Washington, DC - Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, applauded the news that the “Honoring our Fallen Heroes Act,” is included in S. 1071, the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed by the House last week on a 312-112 vote and today in the Senate on a 77-20 vote. The legislation also includes robust counter-unmanned aircraft systems (c-UAS) authorities for State and local agencies and corrections facilities.
“The FOP has been pushing and fighting to keep the ‘Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act’ in the NDAA since it passed as part of the Senate’s version of the bill back in August,” Yoes explained. “We pulled out all the stops—we engaged with the Administration, Congress, as well as the leaders in the House and Senate. The provision had other supporters, of course, but I am really proud of the work we did to make sure this was included in the final bill.”
The Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program provides death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders, and disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty. Research shows that officers, on average, have higher rates of cancer than the general population, due to their job which exposes them to known carcinogens. Despite this, current law does not recognize duty-related cancer fatalities in the PSOB program.
“Being a law enforcement officer is a dangerous job, and our members not only expose themselves to physical threats, but threats from hazardous environments as well,” Yoes said. “This bill finally recognizes the dangers that our officers place themselves in every day. The FOP is grateful to our allies in the House and Senate who supported our efforts.”
Once enacted, the “Honoring our Fallen Heroes Act” would correctly categorize duty-related cancer fatalities as a line-of-duty death under the PSOB program as well as those who are seriously injured and cannot continue service as a law enforcement officer. Its passage will allow officers and their families who sacrificed their life or their health in the name of public service to claim this benefit.
The legislation also includes provisions that will allow State and local law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities to undertake countermeasures to protect the public from threats posed by the criminal use of unmanned aircraft systems.
“The provisions in the compromise text will help State and local law enforcement agencies directly confront real threats and will make communities across our country safer,” Yoes said. “The use of drones has become increasingly dangerous—from trafficking contraband into our prisons to overt threats to major sports venues or other large gatherings. The compromise text gives these agencies a clear and responsible framework to detect, track, and respond to dangerous drone activity.”
The bill will be sent the President for his signature.