WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) reintroduced the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act. This bipartisan legislation, which passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, would expand federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service-related cancers. The Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) program—which provides benefits to first responders injured in the line of duty and to their families—currently extends protection to first responders suffering from a narrow list of injuries and illnesses. This bill would expand PSOB coverage to more first responders and their families.

“Firefighters face many life-threatening health risks. Not all of them move as swiftly as a heart attack, but families are no less deserving of benefits if they lose their loved ones to cancers they were exposed to the line of duty,” said Senator Coons. “We need to close this loophole in the PSOB program so that the families of firefighters and first responders who lost their lives due to service-related cancers or face severe disabilities receive the benefits they deserve.”

“As we are seeing in California and throughout the country, our firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, often exposing themselves to carcinogens that can have lethal long-term effects. It’s unacceptable that firefighters who succumb to cancer from work-related exposure or become permanently and totally disabled don’t receive the same treatment as others who die in the line of duty,” said Senator Klobuchar. “Our bipartisan legislation will honor the memory and sacrifice of St. Paul Fire Department Captain Mike Paidar and so many others who risk their lives in service of their communities.”

“Our first responders epitomize courage and selfless sacrifice, confronting both the immediate perils of their duty and lingering health risks associated with their service,” said Senator Cramer. “The exposure to dangerous carcinogens happens on our behalf. When these heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, their families should not bear these burdens alone.”

The Honoring our Fallen Heroes Act would expand access to federal support for the families of firefighters and first responders who pass away from cancer caused by carcinogenic exposure during their service. The bill would also extend disability benefits in cases where these first responders become permanently and totally disabled due to cancer.

This legislation was introduced in honor of Michael Paidar, a fire captain who died in 2020 of an aggressive form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. In 2021, after strong advocacy from the Paidar family, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety awarded line-of-duty benefits to Captain Paidar’s widow, Julie. This was the first time that Minnesota’s state PSOB program provided a firefighter’s family with benefits for cancer incurred in the line of duty. The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act would ensure that firefighters and other first responders across the country are eligible to receive similar benefits under the federal PSOB program. 

In addition to Senators Coons, Klobuchar, and Cramer, this bill is also co-sponsored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The legislation is endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA), Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Narcotics Officers’ Associations Coalition (NNOAC), National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), and the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the NYPD. 

A full list of endorsement quotes is available here.

Senator Coons has long-advocated for firefighters and first responders’ health, benefits, safety, and well-being. He worked to pass the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act, which was signed into law by President Biden in 2023, and helps local fire departments access funding for training, personnel, and equipment—all of which are especially in demand from small and volunteer fire departments. He also cosponsored the Protecting America’s First Responders Act, which was signed into law in 2021, and improved the PSOB program by allowing benefit amounts to be calculated based on the date of the award and account for cost of living increases. In 2022, he introduced the Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act, a bipartisan bill to promote mental health programs for America’s first responders, who often face long-term effects from providing life-saving services in moments of crisis.