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H.R. 1269: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025, is designed to amend existing federal law to provide benefits to public safety officers who develop cancers linked to their job exposures. Here's a breakdown of its main provisions:

1. Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to expand the definition of "personal injury" for public safety officers, allowing for the presumption that a cancer diagnosis is related to their work exposure when certain conditions are met. This is intended to support officers who develop specific cancers due to their duties.

2. Definitions of Cancer

The legislation lists specific types of cancers categorized as "exposure-related cancers." These include:

Bladder cancer
Brain cancer
Breast cancer
Cervical cancer
Colon cancer
Colorectal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Kidney cancer
Leukemia
Lung cancer
Malignant melanoma
Mesothelioma
Multiple myeloma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Ovarian cancer
Prostate cancer
Skin cancer
Stomach cancer
Testicular cancer
Thyroid cancer
Any other cancer designated as a World Trade Center-related health condition

3. Presumption of Injury

The bill establishes a presumption that a public safety officer's cancer is a personal injury sustained in the line of duty if:

The cancer diagnosis occurs after the officer has served for at least five years.
The diagnosis is made within 15 years of their last active duty.
The cancer directly leads to the officer's death or total disability.

This presumption can be challenged if medical evidence shows that the officer's exposure was not a significant contributing factor to their condition.

4. Updates to Cancer List

The Director of the Bureau is tasked with regularly reviewing the list of designated cancers every three years. This review will include evaluating new medical evidence regarding risks of cancer among public safety officers and may result in adding new types of cancers to the list.

Any individual can petition to add a cancer type to this list if they provide sufficient medical evidence linking it to public safety work. The Director must act on these petitions in a timely manner.

5. Confidentiality of Information

The bill also seeks to enhance the confidentiality of information collected regarding public safety officers under the Justice Programs.

6. Claims and Applicability

The provisions of this bill apply to claims concerning injuries or fatalities arising from exposure-related cancers for incidents dating back to January 1, 2020. Individuals will have three years from the enactment of this bill to file relevant claims without other prohibitions hindering their efforts.