Spaces and respond to emergencies in cramped trucks. Police officers continue to respond to 911. These calls interact with the public in close quarters. While most of us are of waiting covid at all costs, state and county emt crews are transporting t the infected and others to hospitals for emergency care. Will i am inspired by the bravery of the First Responders, not at all surprised by the actions they take to protect the people they serve. First responders always answer the call to action. Selflessly placing others before themselves. In recognition of the sacrifices they made, congress established the peace Officers Program a long time ago in 1876. This provides First Responders with a one time payment if they die or are totally disabled. Let me be very clear. Nothing can ever put back together a family who has lost a loved one. But the Public Safety officers benefit program provide some Economic Relief to grieving families to give peace of mind to the First Responders themselves to know their families will not be left destitute if tragedy will the unfortunately, the Public Safety officers benefit program wasnt designed to deal with the Global Pandemic of this type or magnitude that we have been aware of in the United States since late january. Under existing statute to be awarded benefits of First Responder must be able to prove that they contracted covid19 on duty for the reports that we get its kind of hard to tell where you come in contact. So the last being a grieving family needs to be worried about is whether or not they can successfullyha prove that they are loved ones contacted covid and the line of duty under that 1976 law almost as soon as he had a stayathome order instituted i began working with senator booker to craft language to create the presumption to allow families to receiveit benefits without having to prove they contracted a deadly virus on duty. We were determined to get this done as soon as possible we understood families who lost loved ones would soon begin filing for benefits and we know that number is about 100 at this point safeguarding americas First Responder act is pronounced safer for short safr. This bill is a product of several weeks of friendly negotiations and input from fire groups and Police Groups with a total of 22 bipartisan cosponsors including the entire new york and new jersey delegations the Senate Unanimously passed our bill and now it is in the house where we hope it will receive immediate consideration i our colleagues in the house are deeply concerned about our First Responders and i would bpect this to have a successful effort over there ive been working with congressman on several other reforms for the Public Safety officer benefit program i think its well received by some outstanding people there ishi no excuse for this bill not to receive a vote as soon as possible. The only bill of its k kind that has the support of the International Association offi firefighters, the International Association of fire chiefs and several state Police Groups coauthored by senator booker and has support soof 11 democrats and tenant ten republicans including the Senate Minority leader it also receives the support of department of justice which stands ready to pay out the benefits to grieving families but limited by statutehe as to what they can do under existing law hence the importance of this legislation simply put this bill is a nobrainer i urge Speaker Pelosi to schedule a vote on safer as soon as the house returns to session is my privilege to think senator booker my colleague from new jersey whoet worked so hard to get this done. Senator booker. I will say at the top how grateful i am to stand at the senate floor was senator grassley has been one of the great partners i have had in my short time in the senate and gotten a lot of good work done think him and his entire staff that are all tremendous tobo work with to go above and beyond to get this done at a quick pace. Thank you to our colleagues for acting with the urgency this issue demands and i am excited this bill was able to pass to ensure the families of First Responders who lose their lives to the coronavirus are taken care of under the Public Safety officers benefit program. We expect over 100 death benefit claims can be submitted to the department of tjustice in the coming days and weeks and we cannot leave these grieving families to fight alone for the benefits they need and deserve as senator grassley pointed the put it we hope the house will pick up this legislation for immediate consideration. Covid19 has changed the daily life across this country and for so many of us i am grateful my colleague and so many of my colleagues understand firefighters or Police Officers and other Emergency Service personnel continue to put their lives on the line to protect our communities and do so at increased risk in hardhit areas across the nation we see First Responders stepping up to enormous risk being a First Responder is not a job but an allconsuming mission and unfortunately a tremendous sacrifice responding to a call knowing that just stepping inside of someones home you have a high risk to expose yourselfpe wondering if your ppe is enough or if it is even realer as so many First Responders are using whatever they can scrounge up as a means for use in the United States from the unknown vendors we are doing what we can to protect themselves as we go about their urgent message the concerned that your gloves or goggles if you take them off piece by piece straining to remember what you have touched washing your hands repeatedly but knowing andit wondering lifesaving procedures like cpr that may help that the ppe you are wearing is enough to protect you these are the daily and hourly and moment by moment concerns First Responders have. Rs senator grassley has worked with First Responders in so many ways he knows the challenges this bringsri about to meticulously clean every surfacen of an ambulance, your squad house, police stations knowing the virus could be lingering there and going home in the basement or garage or outside headed straight in the house for a shower but still worrying if it is enough to protect your family and manyn First Responders arent going home to families they are separating themselves because they live in fear of spreading the disease to espouse or child and parent in the emotional stress doing everything you can to save someone from the virus we know First Responders are seeing death at a rate others have never experienced before this adds to fear and anxiety to worry about their families and communities they are doing but very few of us ever have to do to put their lives and their health of their families on the line to protect their community they have always done it but now in the time of coronavirus the sacrifices intensified the very least we can do is ensure they dont have to worry what will happen to their loved ones if something happens to them the Public Safety officers benefit program was created to provide death andla disability benefits firefighters ems and other First Responders killed in the line of duty that benefits come in the form of Financial Support as well as educational scholarships it cannot replace the life lost but could give comfort to the families who put themselves in grave danger Infectious Diseases are currently covered under the program the department is required to provide evidence that the disease they contracted while on duty providing that can be straightforward as a First Responder came in contact with a dirty needle then infected to cause death. But the problem with covid19 is that it has an entirely different challenge working to make sure families are covered we must eliminate the instance in which they are asked to prove which is unprovable that o somehow this is why the bill makes urgently we needed changes to the program for the threat that it poses to put their lives on the line many First Responders have made the ultimate sacrifice im so fateful senator grassley mentioned this 291st responders have lost their lives to coronavirus in the past seven weeks. We know this crisis is ongoing in our country. The bill that senator grassley and i wrote in our teams that as a firstc responder as during this pandemic is contracted and dies they will be treated as a line of duty death without the needes to prove when it was contracted while on the job. Passed by the house and signed by the president this would be retroactive to let on januat 2020 lasting until the end of 2021. The bill assures the families of First Responders have the support they need and deserve when they face unimaginable los loss. Twentyseven years ago a new jersey resident watch two emts save his sons life that same year he became a volunteer emc to pay it forward. Since then he has worked as an emt and served at the chief cheney on training director from woodbridge new jersey. He passed away april 17th after contracting covid19. He is survived by his children tony, roseann and john and ten grandchildren his loved ones shared his obituary the quotation, he will be remembered for his contagious laugh, big heart greeting you he loved to spend time with his family and always had a story to tell. Eat wasrite place to the rio diner and he always chose to bring a chocolate cream pie for the dessert contribution to any Family Gathering and they were flowers he hopes he would perform the unexpected act of kindness. Charles rob roberts joined the glenridge new Jersey Police department inw 2000. He lived in glenridge and his wife alice they raise their children right there in glenridge. He contracted covid19 in the line of duty in april and was rushed to Mountainside Medical Center after being resuscitated in his home by fellow officers and members of the volunteer Ambulance Squad on may 11 he passed away at the age of 45. Last week hundreds of residents in the town of glenridge stood on the front lines and sidewalks to pay tribute to service and his love of community and family the New York Times article published after his passing many of his colleagues and neighbors shared stories about his kindness and calm demeanor in the face the challenges. The couple who remembered how calm he was when he helped deliver their baby in the kitchen. The older woman forever grateful for the gentle way he held her hand when she broke her hip and they waited for an ambulance and the father who struggled with a difficult son and remembered how roberts looked him in the eye and reassured him his boy was a good kid. Officer roberts father shared at his memorial that he wanted to make others happy. Is he served in the Us Marine Corps before becoming a volunteer emt than a firefighter for castaic contracting covid19 in the line of duty on marc march 31st passed away at the age of 33. The first new jersey firefighter to be killed by the virus. Israel is survived by his wife maria and their two children his daughter age nine and his son age seven he called them his princess and his best friend. The new jersey. Com article published in the wake of his passing, israel was born to be a firefighter. It wasnt out of love of the uniform although he beamed with pride every day he walked out wearing that castaic emblem not even out of a mountain bravery or for a running towards the flames but his wife who said because he couldnt help but be selfless if the field his urge to serve others he was so selfless, it drew me closer to him. T2 everyone closer to him. These are among the 29 he was just from new jersey. Madame president there are countless more First Responders across the country who lost their lives and in responding to the crisis some of the names we know some we will learn in the months to come. But we owe it as a nation to the families and departments to be there for those families for those children. For their families and all First Responders across the country who lost loved ones to the virus to be taken care of for their sake i hope the house will act quickly to pass this legislation and the president will sign it into law. First responders is the unprecedented Global Pandemic did not hesitate. They did their duty and stood up to face danger and answered the call. And we must have their backs just as they have hours. Madame president i yield the floor. And with those unprecedented challenges as we continue to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic and the economicot implosion. Thats not all thats going on across the country although some of the challenges that we face are quite severe