To express the sense of the Congress that the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor should be awarded to public safety officers killed in the line of duty in the aftermath of the terrorist... (Introduced in the Senate)

SCON 66 IS

107th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. CON. RES. 66

To express the sense of the Congress that the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor should be awarded to public safety officers killed in the line of duty in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 19, 2001

Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. CARPER, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. WARNER, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. BENNETT, Mr. HATCH, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. SHELBY, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. BUNNING, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. VOINOVICH, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. KERRY, Mr. CLELAND, Mr. FRIST, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mr. JEFFORDS, Mrs. CARNAHAN, Mr. BREAUX, Mr. CORZINE, Mr. HELMS, Mr. MILLER, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. WELLSTONE, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. EDWARDS, Mr. GREGG, and Mr. FITZGERALD) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was ordered held at the desk until the close of business on September 20, 2001.

September 20, 2001

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

To express the sense of the Congress that the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor should be awarded to public safety officers killed in the line of duty in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Whereas the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-12, 115 Stat. 20)--

(A) allows the President to award, and present in the name of Congress, a Medal of Valor to a public safety officer cited by the Attorney General of the United States, upon the recommendation of the Medal of Valor Review Board, for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty; and

(B) provides that the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor shall be the highest national award for valor by a public safety officer;

Whereas on September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked and destroyed 4 civilian aircraft, crashing 2 of the planes into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and a third into the Pentagon in suburban Washington, DC;

Whereas thousands of innocent Americans were killed or injured as a result of these attacks, including rescue workers, police officers, and firefighters at the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon;

Whereas these attacks destroyed both towers of the World Trade Center, as well as adjacent buildings, and seriously damaged the Pentagon;

Whereas police officers, firefighters, public safety officers, and medical response crews were thrown into extraordinarily dangerous situations, responding to these horrendous events and acting heroically, without concern for their own safety, trying to help and to save as many of the lives of others as possible in the impact zones, in spite of the clear danger to their own lives; and

Whereas these attacks were by far the deadliest terrorist attacks ever launched against the United States: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--

(1) because of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the limit on the number of Public Safety Officer Medals of Valor should be waived, and a medal should be awarded under the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2001 to any public safety officer, as defined in that Act, who was killed in the line of duty; and

(2) the Medal of Valor Review Board should give strong consideration to the acts of bravery by other public safety officers in responding to these events.