Exclusive: Hill Republicans unveil bill to ‘back the blue’ injured in line of duty

Texas Republicans will reintroduce legislation Thursday to target bureaucratic delays in the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Randy Weber’s Officer John Barnes Act would expedite the processing of disability benefits claims in the DOJ’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program. Their legislation is named in honor of the law enforcement officer who first confronted the gunman in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, which took ten lives.

That officer, John Barnes, was critically wounded by the gunman and sustained a permanent disability after nearly bleeding to death, which ended his career in law enforcement. He applied to PSOB for disability benefits following the injury and waited nearly seven years to receive an answer.

The PSOB program informed Barnes last week that his claim was denied, Weber’s office told the DCNF.

Cruz and Weber’s legislation would require the DOJ’s PSOB program to process applicants’ claims within 270 days and ensure a clear timeline for benefit determination. Under current law, there is no deadline to make a determination on law enforcement officers’ and first responders’ claims.

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“In America, we back the blue—no ifs, and, or buts,” Weber told the DCNF. “Our law enforcement officers risk their lives every single day to protect our communities, and when they are injured or fall in the line of duty, they and their families deserve answers, not years of bureaucratic nonsense.

“It is downright disrespectful that officers like John Barnes have been left waiting for over seven years just to get a simple answer from the federal government. This isn’t just inefficiency; it’s a disgrace,” Weber continued.

“Every single day, they put their lives on the line for their fellow Americans, and in times of crisis these heroes deserve to access the benefits they have earned without red tape getting in the way,” Cruz told the DCNF. “We owe it to our law enforcement officers, like Officer Barnes who has waited for far too long, to eliminate these bureaucratic barriers hindering their access to benefits.

Weber and Cruz introduced the same legislation in June 2024 during the last Congress, but neither bill advanced in the House or Senate.

The Department’s PSOB program, established in 1976, provides death, education, and disability benefits to law enforcement officers or first responders injured in the line of duty or to the survivors of fallen officers, according to the DOJ’s overview of the program. More than 1200 claims are submitted to the Department’s PSOB program annually.

Weber notably represents the district where the Santa Fe High School shooting occurred in Congress.

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