The U.S. Senate passed S. 911, known as the Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025, via unanimous consent on July 29, 2025. This bipartisan legislation amends the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program to include retired law enforcement officers who die (or become permanently and totally disabled) as a direct result of a targeted attack linked to their prior service.  The bill expands benefits previously limited to active officers, which means that families of officers like Chief Proffitt—who was a retired officer killed in retaliation for his service—would qualify.

Originally introduced by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D‑NV) and co‑sponsored by Senator Mitch McConnell (R‑KY), the bill was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee without amendment before full Senate approval. In the House, a companion measure is H.R. 1236, introduced by Representative Andy Barr (R‑KY), which would similarly amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend eligibility to retired officers.

While the Senate has passed the bill, it has not yet become law—it must still clear the House and be signed by the President. If enacted, it would recognize the sacrifices of retired officers by providing their families with benefits equal to active officers under PSOB, and would apply retroactively to cases dating back to January 1, 2012.

If you like, I can also prepare a short explainer of how this compares to existing law and estimate how many families might benefit.