[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1162 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1162

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2015

  Mr. Toomey introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
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) a planned event by an agency during which 
                employees are involuntarily furloughed due to 
                downsizing, reduced funding, lack of work, or any 
                budget situation other than a lapse in appropriations; 
                and
                    (B) an event during which employees of an agency 
                are involuntarily furloughed due to 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.
                                 <all>