S. 571119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Feb 13, 2025Decoded by AI · checked against the record
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S 571 requires the Bureau of Justice Assistance to decide public safety officer benefit claims within 270 days of application.
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S 571 would set a 270-day deadline for the Bureau of Justice Assistance to decide whether applicants qualify for the Public Safety Officers' Death and Disability Benefit Program. Currently, no legal deadline exists for how long that decision can take. The bill does not change eligibility requirements or payment amounts.
The bill primarily affects surviving family members of police officers, firefighters, and other public safety workers killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. It also affects the Bureau of Justice Assistance, which administers the program.
Without a deadline, families have sometimes waited years for a decision, creating prolonged financial uncertainty after losing or seriously injured a family member in the line of duty. Setting a fixed timeframe would require the agency to act within about nine months of receiving a claim.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a Senate committee is reviewing it. If the House changes it, it goes back to the Senate before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.