# 119-hr-7718: Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program Expansion Act of 2026

119-hr-7718, Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program Expansion Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-23).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7718
- As of: 2026-09-23
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7718
- Congress: 119
- Title: Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program Expansion Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-25
- Sponsor: Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 23
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-23

## Summary

**Would speed PSOB decisions and add interim payments for injured or deceased public safety officers.** The bill would create new permanent and partial disability benefits, set firm notice and decision deadlines, and add expedited paths tied to the Victim Compensation Fund and the World Trade Center Health Program. - Public safety officers with work-related disability: Would create a permanent and partial disability benefit starting at 50% of the amount that would have been payable at the time of injury and allow a one-time interim payment not to exceed $6,000 while cases are processed. - Claimants and families seeking death or related benefits: Would require missing-information notices at 90 days and final determinations at 270 days, authorize interim payments when determinations run late, and allow expedited approvals when the VCF certifies eligibility or the WTCHP implicates the cause of death. - Program management and oversight: Would require the Bureau of Justice Assistance to implement GAO recommendations within 180 days, expand outreach and backlogged-claims reporting, and mandate Comptroller General reviews to reduce delays.

## Cosponsors (23)

- Rep. Min, Dave [D-CA-47] (D-CA), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garbarino, Andrew R. [R-NY-2] (R-NY), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11] (R-NY), 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mannion, John W. [D-NY-22] (D-NY), 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8] (D-MD), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ), 2026-05-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2026-05-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17] (R-TX), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36] (R-TX), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2] (R-TX), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (D-CA), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3] (D-WA), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (D-NH), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] (R-NY), 2026-09-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8] (D-MA), 2026-09-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster PSOB claims and interim payments: benefit, high. If enacted, the Bureau would have to notify claimants of missing documents within 90 days. A claim would be "complete" when it has all required documents and a Bureau claim number, which would start a 270-day decision clock. If the Bureau does not decide a complete claim within 270 days, an eligibl…
- New partial disability cash benefit: benefit, high. If enacted, an officer found permanently but not totally disabled from a line-of-duty injury would be able to get a new PSOB partial-disability payment. The payment would equal 50% of the full PSOB amount that would have applied on the injury date, including required adjustments. If the impairment…
- Faster PSOB approvals for WTC cases: benefit, low. If enacted, the Bureau would have to approve a PSOB death claim when the Victim Compensation Fund certifies the claim is eligible for its death benefit or the World Trade Center Health Program certifies the death is program-related, unless there is clear and convincing evidence otherwise. This woul…
- Dependent education benefits stay the same: cost, low. If enacted, nothing in this bill would expand or change education benefits for dependents under current PSOB law. Dependents would remain subject to the same caps and limits that exist today.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-7718 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7718)

## Related
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-979)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4382)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7718 (as of 2026-09-23).