H.R. 3497: Medal of Sacrifice Act

The Medal of Sacrifice Act creates a brand-new federal medal for law enforcement officers and first responders — local, state, tribal, territorial, or federal — killed in the line of duty. The President awards it. The bill writes three Palm Beach County deputies, Ralph 'Butch' Waller, Ignacio 'Dan' Diaz, and Luis Paez, directly into the law itself as the first recipients.

A 12-member commission, appointed by the President within 150 days of enactment, runs the program. Members serve five-year terms, capped at two, and they don't get paid. The commission advises on the medal's design, decides how it gets presented, and helps the President set criteria for who qualifies.

The medal isn't automatic for every fallen officer. If an agency has issued an official finding that the officer acted outside the scope of their duties or against agency policy, that officer isn't eligible — unless the commission investigates and rules otherwise. The bar for 'wrongdoing' is whatever the employing agency decides.

The bill doesn't appropriate any money. No payments to families. No funding for medal production. No salary for commission members. Those costs would fall to existing executive branch budgets. Federal death and education benefits for families of fallen officers already exist separately through the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program.