[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 171 (Tuesday, December 11, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H9125-H9127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO 
                        SECURITY AT THE CAPITOL

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 309) honoring the United States Capitol Police for 
their commitment to security at the Capitol.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 309

       Whereas the Capitol is an important symbol of freedom and 
     democracy across the United States and throughout the world, 
     and those who safeguard the Capitol safeguard that freedom 
     and democracy;
       Whereas millions of people visit the Capitol each year to 
     observe and learn the workings of the democratic process;
       Whereas the United States Capitol Police force was created 
     by Congress in 1828 to provide security for the Capitol;
       Whereas today the United States Capitol Police provide 
     protection and support services throughout an array of 
     congressional buildings, parks, and thoroughfares;
       Whereas the United States Capitol Police provide security 
     for Members of Congress, their staffs, other government 
     employees, and many others who live near, work on, and visit 
     Capitol Hill;
       Whereas the United States Capitol Police have successfully 
     managed and coordinated major demonstrations, joint sessions 
     of Congress, State of the Union Addresses, State funerals, 
     and inaugurations;
       Whereas the United States Capitol Police have bravely faced 
     numerous emergencies, including three bombings and two 
     shootings, one of which, in 1998, tragically took the lives 
     of Private First Class Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut and Detective 
     John Michael Gibson;
       Whereas the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have 
     created a uniquely difficult environment for the United 
     States Capitol Police;
       Whereas the United States Capitol Police responded to this 
     challenge quickly and courageously, including by facilitating 
     the evacuation of all of the buildings under their purview, 
     as well as the perimeter thereof; and
       Whereas the United States Capitol Police have instituted 
     longer shifts, requiring that officers work substantial 
     overtime each week to ensure the continued protection of the 
     Capitol: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors and 
     thanks the United States Capitol Police for their outstanding 
     work and dedication during a period of heightened security 
     that began on September 11, 2001.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise here today with my colleague, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Davis), for consideration of H. Res. 309, a resolution 
honoring the United States Capitol Police for their commitment to the 
security of the Capitol, the public and the employees and Members of 
Congress. Their unwavering dedication to protect and serve shall not go 
unnoticed.
  Congress created the United States Capitol Police force in 1828 to 
provide security for the Capitol. Since inception of the Capitol 
Police, their officers have courageously and successfully protected the 
Capitol, and the people and buildings that surround this symbol of 
freedom and democracy. The U.S. Capitol, which is simultaneously a 
national shrine, a tourist attraction and a working office building, 
imposes challenging security requirements.
  Since the September 11 tragedy, the Capitol Police have been placed 
under a tremendous strain to implement the increasing number of 
important security enhancements that have been instituted. Working 6 or 
7 days straight with 12 hour shifts, the United States Capitol Police 
deserve a great ``thank you.''
  In addition, when the House of Representatives relocated to the 
General Accounting Office, the Capitol Police protected us there as 
well. We know this was not an easy task, and we truly appreciate their 
service.
  Mr. Speaker, their valor has not come easily. The United States 
Capitol Police have faced several emergencies, three bombings and two 
shootings, one of which took the lives of Private First Class Jacob 
``JJ'' Chestnut and Detective John Michael Gibson. I want to extend our 
appreciation of their commitment to protect and serve this institution.
  Last year more than 2 million tourists visited the Capitol complex, 
which is comprised of 19 buildings. At the same time, the Capitol 
hosted more than 1,200 American and foreign dignitaries and 1,000 
special events and was the site of nearly 500 scheduled demonstrations. 
In addition to lawmakers and their staffs, a sizable number of 
journalists, lobbyists and service personnel also work within the 
Capitol complex.
  Achieving a secure environment for the Capitol complex, while still 
maintaining an atmosphere of openness, has become increasingly 
challenging in recent years. Both the potential threats to the Capitol 
and the number of people entering the area every day have grown 
dramatically. The men and women of the United States Capitol Police 
risk their lives every day for the safeguarding of the Capitol.
  Again, our thanks go out to you, our officers, our protectors and our 
friends.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), the sponsor of the resolution.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 309, 
legislation which I introduced to honor the United States Capitol 
Police. I would like to thank our lead Republican cosponsor, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), the gentleman from Ohio 
(Chairman Ney) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Hoyer), and also the leadership in both parties, for bringing this 
important resolution to the House floor today.
  The terrorist attacks of September 11 have created a uniquely 
difficult environment for the Capitol Police. New security measures 
have been implemented, requiring the police to work longer hours, 
sometimes 12 hours and longer a day, oftentimes 6 days a week.
  The Capitol Police have had to go even further above and beyond the 
call of duty to protect Members of Congress, staff and many of our 
visitors. The Capitol Police have responded to the new security 
challenges on Capitol Hill, including the attacks on September 11 and 
the anthrax attacks, quickly and courageously. They have continued 
their fine tradition of serving the Capitol Hill community.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to have the opportunity to thank our 
Capitol Police for the tremendous job that they do every day, and 
especially since September 11. They truly are heroes, and we salute 
them today.
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for 
yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. I would like to 
commend the sponsor of the legislation, the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Lee) who just spoke, and thank her for her work on this.
  This legislation honors the Capitol Police, who we all know and work 
with on a daily basis, for their outstanding work and dedication during 
the period of heightened security needs on the day of September 11, 
2001, and thereafter. It really should not take a national emergency 
for us to thank those who serve and protect us on a day-to-day basis, 
but it is an important act to do so today.
  The Capitol is an important symbol of freedom and democracy, across 
this country and throughout the world, and those who safeguard the 
Capitol safeguard that freedom and democracy. Thousands of people visit 
the Capitol each day to observe and learn the workings of a democratic 
process.
  The horrific events of September 11 have created a difficult 
environment to work in, prompting extra alertness and some strain among 
Members, Staff and visitors. The Capitol Police Force has responded to 
this challenge quickly and courageously, especially during the 
evacuation of the Capitol complex during the attacks of September 11.
  Many people like to boast about how many hours they work during the 
day, and we as elected officials and politicians put in a lot of hours 
during our day, sometimes 12 to 18 hours. I would challenge any people 
to try doing that for an extended period of time. It is personally 
wearing and draining. Our folks here in the Capitol Police have had to 
do 12 to 18 hour days, 6 to 7 days a week, for weeks on end, before we 
finally got some relief through the

[[Page H9126]]

bringing in of the National Guard folks.
  One of the great benefits of being a Member of Congress is the chance 
to have access to the Capitol at all times. Many times we are working 
at some pretty weird hours. We have all been here at 3 a.m. in the 
morning, 6 a.m., 9 p.m., 2 p.m., 10 p.m., up until midnight, working. 
Among the granite walls and marble statues and the ghosts of the past 
history of this country stands a living memorial to freedom and 
democracy. Our first responders to our symbol of freedom are our 
Capitol Police.
  I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the Capitol 
Police Force for their hard work in protecting the Capitol complex, 
staff, Members and visitors.
  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

                              {time}  1630

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  I appreciate the work of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), the 
chairman of the committee, and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), 
the ranking member who sponsored this bill, and I appreciate the way in 
which they are meeting the challenges that security poses within the 
Congress as well.
  I rise in strong support of this resolution. It was passed in the 
Senate on October 9. It is especially appropriate for the House to 
consider it today, December 11, 3 months after the attack, particularly 
given the service that the Capitol Police have rendered to the Nation 
and to the Congress since then. The House certainly must not adjourn 
without honoring the Capitol Police for dedication and professionalism 
above what any of us could have asked. Indeed, the Capitol Police give 
``rising to the occasion'' new meaning.
  It would be difficult for the Capitol Police to improve upon the 
reputation that they have earned over the years, but somehow they have 
managed to do just that since September 11.
  I know them perhaps as well as any Member because I live with them 7 
days a week. I see them when I do my race walk on the weekends when the 
Senate and the House are deserted, and I see them on the streets of 
Capitol Hill, which they patrol. I sponsored Public Law 102-397, the 
Capitol Police Jurisdiction Reform Act, which expanded their 
jurisdiction for the first time. We have a long relationship and 
friendship with the Capitol Police and their union.
  I am pleased that D.C.'s own National Guard has relieved the Capitol 
Police of the back-breaking, 12-hour days they have had to put in. I 
regret that the National Guard has had to do this, but I am pleased 
that the funding for additional personnel and police is now assured the 
Capitol Police.
  I do want to set the record straight on an erroneous impression in a 
December 7 Washington Times column that indicated that I had criticized 
the Capitol Police for closing tours of the Capitol; also, that I had 
been pleased to have 24-hour protection of the Capitol Police. I am 
pleased to say I have never had and never have needed 24-hour 
protection; but if so, I know who would have been pleased to give it: 
the fine Capitol Police. The tours are controlled not by the Capitol 
Police, but by the Capitol Police Board.
  I wrote a letter to the three members of the board, by name the 
Architect of the Capitol, and the two Sergeants at Arms. My letter was 
directed to them and to them alone. Indeed, I am grateful to the board 
that they have decided that there is a way to open this Capitol to 
tours and to keep it safe at the same time. I always knew the cops knew 
how to do that.
  For the record, I want to submit my letter to the three board members 
into the Record and my letter to the Washington Times correcting them 
for the Record. I have nothing but praise and the highest regard for 
the Capitol Police. The Nation will know that is how the entire House 
and Senate regard them when this resolution justifiably passes today. I 
thank my colleagues for their work on this bill.

 Norton Asks Reversal of Capitol Police Board by Elected Officials if 
                          Tours Remain Closed

       Washington, DC.--Following the closing of tours of the 
     Capitol as D.C. school children were about to be the first in 
     line, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton today released a 
     letter to the three-man Capitol Police Board that made the 
     decision. She asked the two Sergeants-at-Arms of the Congress 
     and the Architect of the Capitol to reconsider their decision 
     and put them on notice that otherwise, she would appeal to 
     House leaders and, if necessary, introduce a resolution. The 
     Norton letter follows:
                                                 December 5, 2001.
     Hon. Alfonso Lehardt,
     Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, Capitol,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Wilson Livingood,
     House Sergeant-at-Arms, Capitol,
     Washington, DC.
     Mr. Alan Hantman,
     Architect of the Capitol, Capitol,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Sirs: I am deeply disappointed that you have decided 
     once again to close tours of the Capitol, this time 
     precipitously just before tours were to begin again after 
     many weeks. I write now to ask you to reconsider this 
     decision within the next week by finding ways to keep the 
     Capitol safe while normal activities proceed and to inform 
     you that if you are unable to do so, I intend to appeal your 
     decision to the leadership of the Senate and the House, and, 
     if necessary, to introduce an appropriate resolution.
     Letters to the Editor
     The Washington Times,
     Washington, DC.
       To the Editor: John McCaslin's December 7, Cops Can't Win 
     column had to be trying hard to get the entire Capitol Police 
     issue as wrong as he did on both of the points he made. (1) I 
     never criticized the Capitol Police for closing Capitol 
     tours. My letter of December 5, attached to a release from my 
     office, was addressed to only the three officials who made 
     the decision, the Capitol Police Board consisting of the 
     Sergeants-At-Arms of the House and Senate and the Architect 
     of the Capitol. (2) I have never requested, never had, and 
     hope never to need the excellent services of the Capitol 
     Police for 24-hour security.
       I have taken a special interest in the work of the Capitol 
     Police ever since coming to Congress and have a very special 
     affection for these men and women. With the strong support of 
     the Capitol Police and their union, I wrote PL 102-397, the 
     Capitol Police Jurisdiction Reform Act, which expanded their 
     jurisdiction for the first time to include more than a few 
     blocks around the Capitol.
       These officers not only protect me as a member of Congress; 
     they protect city neighborhoods. The Capitol Police deserve 
     the nation's highest respect. They certainly have mine.
           Sincerely,
                                             Eleanor Holmes Norton

  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) for 
presenting the bill and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) and 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) on bringing this bill before 
our body. I would like to just add my personal 2 cents here.
  The professionalism of the Capitol Police is above any that any of us 
I think have ever seen in State and local law enforcement throughout 
the country. Normally their job, until September 11, has involved 
balancing the tremendous public access to this building, and the people 
that work in it, against security. It requires a remarkable level of 
patience, charm, and very watchful eyes. But since September 11, what I 
particularly want to commend the Capitol Police for is the tremendous 
level of flawless security they provide this facility that has given 
each of us the peace of mind that our constituents have expected us to 
have to do our very best work. So I would like to join my colleagues in 
urging adoption of the resolution.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, the operative clause of this resolution says 
simply that ``the House of Representatives honors and thanks the United 
States Capitol Police for their outstanding work and dedication during 
a period of heightened security that began on September 11, 2001.'' I 
trust that all members will support this honor for the men and women of 
the U.S. Capitol Police. They have certainly earned it. They continue 
to earn it at this hour, mere steps from this spot and all around 
Capitol Hill.
  Congress established the Capitol Police during the administration of 
John Quincy Adams. Ponder how different the world was then, and how 
different the job of providing security for the Capitol would have been 
then.
  In the last 173 years, the world has changed immeasurably, and so has 
the work of the Capitol Police.
  In modern times, the police have had to cope with emergencies, 
bombings and shootings, including the tragic 1998 murders of officer 
J.J. Chestnut and Detective John Gibson, that remain so painfully fresh 
in our memories.

[[Page H9127]]

  After that tragic event, Congress properly heightened Capitol 
security, adopting a posture that requires considerable additional 
manpower. Recent events have obviously underscored the need for more 
officers and greater security. Fortunately, additional resources are in 
the pipeline.
  Congress has appropriated money to fund all the additional officers 
the Capitol police can hire and train during 2002, and supplemental 
funds have been provided to address needs identified since September 
11.
  Today, the Capitol police face evolving threats from those who, for 
whatever reason, wish our country harm.
  What was unthinkable only a few weeks ago, has been done. We must 
remain vigilant and prepared as we work to rid the world of the scourge 
of terrorism.
  We will continue to rely on the Capitol police as the first line of 
defense for the people's house and all who work and visit here.
  The men and women of the Capitol police meet their challenges with 
courage and a level of professionalism not exceeded anywhere.
  Since the dastardly attacks of September 11, Capitol police officers 
have worked long hours under adverse conditions. These men and women 
clearly represent the best that America has to offer.
  I want to express my personal thanks for a job well done.
  Men and women of the District of Columbia National Guard now ably 
assist our Capitol police. Congress likewise owes the guardsmen and 
women thanks for their assistance, and for giving our police much-
needed relief.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the resolution. The police clearly 
deserve the honor. I applaud the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Lee] 
for introducing it, the chairman [Mr. Ney], the gentleman from Michigan 
[Mr. Ehlers], and of course my friend from Florida [Mr. Davis] for 
bringing it to the floor today.
  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Otter). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H.Res. 309.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________