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7345942
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Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act of 1976 [Fact Sheet]
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7345942
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contentType
document
title
Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act of 1976 [Fact Sheet]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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Legislation
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7345942
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29
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1976-09-29
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9
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1976
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Digitized from Box 31 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 1976
Office of the White House Press Secretary
THE WHITE HOUSE
FACT SHEET
PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS' BENEFITS ACT OF 1976
President Ford today signed H.R. 366, the Public Safety
Officers' Benefits Act of 1976, establishing a new Federal
program to provide benefits to the survivors of State and local
policemen and firemen killed in the line of duty.
HIGHLIGHTS OF H.R. 366
The new law would:
- Establish within the Law Enforcement Assistance
Administration an entirely federally funded death
benefits program.
- Authorize payment of a $50,000 death benefit to the
survivors of State and local "public safety officers"
who have died "as the direct and proximate result of
a personal injury sustained in the line of duty."
Eligible "public safety officers" would include all
persons serving with or without compensation as law
enforcement officers (e.g., police, corrections,
probation, parole, and judicial officers), or as
firemen.
- Provide that death benefits be in addition to any
other benefits to which the decedent's survivors would
be entitled, except that they would be reduced by pay-
ments made under (1) the Federal Employees Compensation
Act (FECA) to State and local law enforcement officers
for injury or death resulting from apprehending persons
suspected of committing Federal crimes or (2) the
District of Columbia's statutorily authorized death
benefits' program for police and firemen.
- Bar payment of the benefit if the public safety
officer's death was the result of his or her intentional
misconduct, suicidal act, or voluntary intoxication, or
the actions of a potential beneficiary.
- Authorize "such sums as may be necessary" for each
fiscal year.
The Department of Justice has estimated an annual Federal
cost of $19.3 million.
BACKGROUND
Legislation to establish a Federal death gratuity program
for public safety officers was proposed in partial response to a
shocking wave of public safety officer killings and the fact that
some officers were inadequately covered by job-related benefits.
Although bills were passed by both the House and Senate in the
Ninety-second and Ninety-third Congresses, the legislation was
never finally cleared for Presidential action.
more
2
The original Administration proposal to provide a Federal
benefit to the survivors of public safety officers covered only
officers killed as the result of a criminal act. The present
legislation expands this scope significantly by providing
coverage for all deaths resulting from a personal injury
sustained in the line of duty.
The Administration plans to seek appropriations for this
program as quickly as possible.
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