Bipartisan legislation offered by U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) to ensure retired or separated officers and their families receive benefits passed the U.S. Senate on Dec. 17 as part of a larger bill that has been presented to the president to be signed into law.
The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025, S. 911/H.R. 1236, received Senate approval as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, S. 1071. The bill is named for a retired police officer who on Aug. 28, 2012, was shot and killed in his driveway by a criminal he had arrested 10 years earlier. His family was denied benefits from the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program because Proffitt was retired at the time of his death.
“Chief Proffitt embodied what it means to be a model Kentuckian — a military veteran, a devoted public servant, and a law enforcement leader who protected his community with honor,” Rep. Barr said. “His murder was a clear act of retaliation, and yet his family was denied the benefits they deserved because of a technicality.
“The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act corrects that injustice,” he added. “I am grateful to the Proffitt family for their strength and perseverance, and proud to lead this bill across the finish line to give them and other families across America who face similar tragedies the benefits they deserve.”
Once enacted, the law will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012, making the Proffitt family eligible for benefits.
The Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Police Officers’ Defense Coalition, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association endorsed the measure.
Rep. Barr on Feb. 12 sponsored H.R. 1236 alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), while the identical S. 911 was introduced on March 10 by U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).