S. 5385Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

A bill to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse public employee retirement systems for accidental disability retirements and accidental deaths resulting from the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated September 19, 2026 at 1:41 AM UTC

The bill directs FEMA to pay back public employee retirement systems for the costs of disability retirements and death benefits that were triggered by accidental injuries or deaths of members who took part in the rescue, recovery, or cleanup after the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. It provides funding for these reimbursements and applies to any public retirement system that has at least one such participant.

Key Provisions

FEMA must reimburse eligible public employee retirement systems for expenses related to accidental disability retirements and accidental deaths arising from 9/11 rescue, recovery, or cleanup work.
Reimbursed funds can only be used by the retirement system that received them and not by any other entity.
The bill authorizes up to $5,913,400,000 for FY 2027 to cover these reimbursements.
An "eligible public employee retirement system" is defined as any public retirement system that includes a member who participated in the 9/11 rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

September 14, 2026

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 14, 2026

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

September 14, 2026

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

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Introduced in SenateIssued September 14, 2026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 5385

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 14, 2026

Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself and Mr. Schumer) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

A BILL

To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse public employee retirement systems for accidental disability retirements and accidental deaths resulting from the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Reimbursement

(a)

In general

(1)

Reimbursement

The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall reimburse each eligible public employee retirement system for costs relating to accidental disability retirements and accidental deaths resulting from the rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations resulting from the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

(2)

Limitation

Amounts reimbursed under paragraph (1)—

(A)

may only be used by a public employee retirement system; and

(B)

may not be used by any other entity.

(b)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to carry out this section $5,913,400,000 for fiscal year 2027.

(c)

Eligible public employee retirement system defined

In this section, the term eligible public employee retirement system means a public employee retirement system that contains a member who participated in the rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations resulting from the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.