[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 177 (Wednesday, December 19, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H10403-H10404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page H10403]]

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                        House of Representatives

     DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA POLICE COORDINATION AMENDMENT ACT OF 2001

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in 
the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2199) to amend the National 
Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 to 
permit any federal law enforcement agency to enter into a cooperative 
agreement with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of 
Columbia to assist the Department in carrying out crime prevention and 
law enforcement activities in the District of Columbia if deemed 
appropriate by the Chief of the Department and the United States 
Attorney for the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Senate amendment:
       Page 2, line 13, strike out ``sec. 4-192(d)'' and insert 
     ``sec. 5-133.17(d)''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Maryland (Mrs. Morella) and the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H.R. 2199.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Isakson). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentlewoman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I urge all Members to concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 2199, 
entitled the District of Columbia Police Coordination Act of 2001. The 
Senate amendment is simply technical.
  The Senate and the House versions of H.R. 2199 are identical in 
content. However, when the House version was prepared and introduced, 
reference was made to section 4-192(d) of the D.C. Code, and at that 
time, the newly codified version of the D.C. Code had not been 
received. Section 4-192(d) was one of many provisions that was 
redesignated as part of a new codification. Section 4-192(d) is now 
section 5-133.17(d) of the D.C. Official Code. The Senate amendment 
reflects this change.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to concur in the Senate amendment to 
H.R. 2199, if they can understand it, the District of Columbia Police 
Coordination Act of 2001.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Today, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2199, the District of 
Columbia Police Coordination Amendment Act, as amended by the Senate, 
which will strengthen PL 105-33, legislation that has done much to cure 
uncoordinated efforts of Federal and local law enforcement officials in 
the Nation's capital. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Maryland 
(Mrs. Morella), the chair of our subcommittee, my good friend, for her 
leadership on this bill in the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia 
and in bringing this matter to the floor today.
  H.R. 2199 amends the Police Coordination Act I introduced in 1997 by 
allowing agencies not named in the original legislation to assist the 
Metropolitan Police Department with local law enforcement in the 
District. Inadvertently, PL 105-33 failed to make the language 
sufficiently open-ended to include agencies not mentioned in the 
original bill.
  Prior to the Police Coordination Act, Federal agencies often were 
confined to agency premises and were unable to enforce local laws on or 
near their premises. Therefore, although they were police officers, 
they could not adequately protect their agencies. Instead, for example, 
Federal officers often called 911, losing time in preventing crime and 
apprehending criminals, while taking hard-pressed D.C. police officers 
from urgent work in the city experiencing serious crimes. Federal 
officers were trained and willing to do the job but lacked the 
authority to do so before the passage of the Police Coordination Act.N 
O T I C E

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[[Page H10404]]

  Five agencies have already signed agreements with the U.S. attorney 
for the District of Columbia enabling them to assist the MPD, including 
the Federal Protective Service, the largest police force in the Federal 
service and the largest to participate. Now, over 400 officers are 
assisting D.C. police in protecting the District, as well as the 
Federal presence.
  Federal agencies understand that the extension of their jurisdiction 
enhances safety and security within and around their agencies, while 
offering needed assistance as well to District residents, visitors and 
tourists. The Capitol Police and Amtrak Police, who have the longest 
experience with expanded jurisdiction, report that the morale of their 
officers has been affected positively because of the satisfaction that 
comes from being integrated into efforts to reduce and prevent crime in 
and around agencies and in the Nation's capital.
  The only reason the House must again consider this bill, already 
passed once in the House and passed in the Senate last week, is because 
of a minor technical amendment included by the Senate that updates the 
bill language to reflect a recent recodification of the D.C. Code. This 
noncontroversial technical amendment to the Police Coordination Act is 
another step toward achieving my goal of assuring the most efficient 
use of all the available police resources to protect Federal agency 
staff, visitors and D.C. residents.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2199.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 2199 was introduced by the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton) and went through our subcommittee and the full 
committee, and I am pleased that the technical amendment from the 
Senate has come over because this is truly a Police Coordination Act 
and very needed.
  What it does is it allows the Federal law enforcement agencies to 
enter into a cooperative agreement with the Metropolitan Police 
Department of the District of Columbia, thus enhancing the safety and 
security of the residents and travelers in the District of Columbia.
  I urge this Congress to adopt unanimously the H.R. 2199, as amended.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) that the House suspend the 
rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 2199.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8, rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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