Capuano Files 'Sean Collier' Act

U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, who represents Somerville in Congress, filed a bill Tuesday called the "Officer Sean Collier Campus Police Recognition Act of 2013," according to an announcement from Capuano's office.

According to the announcement, the act would add campus police officers to the Department of Justice's Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program, which provides financial assistance to police officers, firefighters and EMTs who are catastrophically injured in the line of duty and to the families of emergency responders who are killed in the line of duty.

The announcement says the bill would add campus police officers to the list of those eligible for the program, and the change would be retroactive to April 15, 2013, the day of the Boston Marathon Bombings.

Authorities believe the suspects in the bombings killed Collier, a Somerville resident and MIT police officer, on April 18.

In a statement about the proposed act, Capuano said, "This bill is a small way to honor [Collier's] memory."

The entire Massachusetts delegation has co-sponsored the legislation, the announcement says.