[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2137 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.2137

                     One Hundred Fourteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
           the fourth day of January, two thousand and sixteen


                                 An Act


 
 To ensure Federal law enforcement officers remain able to ensure their 
own safety, and the safety of their families, during a covered furlough.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense 
and Protection Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    Congress finds the following:
        (1) Too often, Federal law enforcement officers encounter 
    potentially violent criminals, placing officers in danger of grave 
    physical harm.
        (2) In 2012 alone, 1,857 Federal law enforcement officers were 
    assaulted, with 206 sustaining serious injuries.
        (3) From 2008 through 2011, an additional 8,587 Federal law 
    enforcement officers were assaulted.
        (4) Federal law enforcement officers remain a target even when 
    they are off-duty. Over the past 3 years, 27 law enforcement 
    officers have been killed off-duty.
        (5) It is essential that law enforcement officers are able to 
    defend themselves, so they can carry out their critical missions 
    and ensure their own personal safety and the safety of their 
    families whether on-duty or off-duty.
        (6) These dangers to law enforcement officers continue to exist 
    during a covered furlough.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
    In this Act--
        (1) the term ``agency'' means each authority of the executive, 
    legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United 
    States;
        (2) the term ``covered Federal law enforcement officer'' means 
    any individual who--
            (A) is an employee of an agency;
            (B) has the authority to make arrests or apprehensions for, 
        or prosecute, violations of Federal law; and
            (C) on the day before the date on which the applicable 
        covered furlough begins, is authorized by the agency employing 
        the individual to carry a firearm in the course of official 
        duties;
        (3) the term ``covered furlough'' means a planned event by an 
    agency during which employees are involuntarily furloughed due to 
    downsizing, reduced funding, lack of work, or any budget situation 
    including a lapse in appropriations; and
        (4) the term ``firearm'' has the meaning given that term in 
    section 921 of title 18, United States Code.
SEC. 4. PROTECTING FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO ARE SUBJECTED 
TO A COVERED FURLOUGH.
    During a covered furlough, a covered Federal law enforcement 
officer shall have the same rights to carry a firearm issued by the 
Federal Government as if the covered furlough was not in effect, 
including, if authorized on the day before the date on which the 
covered furlough begins, the right to carry a concealed firearm, if the 
sole reason the covered Federal law enforcement officer was placed on 
leave was due to the covered furlough.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.