At presstime, President George W. Bush was expected to sign two public safety bills, according to reports from the National Volunteer Fire Council. One would provide tax benefits to the families of fallen public safety officers and the other would create a national medal for public safety officers.

Congress has already approved H.R. 1727, a bill to expand a tax exemption for survivor benefits paid to the families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty. The Fallen Hero Survivor Benefit Fairness Act, introduced by Rep. Jim Ramstad (Minn.), extends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to survivors of public safety officers killed in the line of duty before Dec. 31, 1996, the same tax benefits available to the survivors of officers killed after such date. The legislation would make all survivor annuities exempt from taxes. Currently, survivor annuities paid to families are only exempt from taxes if the death occurred on or after Jan. 1, 1997.

Congress has also passed S. 39, which would establish a medal for public safety officers who act with “extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty.” Under the Public Safety Medal of Valor Act, the medal would be presented to as many as 10 individuals each year by the president on behalf of the Congress and the American people. The recipients would be firefighters, police or other law enforcement officers, or emergency services officers.

The recipients would be selected by the attorney general in consultation with a new review board composed of 11 public safety experts chosen by the president and congressional leaders. The bill also creates a National Medal Office within the Justice Department to establish the specific criteria for the medal.