Home > 107th Congressional Bills > H.R. 802 (enr) To authorize the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, and for other purposes. [Enrolled bill] ...H.R. 802 (enr) To authorize the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, and for other purposes. [Enrolled bill] ...
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 802
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To authorize the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor
Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF MEDAL.
After September 1, 2001, the President may award, and present in
the name of Congress, a Medal of Valor of appropriate design, with
ribbons and appurtenances, to a public safety officer who is cited by
the Attorney General, upon the recommendation of the Medal of Valor
Review Board, for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of
duty. The Public Safety Medal of Valor shall be the highest national
award for valor by a public safety officer.
SEC. 3. MEDAL OF VALOR BOARD.
(a) Establishment of Board.--There is established a Medal of Valor
Review Board (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ``Board''),
which shall be composed of 11 members appointed in accordance with
subsection (b) and shall conduct its business in accordance with this
Act.
(b) Membership.--
(1) Members.--The members of the Board shall be individuals
with knowledge or expertise, whether by experience or training,
in the field of public safety, of which--
(A) two shall be appointed by the majority leader
of the Senate;
(B) two shall be appointed by the minority leader
of the Senate;
(C) two shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives;
(D) two shall be appointed by the minority leader
of the House of Representatives; and
(E) three shall be appointed by the President,
including one with experience in firefighting, one with
experience in law enforcement, and one with experience
in emergency services.
(2) Term.--The term of a Board member shall be 4 years.
(3) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the membership of the Board
shall not affect the powers of the Board and shall be filled in
the same manner as the original appointment.
(4) Operation of the board.--
(A) Chairman.--The Chairman of the Board shall be
elected by the members of the Board from among the
members of the Board.
(B) Meetings.--The Board shall conduct its first
meeting not later than 90 days after the appointment of
the last member appointed of the initial group of
members appointed to the Board. Thereafter, the Board
shall meet at the call of the Chairman of the Board.
The Board shall meet not less often than twice each
year.
(C) Voting and rules.--A majority of the members
shall constitute a quorum to conduct business, but the
Board may establish a lesser quorum for conducting
hearings scheduled by the Board. The Board may
establish by majority vote any other rules for the
conduct of the Board's business, if such rules are not
inconsistent with this Act or other applicable law.
(c) Duties.--The Board shall select candidates as recipients of the
Medal of Valor from among those applications received by the National
Medal of Valor Office. Not more often than once each year, the Board
shall present to the Attorney General the name or names of those it
recommends as Medal of Valor recipients. In a given year, the Board
shall not be required to select any recipients but may not select more
than 5 recipients. The Attorney General may in extraordinary cases
increase the number of recipients in a given year. The Board shall set
an annual timetable for fulfilling its duties under this Act.
(d) Hearings.--
(1) In general.--The Board may hold such hearings, sit and
act at such times and places, administer such oaths, take such
testimony, and receive such evidence as the Board considers
advisable to carry out its duties.
(2) Witness expenses.--Witnesses requested to appear before
the Board may be paid the same fees as are paid to witnesses
under section 1821 of title 28, United States Code. The per
diem and mileage allowances for witnesses shall be paid from
funds appropriated to the Board.
(e) Information From Federal Agencies.--The Board may secure
directly from any Federal department or agency such information as the
Board considers necessary to carry out its duties. Upon the request of
the Board, the head of such department or agency may furnish such
information to the Board.
(f) Information To Be Kept Confidential.--The Board shall not
disclose any information which may compromise an ongoing law
enforcement investigation or is otherwise required by law to be kept
confidential.
SEC. 4. BOARD PERSONNEL MATTERS.
(a) Compensation of Members.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph
(2), each member of the Board shall be compensated at a rate equal to
the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for
level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5,
United States Code, for each day (including travel time) during which
such member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the Board.
(2) All members of the Board who serve as officers or employees of
the United States, a State, or a local government, shall serve without
compensation in addition to that received for those services.
(b) Travel Expenses.--The members of the Board shall be allowed
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates
authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57
of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular
places of business in the performance of service for the Board.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Public safety officer.--The term ``public safety
officer'' means a person serving a public agency, with or
without compensation, as a firefighter, law enforcement
officer, or emergency services officer, as determined by the
Attorney General. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term
``law enforcement officer'' includes a person who is a
corrections or court officer or a civil defense officer.
(2) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American
Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General
such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
SEC. 7. NATIONAL MEDAL OF VALOR OFFICE.
There is established within the Department of Justice a National
Medal of Valor Office. The Office shall provide staff support to the
Board to establish criteria and procedures for the submission of
recommendations of nominees for the Medal of Valor and for the final
design of the Medal of Valor.
SEC. 8. CONFORMING REPEAL.
Section 15 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974
(15 U.S.C. 2214) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following
new subsection (a):
``(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established an honorary award
for the recognition of outstanding and distinguished service by public
safety officers to be known as the Director's Award For Distinguished
Public Safety Service (`Director's Award').'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) by striking paragraph (1); and
(B) by striking ``(2)'';
(3) by striking subsections (c) and (d) and redesignating
subsections (e), (f), and (g) as subsections (c), (d), and (e),
respectively; and
(4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated--
(A) by striking paragraph (1); and
(B) by striking ``(2)''.
SEC. 9. CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.
The Board shall consult with the Institute of Heraldry within the
Department of Defense regarding the design and artistry of the Medal of
Valor. The Board may also consider suggestions received by the
Department of Justice regarding the design of the medal, including
those made by persons not employed by the Department.
Passed the House of Representatives March 22, 2001.
Attest:
Clerk.
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 802
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To authorize the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, and for other
purposes.
Pages: 1 Other Popular 107th Congressional Bills Documents:
|
| GovRecords.org presents information on various agencies of the United States Government. Even though all information is believed to be credible and accurate, no guarantees are made on the complete accuracy of our government records archive. Care should be taken to verify the information presented by responsible parties. Please see our reference page for congressional, presidential, and judicial branch contact information. GovRecords.org values visitor privacy. Please see the privacy page for more information. |
 |