Ted Poe: “I would like to thank the chairman for the time. I especially want to thank Representative Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania…”

“I would like to thank the chairman for the time. I especially want to thank Representative Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania for introducing this important legislation, which makes improvements and reforms the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program. This program is intended to expedite the processing of claims and expand coverage to include some nonprofit emergency personnel who are currently not covered by this important program. The reason H.R. 4018 is important is that 72 police officers were killed by perpetrators in 2011, and that number represents a 25 percent increase from the previous year and a 75 percent increase from 2008. One of these 72 was 38-year-old Houston police officer George Will. He was killed by an out-of-control drunk driver. Officer Will was investigating an accident. The drunk driver comes barreling, out of control, down the freeway. Officer Will sees him coming and pushes a witness out of the way so that witness to the first accident wouldn't be hit. While doing so, the drunk driver ran over and killed Officer Will. He left behind a wife, two stepchildren; and the wife he left behind was pregnant. Also in 2011, a total of 61 on-duty firefighters were killed in the United States. So, in 1 year, that's 133 families who don't have a father or a mother anymore. {time} 1530 And the last thing these families should have to worry about after facing the loss of a father or mother first responder is financial instability.…”