Sponsors (37)
Creates a national, statutory recognition program and oversight commission to honor fallen law enforcement and first responders and improve transparency, but may exclude some families based on contested wrongdoing findings and faces risks to diversity and continuity because commissioners are unpaid and the President can dissolve the body.
Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders killed in the line of duty will receive a formal national award program that immediately names three fallen deputies for recognition.
Establishes a formal, statutorily defined Commission with set membership and duties to design the award, set eligibility, and adjudicate claims, creating a more transparent and accountable process for honors.
Families and officers may be denied recognition if an agency issues an 'official finding of wrongdoing' that is contested or inconsistent between agencies, risking wrongful exclusions and disputes.
A Presidential authority to dissolve the Commission without a fixed sunset could terminate it prematurely, leaving unresolved appeals or eligibility disputes and undermining continuity.
Commission members receive no pay, which may limit participation to those who can volunteer unpaid time, reducing diversity and available expertise and potentially delaying establishment or effective operation.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the President to create and award a "Medal of Sacrifice" and establishes a commission to design, award, and adjudicate eligibility for fallen law enforcement and first responders.
Creates a Presidential "Medal of Sacrifice" for law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty and establishes a temporary Presidential Commission to design, promote, award, and set eligibility rules for the medal. The Commission will consist of 12 unpaid members drawn from law enforcement, first responder communities, and related organizations, serve five-year terms (renewable once), and will be empowered to investigate and make final determinations when a recipient is subject to an official finding of wrongdoing. The law prescribes an initial set of three named recipients, a detailed physical description and materials for the medal and ribbon color options, and requires the President to issue the medal according to the Commission's determinations; the Commission sunsets when the President determines its responsibilities are complete.
Official title: Medal of Sacrifice Act
Introduced May 19, 2025 by Brian Jeffrey Mast · Last progress May 28, 2026