FEDERALcongressional record

Proposed Support for Families of Fallen First Responders

Original title: RECOGNIZING NATIONAL POLICE WEEK AND HONORING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS

May 13, 2026

public safety first responders legislation survivor benefits

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The Frame

What this does

This proposed legislation would increase federal death and education benefits for the families of deceased public safety officers, directly impacting the financial support available to these households.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Families of fallen public safety officers

The proposed bill would increase the amount of death and education benefits they receive from the federal government.

Public safety officers

The bill impacts the support structure available to their families in the event of a line-of-duty death.

What changed

Last recorded activity May 13, 2026.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

Representative Ruiz is advocating for the passage of the 'Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gilbert Vega First Responders Survivors Support Act' to increase financial and educational benefits for the families of fallen public safety officers. The proposal aims to address the rising cost of living and debt burdens faced by surviving families.

Why It Matters

Key Facts

The proposed bill aims to increase death benefits for families of fallen public safety officers to assist with debt repayment.
The proposed bill aims to increase education benefits to account for rising tuition costs.
The legislation is named after Palm Springs Police Officers Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega, who died in the line of duty in 2016.
The bill is intended to strengthen the existing Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the proposed legislation?

The bill seeks to increase death and education benefits for the families of fallen public safety officers to help them manage debt and rising living costs.

Who are the officers mentioned in the bill's title?

The bill is named after Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega, two Palm Springs police officers who were killed in the in 2016.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Expansion of Survivor Benefits

The proposal explicitly links the need for increased federal benefits to current inflation and rising costs of living.

Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program

Connected Entities

personLesley Zerebny“Palm Springs Police Officer killed in the line of duty in 2016.”Map →

personMr. Ruiz“Member of the House of Representatives who introduced the bill.”Map →

personGil Vega“Palm Springs Police Officer killed in the line of duty in 2016.”Map →

organizationPublic Safety Officers' Benefits Program“Federal program providing benefits to families of fallen officers.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance60
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

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