Congress honors fallen law enforcement with formal Medal of Sacrifice
H.R. 3497 — Medal of Sacrifice Act · Filed by Brian Mast (R-FL) · 36 cosponsors · Introduced May 19, 2025 · Signed
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What it does
This bill establishes a Medal of Sacrifice to be awarded by the President to law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty. A Commission of 12 law enforcement and first responder representatives will oversee the medal's design, criteria, and presentation; members serve unpaid 5-year terms. The bill names three specific deputies as initial recipients and specifies the medal's physical design—a silver and gold medal featuring national symbols and heraldic elements.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole substantive function is to establish a commemorative medal honoring law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty. It creates an administrative structure (a Commission) to oversee the medal's design and award criteria, but the core mechanism is ceremonial recognition, not regulatory or financial.
What the text implies
- The Commission's sunset provision is discretionary—the President determines when responsibilities are 'completed,' potentially allowing indefinite operation if the President interprets ongoing promotion or advisory duties as continuing.
- The initial award of three named deputies creates a precedent that may invite pressure to retroactively award the medal to other fallen officers, potentially creating disputes over eligibility and historical fairness.
- The 'official finding of wrongdoing' exception is defined narrowly (acting outside scope or against agency policy) and does not address civil rights violations, excessive force findings, or criminal conduct—potentially allowing the medal to be awarded to officers with serious misconduct records if their agency did not formally document wrongdoing.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill creates a formal, dignified recognition for fallen law enforcement and first responders, honoring their sacrifice and providing symbolic acknowledgment to their families. The eligibility exception for officers with official findings of wrongdoing ensures the medal maintains integrity and is not awarded to those who acted outside their duties or agency policy.
Who stands to gain
- Tiffany & Co (medal design and manufacturing)
Named in the bill
President of the United States, Commission on Medal of Sacrifice, Law enforcement agencies (local, state, tribal, territorial, federal), First responder organizations, Tiffany & Co, Deputy Ralph Butch Waller, Deputy Ignacio Dan Diaz, Deputy Luis Paez
Where it stands
36 cosponsors: 27 Republicans, 9 Democrats.
- May 19, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- May 19, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary and Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
- Dec 18, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Dec 18, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Voice Vote”
- Feb 2, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1925-1926)”
- Feb 2, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Jordan moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
- May 11, 2026 — Passed both chambers · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2204; text: CR S2204)”
- May 20, 2026 — Sent to president · Congress.gov: “Presented to President”
- May 28, 2026 — Signed into law · Congress.gov: “Became Public Law No: 119-94”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $90,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 52 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.
Brian Mast, the sponsor, reported $378,866 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Peace Officers Research Association of California — $50,000 on 1 filing
- Sergeants Benevolent Association of New York City — $40,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 19, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (5,236 characters) on Jun 10, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 19, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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