[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 23 (Monday, February 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S1582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PUBLIC MEDAL OF VALOR ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to cosponsor the Public Safety 
Officer Medal of Valor Act, S. 39, which was introduced by Senator 
Stevens. I thank him for his hard work on this important piece of 
legislation.
  I supported and cosponsored the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor 
Act in the last Congress as well. I was disappointed that this 
legislation did not become law then. In April and May, 1999, I made 
sure that the Senate acted on this bill. On April 22, 1999, the Senate 
Judiciary Committee took up that measure in regular order and reported 
it unanimously. At that time I congratulated Senator Stevens for 
introducing the measure and thanked him for his leadership. I noted 
that we had worked together on a number of law enforcement matters and 
that the senior Senator from Alaska is a stalwart supporter of the men 
and women who put themselves at risk to protect us all. I said that I 
looked forward to enactment of this measure and to seeing the 
extraordinary heroism of our police, firefighters and correctional 
officers recognized with the Medal of Valor.
  On May 18, 1999, I was privileged to be on the floor of the Senate 
when we proceeded to consider S. 39 and passed it unanimously. I took 
that occasion to commend Senator Stevens and all who had worked so hard 
to move this measure in a timely way. That was during National Police 
Week nearly two years ago. The measure was sent to the House of 
Representatives where it lay dormant for the remainder of the 106th 
Congress.
  Instead, the House, in the last Congress, insisted that the Senate 
take up, fix and pass the House-passed version of this measure, H.R. 
46, if it were to become law. House members indicated that they were 
prepared to accept most of the Senate-passed text, but insisted that it 
be enacted under the House bill number. In order to get this important 
measure to the President, we did that on December 15, 2000. We 
discharged the House-passed version of that bill from the Judiciary 
Committee, adopting a complete substitute, and sent it back to the 
House. Unfortunately, the House failed to act on our good faith effort 
last year, and the Public Medal of Valor was never enacted.
  This year, I have again worked with Senator Stevens, Senator Hatch, 
and others to get this important bill passed. I urge my colleagues to 
work towards improvements to ensure that the Medal of Valor Board will 
work effectively and efficiently with the National Medal of Valor 
Office within the Department of Justice. Our legislation should 
establish both of these entities. It is essential that they work well 
together to design the Medal of Valor and to create the criteria and 
procedures for recommendations of nominees for the award. The men and 
women who will be honored by the Medal of Valor for their brave deeds 
deserve nothing less. I hope the Senate will quickly act on these 
changes to this important measure.

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