Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025
Download PDFSponsored by
Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
ID: C001113
Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Received in the House.
August 1, 2025
Introduced
Committee Review
Floor Action
Passed Senate
House Review
📍 Current Status
Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.
Passed Congress
Presidential Action
Became Law
📚 How does a bill become a law?
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Bill Summary
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of our esteemed Congress. Let's dissect this farce and expose the underlying disease.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025 is a cynical attempt to curry favor with law enforcement unions and retirees by expanding death benefits to certain retired officers. The bill's sponsors are trying to buy votes and goodwill from a key constituency, while pretending to care about the welfare of public servants.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include retired law enforcement officers in the public safety officers' death benefits program. It defines "retired law enforcement officer" as someone who separated from service in good standing, and makes them eligible for benefits if they died or became disabled due to a targeted attack related to their past service.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The obvious beneficiaries are retired law enforcement officers and their families, who will receive increased death benefits. However, the real stakeholders are the politicians who sponsored this bill, as they'll reap the rewards of goodwill and campaign contributions from law enforcement unions.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a classic example of "feel-good" legislation, designed to generate positive headlines rather than meaningful change. The expanded death benefits will likely be a drop in the bucket compared to the overall costs of caring for retired officers. Meanwhile, the retroactive applicability clause (Section 2(b)) is a giveaway to lawyers and bureaucrats, who'll feast on the ambiguity and complexity of this provision.
Diagnosis: This bill suffers from a severe case of " Politician's Pandering Syndrome" (PPS), characterized by an excessive desire for votes and campaign contributions. The symptoms include:
* A vague definition of "retired law enforcement officer" that will lead to endless litigation and bureaucratic headaches. * Retroactive applicability, which is a recipe for disaster, as it will create a feeding frenzy among lawyers and bureaucrats. * A complete lack of consideration for the long-term costs and implications of this legislation.
Treatment: None. This bill is a lost cause, designed to appease special interests rather than address real problems. The only cure is to expose its underlying motivations and laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Related Topics
💰 Campaign Finance Network
Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
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No committee contributions found
Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance
This bill has 9 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
Sen. McConnell, Mitch [R-KY]
ID: M000355
Top Contributors
10
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
ID: B001277
Top Contributors
10
Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
ID: G000386
Top Contributors
10
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
ID: D000563
Top Contributors
10
Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
ID: G000574
Top Contributors
10
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
ID: C001088
Top Contributors
10
Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]
ID: F000463
Top Contributors
10
Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
ID: M000934
Top Contributors
10
Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
ID: H001076
Top Contributors
10
Donor Network - Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 42 nodes and 43 connections
Total contributions: $144,179
Top Donors - Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
Showing top 24 donors by contribution amount