Medal of Sacrifice Act of 2025

It establishes a national form of recognition while creating a process to resolve disputed eligibility cases.

What the law does ​

• Creates the presidential Medal of Sacrifice for eligible local, state, Tribal, territorial, and federal personnel.
• Requires the President to appoint a 12-member unpaid commission within 150 days.
• Directs the commission to advise on the medal’s design and eligibility rules, determine presentation procedures, and decide disputed cases.
• Generally excludes people found to have acted outside their duties or against agency policies, unless the commission decides otherwise after an investigation.
• Sets five-year commission terms and a two-term limit.
• Requires the first medals to honor Deputies Ralph “Butch” Waller, Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, and Luis Paez.
• Specifies the medal’s design, materials, and engraving.

Who it affects ​

• Law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty.
• Families and agencies of eligible fallen officers and responders.
• Law enforcement, first responder, and knowledgeable organizations represented on the commission.

Breakdown ​

Medal of Sacrifice Act of 2025 ​

This law creates a presidential Medal of Sacrifice for law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty. It establishes a commission to oversee the medal’s design, presentation, and eligibility decisions, including cases involving official findings of wrongdoing.

Key takeaways

• Local, state, Tribal, territorial, and federal law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty are eligible for the medal.
• An officer or responder found to have acted outside their duties or against agency policies is not eligible unless the commission determines otherwise after investigating the death.
• The President must appoint a 12-member unpaid commission within 150 days, with members drawn from law enforcement, first responders, and knowledgeable organizations.
• Commission members serve five-year terms and may serve no more than two terms.
• The commission will advise on the medal’s design and eligibility criteria, decide how it is presented, and make final eligibility decisions in disputed cases.
• The law directs the commission to make the first awards to Deputies Ralph “Butch” Waller, Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, and Luis Paez, and specifies the medal’s design, materials, and engraving.