“Public safety” is a broad and often contentious topic that involves several governmental roles and responsibilities. Defined by Goodwin University as “protecting the public” and “safeguarding people from crimes, disaster, and other potential dangers and threats,” public safety requires policies that are objective, rational, and considerate of the legal right of those being protected. Here’s a brief review of recent federal bills related to public safety matters.
Protecting America's First Responders Act
The Protecting America’s First Responders Act became law on November 18, 2021, expanding and, to some extent, improving upon the existing Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program.
One benefit of the new act is that it revises the definition of disability to ensure “officers who are permanently unable to secure meaningful gainful employment following catastrophic injury in the line of duty remain eligible for benefits.”
The Protecting America’s First Responders Act also offers:
- Expanded eligibility
- Retroactive disability provisions for 9/11 first responders
- Increased presumption of Covid-19 connection to certain injuries or deaths
- New employment criteria for public safety officers who suffered catastrophic injuries
- Adjusted dependent educational benefits
- Increased interim death payments
George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 was introduced in the House on February 24, 2021, but stalled after passing to the Senate. However, immediately following the guilty verdict of ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, the bill was reintroduced and negotiations resumed.
As noted by WUSA9, the bill is “broken into portions that touch on the way police cases are handled in court, racial profiling, sexual misconduct and more.” The bill also proposed a National Police Misconduct Registry to be overseen by the Attorney Genera’s office.
A major criticism of the bill has been the daunting estimated cost. “This unfunded mandate laced on state and local law enforcement will cost several hundred million dollars,” asserted Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ). Ultimately, the bill was once again struck down after a failure to agree on certain elements. However, it seems likely that a modified version of the bill will reappear in the future.
People's Response Act
Sponsored by Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), The People’s Response Act proposes utilizing a more “health-based and inclusive approach to public safety” through unarmed responders versus armed law enforcement officers.
The bill’s alternative approach suggests the creation of a new public safety division under the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as a “federal first responders unit that will support states and local governments with emergency health crises.”
While the bill has received ample support from advocacy groups, the eye-watering $10 billion price tag has predictably caused alarm. $7.5 billion of that amount is marked for state and local government grants to “fully fund public safety and improve crisis response.” The remaining $2.5 billion would be used to fund a First Responder Hiring Grant to “create thousands of jobs and provide funding to state, local, and tribal governments, as well as community organizations, to hire emergency first responders…”
Instead of police, the proposed responders would be social workers, mental health and substance use counselors, or other specialists.
American Rescue Plan Act
The sweeping and controversial $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act included significant funding allocations aimed at enhancing public safety. As one of the broadest and most expensive pieces of legislation in history, the act was only a part of the even bigger Build Back Better Plan.
A few of the public safety-oriented features included in the American Rescue Plan Act were:
- $50 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to distribute Covid-19 vaccines
- $47.8 billion for Covid testing and prevention measures
- $13.48 billion for Veterans Affairs healthcare programs
- $10 billion for personal protective equipment and related items
- $7.6 billion for health centers to address Covid matters and distribute vaccines
- $7.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to administer Covid vaccines.
Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act
H.R. 550, the Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act, has been met with relative bipartisan approval and “directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to take actions to improve data sharing and other aspects of immunization information systems.”
The bill passed in the House on November 30, 2021, with opponents arguing that it would lead to the creation of a “federal vaccination database.” Proponents of the bill have countered that such concerns are not warranted.
“The Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act, HR 550, is in no way, shape, or form related to a federal vaccine database or vaccine passport,” stated Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI). “In fact, the data contained in these state run systems has had all personally identifiable information removed from it.”
Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Act of 2021
H.R. 1268, the Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Act of 2021, was introduced by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) in February 2021 to “disseminate information about COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccinations.”
The Bill intends for the CDC to coordinate with the Office of Minority Health and federal partners to award grants to “health departments and certain nonprofits.”
More specifically, the bill proposes to “require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award targeted grants to State, Tribal, Territorial, and local health departments or nonprofit organizations in geographic locations with racial and ethic minorities and other vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to disseminate information regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, and for other purposes.”
The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Health immediately after being introduced.
Additional Public Safety-Related Bills in Progress
H.R. 3225 – Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act “To provide collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or their political subdivisions, and for other purposes.”
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor on May 13, 2021
H.R. 2128 – Public Transit Safety Improvement Act of 2021 “To amend title 49, United States Code, to improve transit safety.”
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit on March 24, 2021
H.R. 211 – Big Cat Public Safety Act “To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to clarify provisions enacted by the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, to further the conservation of certain wildlife species, and for other purposes.”
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife on February 18, 2021
Most Viewed Bills in Congress
To learn more about current federal bills and their purposes, check out the Most Viewed Bill in Congress. The website updates its list every Monday, based on metrics from the week prior. Users can also run an advanced search query, using keywords or phrases to filter results.
