CDC to track concussions in police and firefighters—closing a public health gap
S. 1409 — Public Safety Officer Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury Health Act of 2025 · Filed by John Cornyn (R-TX) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 10, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the CDC to collect and publish information about concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) among police officers, firefighters, and other public safety workers. It requires the CDC to update its website, share findings with medical professionals, employers, mental health providers, and the public, and may fund research into prevention and treatment practices specific to public safety work.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a data-collection and dissemination requirement directed at a specific occupational group. It is a public health surveillance and education measure, not a regulatory reform, appropriation, or industry carve-out.
What the text implies
- The bill does not appropriate funds, leaving implementation dependent on CDC's existing budget and discretionary capacity; underfunding could limit dissemination reach.
- Definition of 'public safety officer' is cross-referenced to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (section 1204), which may include a broader or narrower set of occupations than commonly understood; scope depends on that external definition.
- The bill authorizes but does not mandate grants or contracts for research; actual funding for model guidelines and evidence-based practices depends on future appropriations and agency discretion.
- Consultation requirement with stakeholders (medical professionals, employers, labor organizations) may slow implementation but increases likelihood that disseminated information meets occupational needs.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill creates a public health information infrastructure for a high-risk occupational group with documented injury rates and limited centralized data. Public safety officers and their families gain access to evidence-based treatment guidance and prevention strategies; the broader public benefits from improved occupational health standards and research. No restrictions on citizen rights or remedies are imposed.
Named in the bill
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Public safety officers (police, firefighters, law enforcement), Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 2 Democrats.
- Apr 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Apr 10, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
8 lobbying clients named this bill on 10 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $920,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 20 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 88% of bills with at least one filing.
John Cornyn, the sponsor, reported $2,042,484 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Ebay Inc. — $580,000 on 1 filing
- Computer & Communications Industry Association — $80,000 on 1 filing
- American Security Fund — $60,000 on 2 filings
- American Security Fund — $60,000 on 2 filings
- Peace Officers Research Association of California — $50,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 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 (3,341 characters) on Aug 20, 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 Dec 2025 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 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
“CDC to track concussions in police and firefighters—closing a public health gap” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/s1409 Report an error
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