Executive Order 13161: Establishment of the Presidential Medal of Valor for Public Safety Officers
President: Bill Clinton
Established the nation’s highest federal award for extraordinary valor by public safety officers.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13161 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13161 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13161 do?
EO 13161 established the Presidential Medal of Valor for public safety officers whose actions demonstrate extraordinary valor beyond the call of duty. It authorizes the Attorney General to establish nomination and selection procedures and recommend recipients to the President. The Bureau of Justice Assistance still administers a Medal of Valor program. The award is honorary: this order does not itself determine an individual’s eligibility, employment benefits or civil liability.
Later evidence reviewed October 2, 2026: DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance continues to publish the Medal of Valor program. Individual nominations and awards remain governed by its current rules.
Before and after
Before the order
There was no presidential decoration dedicated across public-safety professions to extraordinary line-of-duty valor.
After the order
A national nomination and presidential-award process recognized exceptional acts by public safety officers.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney General | Establish criteria and recommend recipients | Continuing |
| Public safety agencies | Submit eligible nominations | Continuing |
| President | Select and present medals | Continuing |
What happened next
EO 13161 signed.
Published in the Federal Register.
The Justice Department’s current program information and the original order were reviewed.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
Eligibility and procedure reflect the order, subsequent authorizing law and Justice Department rules. The award is honorary and does not adjudicate civil or criminal liability arising from the incident.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — EO 13161 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- National Archives — 2000 disposition table (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →