This bill creates a program to pay money to law enforcement officers who defended the United States Capitol during the events on January 6, 2021. The Attorney General will run the program through a Special Master. The Special Master will make forms, review claims, and decide who is eligible and how much each eligible person should get. Claims can include physical, emotional, and economic harms, and claims on behalf of officers who died are allowed.
If you were an active duty law enforcement officer who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021, you may file one claim for compensation. A personal representative may file a claim for a deceased officer. The Special Master will review claims, allow evidence and attorneys, and must decide within 120 days of a filed claim. The Special Master will reduce awards by any collateral compensation (other payments the claimant received). Decisions by the Special Master are final and not subject to judicial review.
The bill sets a minimum payment for claims involving death of at least $4,975,000. The bill also requires an additional payment to each claimant who served that day, whether or not they were harmed; that payment equals $4,975,000 plus a calculated amount based on certain sums paid by the United States in settlements involving convicted persons, divided among all such claimants. The bill authorizes ‘‘such sums as may be necessary’’ for administrative costs and states it constitutes budget authority in advance of appropriations. No total program cost or specific appropriation amounts are provided in the bill text.
The bill’s stated purpose is to provide compensation to officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and to compensate those injured (including mental or emotional injury) or who died as a result of that attack. Supporters would point to the Special Master process to make individual determinations and to guaranteed minimum death payments.
No publicly available information.