On the recordDecember 17, 2005
The Bureau of Justice Assistance has acquired considerable expertise in the administration of the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act since its enactment in 1976, and courts have properly accorded the Bureau's interpretations of the Act great deference. Among other things, H.R. 3402 clarifies statutory provisions relating to the requirements that ``rescue squad or ambulance crew'' members be public employees, and that ``enforcement of the laws'' refers to the criminal laws, by making the text conform more clearly to the legislative intention, which has been correctly reflected in the Bureau's longstanding interpretation of the Act. These clarifying changes should not be understood to effect any substantive change in the Act, as interpreted by the Bureau.
Source
govinfo.gov
