,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cfce ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #aj1 #bjbb,ms4 ,duckworth 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,cornyn1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 and ,mr4 ,booker7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh to authorize public safety officer death benefits to officers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,public ,safety ,officer ,support ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,every day1 public safety officers1 including police officers1 firefighters1 emergency medical technicians1 and others1 work to maintain the safety1 health1 and well-being of the communities they serve4 7#b7 ,this means public safety officers are routinely called to respond to stressful and potentially traumatic situations1 often putting their own lives in danger4 7#c7 ,this work not only puts public safety officers at risk for experiencing harm1 serious injury1 and cumulative and acute trauma1 but also places them at up to #be4f times higher risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder when compared to individuals without such experiences4 7#d7 ,psychological evidence indicates that law enforcement officers experience significant job-related stressors and exposures that may confer increased risk for mental health morbidities 7such as post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts1 ideation1 intents1 and behaviors7 and hastened mortality4 7#e7 ,public safety officers often do not have the resources or support they need1 leaving them at higher risk for long-term mental health consequences4 7#f7 ,whereas1 although the ,department of ,defense already considers servicemember suicides to be line-of-duty deaths and provides ,federal support to eligible surviving families1 the ,federal ,government does not recognize public safety officer suicides as deaths in the line of duty4 7#g7 ,in #bjag1 the ,department of ,justice approved #dha claims under the ,public ,safety ,officers' ,benefits ,program under subpart #a of part ,l of title ,i of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajbha et seq471 but not one of them for the more than #bdj public safety officers who died by suicide that year4 7#h7 ,public safety officers who have died or are disabled as a result of suicide or post-traumatic stress disorder do not qualify for the ,public ,safety ,officers' ,benefits ,program1 despite the fact that public safety officers are more likely to die by suicide than from any other line-of-duty cause of death4 #c4 ,public safety officer death benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder 7a7 ,in general ,section #abja of title ,i of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajbha7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7o7 ,post-,traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder 7#a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7,a7 ,mass casualty event ,the term mass casualty event means an incident resulting in casualties to not fewer than #c victims1 including-- 7i7 an incident that exceeds the normal resources for emergency response available in the jurisdiction where the incident takes place2 and 7ii7 an incident that results in a sudden temporal surge of injured individuals necessitating emergency services4 7,b7 ,mass fatality event ,the term mass fatality event means an incident resulting in the fatalities of not fewer than #c individuals at #a or more locations close to one another with a common cause4 7,c7 ,mass shooting ,the term mass shooting means a multiple homicide incident in which not fewer than #c victims are killed-- 7i7 with a firearm2 7ii7 within #a event2 and 7iii7 in #a or more locations in close proximity4 7#b7 ,personal injury sustained in line of duty 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 as determined by the ,bureau-- 7i7 post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder suffered by a public safety officer1 and diagnosed by a licensed medical or mental health professional1 shall be presumed to constitute a personal injury within the meaning of subsection 7a71 sustained in the line of duty by the officer1 if the officer1 while on duty1 engages in situations involving stressful1 tensional1 or traumatic law enforcement1 fire suppression1 rescue1 hazardous material response1 emergency medical services 7including responding to opioid overdoses1 or traumatic psychological or psychiatric distress calls71 prison security1 disaster relief1 or other emergency response activity2 7ii7 post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder suffered by a public safety officer who has contacted or attempted to contact the employee assistance program of the agency or entity that the officer serves1 a licensed medical or mental health professional1 suicide prevention services1 or another mental health assistance service in order to receive help1 treatment1 or diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder1 shall be presumed to constitute a personal injury within the meaning of subsection 7a71 sustained in the line of duty by the officer1 if the officer1 while on duty1 engages in situations involving stressful1 tensional1 or traumatic law enforcement1 fire suppression1 rescue1 hazardous material response1 emergency medical services 7including responding to opioid overdoses1 or traumatic psychological or psychiatric distress calls71 prison security1 disaster relief1 or other emergency response activity2 and 7iii7 post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder suffered by a public safety officer who engages in a response to a mass casualty incident1 mass death incident1 or mass shooting involving stressful1 tensional1 or traumatic law enforcement1 fire suppression1 rescue1 hazardous material response1 prison security1 disaster relief1 or other emergency response activity shall be presumed to constitute a personal injury within the meaning of subsection 7a71 sustained in the line of duty by the officer4 7,b7 ,exceptions 7i7 ,disorder unrelated to engagement ,subparagraph 7,a7 shall not apply if the ,bureau establishes1 by clear and convincing evidence1 and based on competent psychological or medical evidence1 that the post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder was completely unrelated to engagement in situations described in clause 7i71 7ii71 or 7iii7 of that subparagraph4 7ii7 ,other direct and proximate cause ,subparagraph 7,a7 shall not apply if competent psychological or medical evidence establishes that the post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder was directly and proximately caused by something other than the mere presence of post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder risk factors4 7#c7 ,death or disability 7,a7 ,in general 7i7 ,death by suicide of any officer ,for purposes of a claim under subsection 7a71 if a public safety officer described in clause 7i71 7ii71 or 7iii7 of paragraph 7#b77;,a7 of this subsection dies by suicide1 that death shall be presumed to be a direct and proximate result of the post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder suffered by the public safety officer4 7ii7 ,disability of diagnosed officers ,for purposes of a claim under subsection 7b71 if a public safety officer described in paragraph 7#b77;,a77i7 of this subsection is permanently and totally disabled as a result of the post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder suffered by the public safety officer1 including as a result of attempted suicide1 that disability shall be presumed to be a direct and proximate result of the post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder suffered by the public safety officer4 7iii7 ,disability of non-diagnosed officers due to attempted suicide ,for purposes of a claim under subsection 7b71 if a public safety officer described in clause 7ii7 or 7iii7 of paragraph 7#b77;,a7 of this subsection is permanently and totally disabled as a result of attempted suicide1 that disability shall be presumed to be a direct and proximate result of the post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder suffered by the public safety officer4 7,b7 ,permanent and total disability ,for purposes of clauses 7ii7 and 7iii7 of subparagraph 7,a71 an individual shall be considered permanently and totally disabled as a result of an attempted suicide or of post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder if the individual is unable to serve as a public safety officer in the same or a substantially similar role as the individual was serving prior to the attempted suicide or prior to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder1 respectively4 7#d7 ,applicability of limitations on benefits 7,a7 ,intentional actions ,section #abjb7;a77#a7 shall not apply to any claim for a benefit under this part that is payable in accordance with this subsection4 7,b7 ,substance use ,section #abjb7;a77#b7 shall not preclude the payment of a benefit under this part if the benefit is otherwise payable in accordance with this subsection4 4 7b7 ,retroactive applicability ,the amendment made by subsection 7a7 shall take effect as if enacted on ,january #a1 #bjai1 and shall apply to any public safety officer who dies or is permanently and totally disabled on or after that date4 #d4 ,,gao report ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to ,congress a report that details benefits issued pursuant to subsection 7o7 of section #abja of title ,i of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajbha71 as added by section #c1 and includes any recommendations to improve that subsection4