2021-11-04","vote":null,"how":"unanimous_consent","words":"Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment to S. 1511 by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S8054)"}},"president":{"status":"signed","date":"2021-11-18"},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Became Public Law No: 117-61.","date":"2021-11-18"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2021-11-18","stage":"Public Law","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Protecting America's First Responders Act of 2021"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill makes changes to the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program. The PSOB program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty or permanently disabled as a result of catastrophic injuries sustained in the line of duty."},{"k":"p","t":"Among the changes, the bill"},{"k":"li","t":"expands the public safety officers eligible for coverage under the PSOB program to include firefighters whose primary duty during an emergency response is to secure the scene or manage traffic and cadets or trainees in candidate-officer training;","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"extends coverage under the PSOB program to certain public safety officers responding outside their jurisdiction;","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"increases the interim benefit amount payable on a claim for death benefits and requires the interim amount to be adjusted annually for inflation;","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"increases the benefit amount payable on a death or disability claim that has been pending for more than 365 days on the date of the final determination;","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"allows the Department of Justice (DOJ) to use investigative tools, including subpoenas, to expedite the processing of claims and obtain information or documentation from third parties (e.g., public agencies);","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"specifies that an injury resulting from a neurocognitive disorder qualifies as a catastrophic injury for the purposes of disability benefits;","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"requires (currently, authorizes) DOJ to provide retroactive education benefits to qualifying children and spouses;","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"specifies that hearing officers appointed to review claims are special government employees (i.e., employees who perform temporary duties for a limited period of time) and are authorized to conduct examinations;","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"allows responders to the World Trade Center or their surviving family members to file claims for death or disability benefits in certain circumstances; and","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"extends the period during which public safety officers who die or become injured as a result of COVID-19 are eligible for benefits.","d":1}],"words":307},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends the Public Safety Officers' Death Benefits Program under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 by changing how death and disability benefits are calculated, who is covered, and how claims are processed.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H75E40B79FD684552AEFE9553E2520BEE:~:text=2.%20Payment%20of%20death%20and%20disability%20benefits"},{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H4BC386BED4B24E299F01404F5D28439B:~:text=3.%20Definitions%20with%20respect%20to%20Public%20Safety"},{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H560308DF56634EC69259B413F8057558:~:text=4.%20Due%20diligence%20in%20paying%20benefit%20claims"},{"label":"Sec. 8","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#HFB2340EE2B02466CB2CFEE0288A62E14:~:text=8.%20Effective%20date"}]},"core_areas":["Public Safety Officers' Death Benefits Program payment amounts","Definitions of covered public safety officers and catastrophic injury","Processing of benefit claims","Claims by World Trade Center responders","Termination date in the Safeguarding America's First Responders Act of 2020"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Changes the interim benefit amount from $3,000 to $6,000, adjusted in accordance with subsection (h), and sets benefits at the greater of the amount payable on the date of death or catastrophic injury or, for claims pending over 365 days, the amount payable on the date of final determination.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H75E40B79FD684552AEFE9553E2520BEE:~:text=2.%20Payment%20of%20death%20and%20disability%20benefits"}},{"text":"Defines \"catastrophic injury\" to include an injury that permanently leaves a person functionally incapable of work through a directly and proximately resulting neurocognitive disorder, and presumes incapacity for a claimant who is blind, paraplegic or quadriplegic absent clear and convincing medical evidence to the contrary.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H4BC386BED4B24E299F01404F5D28439B:~:text=3.%20Definitions%20with%20respect%20to%20Public%20Safety"}},{"text":"Adds candidate officers in formal training programs, and members who perform scene security or traffic management as their primary or only duty during emergency response, to the definitions of covered public safety officers, and treats certain actions outside of jurisdiction as in the line of duty when the agency's principal legal officer and head certify them.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H4BC386BED4B24E299F01404F5D28439B:~:text=3.%20Definitions%20with%20respect%20to%20Public%20Safety"}},{"text":"Allows the Bureau to use available investigative tools, including subpoenas, to adjudicate or expedite a benefit claim and to obtain information from third parties, and bars it from abandoning a claim until those tools have been used to obtain the needed information.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H560308DF56634EC69259B413F8057558:~:text=4.%20Due%20diligence%20in%20paying%20benefit%20claims"}},{"text":"Lets a WTC responder file certain disability claims, and lets a claim be filed for a deceased WTC responder, within two years of the effective date, and lets payees of previously approved claims apply within three years for a payment of the difference in benefit amount.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 8","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#HFB2340EE2B02466CB2CFEE0288A62E14:~:text=8.%20Effective%20date"}},{"text":"Replaces the December 31, 2021 end date in the Safeguarding America's First Responders Act of 2020 with a termination date, the earlier of the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration of January 31, 2020 or December 31, 2023.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 9","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H4D3FF94ACB0646A9BEA7B1D98E1DD4B4:~:text=9.%20Safeguarding%20America"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"off_subject","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#HE11195CA79444CE9BDC5A226272317BB:~:text=5.%20Educational%20assistance%20to%20dependents%20of%20certain"},"heading":"Educational assistance to dependents of certain public safety officers","effect":"Changes the educational assistance provision for dependents of certain public safety officers from discretionary (\"may\") to mandatory (\"shall\"), unless prospective assistance has been provided.","amount":null,"quote":"by striking “may” and inserting “shall (unless prospective assistance has been provided)”"},{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 7","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H4619708BDB7042C19019B206F69CF743:~:text=7.%20Subpoena%20power"},"heading":"Subpoena power","effect":"Amends section 806 of title I to add the Attorney General to the officials who may appoint hearing examiners, including interim or as-needed ones, and to conduct examinations and use subpoena authority under this chapter or other law.","amount":null,"quote":"by striking “may appoint” and inserting “may appoint (to be assigned or employed on an interim or as-needed basis) such hearing examiners"}]}],"version":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"rule":"enrolled","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"changes":{"first":{"chamber":"Senate","type":"Engrossed in Senate","date":"2021-06-10","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/es"},"final":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr"},"kept":1.0,"replaced":false,"removed":[],"added":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 9","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text/enr#H4D3FF94ACB0646A9BEA7B1D98E1DD4B4:~:text=9.%20Safeguarding%20America"},"heading":"Safeguarding America's First Responders","effect":"Amends section 3 of the Safeguarding America's First Responders Act of 2020 to replace the period \"between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021\" with a period ending on a termination date, defined as the earlier of the end of the COVID–19 public health emergency or December 31, 2023.","partly":null,"part":null}],"added_count":1,"approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1511/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-s-1511.png","v":"88d33a249ca0","alt":"Votes on Record. S. 1511, 117th Congress: Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021. House: 420 Yea, 3 Nay. Senate: unanimous consent. Outcome: Became law, 18 Nov 2021."}}