House of Representatives Passes Representative Angie Craig’s Bipartisan Legislation to Support Law Enforcement

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Public Safety Officer Support Act – legislation that Representative Craig helped introduce after hearing the story of South St. Paul police officer Cory Slifko earlier this year. Craig's legislation would allow officers to access disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges that arise as a result of their service in the line of duty. It would also expand the Public Safety Officers' Benefit (PSOB) program to ensure that families of officers who lost their lives to trauma-linked suicide can apply for the death benefits that they deserve.

"I am honored that this critical piece of legislation to support officers across the country and families like Cory and Katie Slifko's has passed the House on a bipartisan basis today. This bill will allow our officers to access disability benefits when their mental health prevents them from continuing to serve in the line of duty and take care of their families if the unthinkable happens," said Representative Craig. "I'm proud to champion this important issue for all those who put their lives on the line for our communities."

Craig spoke on the House floor in support of her legislation, urging her colleagues in both parties to support her effort to expand the PSOB program. Video of Representative Craig's remarks is available here.

This issue became a priority for Representative Craig after talking with and hearing the story of Katie Slifko, who was deemed ineligible for survivor benefits after the death of her husband Cory, who served for nearly 20 years on the South St. Paul Police force. Craig has also worked with a bipartisan group of state legislators including Senator Zach Duckworth, Senator Karla Bigham and Representative Kelly Moller to prioritize passage of similar legislation in Minnesota. Recently Craig hosted a roundtable at the State Capitol with local law enforcement, Ms. Slifko, state lawmakers and mental health professionals to discuss ongoing efforts to expand the PSOB program at the state and federal levels.

Currently, the PSOB program only provides disability relief to families of officers who died or who have been permanently disabled as a result of a physical injury – completely excluding any support for mental health challenges or families who have lost their loved ones to suicide.

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