HR-8802-119
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Sponsored by Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
What it does
This bill would create a federal compensation fund for law enforcement officers who were on active duty defending the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and who suffered physical, emotional, or psychological harm — or died — as a result. A Special Master appointed by the Attorney General would administer claims, determine eligibility, and authorize payments within set timelines. The bill also establishes a minimum payment of $4,975,000 for death claims and a separate additional payment distributed equally among all qualifying officers, with that pool augmented by any federal settlement payments made to individuals convicted of January 6-related offenses after January 20, 2025.
Who benefits
Law enforcement officers (Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police, and any other agencies on active duty at the Capitol on January 6, 2021) who suffered physical injuries, psychological harm including PTSD, or death — including suicide reasonably attributable to their service that day. Families and personal representatives of deceased officers would also be eligible to file claims. Officers who suffered no documented loss would still receive a baseline additional payment under Section 7. Attorneys representing claimants would benefit from the right-to-counsel provision.
Who is hurt
Federal taxpayers would bear the cost of all compensation payments and administrative expenses, which are not capped in the bill. Individuals convicted of January 6-related offenses who later reach civil settlements with the federal government would see those settlement amounts redirected into the officer compensation pool, potentially reducing the value of their own settlements or creating a disincentive for the government to settle such claims. Competing claimant groups — such as officers injured in other line-of-duty incidents without dedicated compensation funds — may face equity concerns about differential treatment.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 suffered documented, severe harm — including over 140 reported injuries and multiple officer deaths, including suicides — and that existing workers' compensation and federal benefits programs have proven inadequate to fully address those losses. They contend that Congress has a direct obligation to compensate those who protected the legislative branch itself, and that the fund's structure, modeled on the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, provides an efficient, no-fault administrative remedy that avoids prolonged litigation for injured officers.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the bill creates an open-ended federal financial obligation with no spending cap, no independent oversight of the Special Master, and a finality clause that bars judicial review of compensation determinations — raising due process concerns for claimants who may receive inadequate awards. They also contend that the mechanism in Section 7 linking officer bonuses to federal settlements paid to convicted January 6 defendants creates a structural conflict of interest, potentially influencing how the Justice Department handles unrelated civil claims, and that existing federal employee benefit programs already provide compensation pathways for injured officers.