[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E882-E883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 16, 2006

  Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to say thank you to the 
850,000 police officers who go to work in our communities each day, and 
to pay tribute to the more than 17,000 who have made the ultimate 
sacrifice, and whose names are inscribed on th National Law Enforcement 
Officers Memorial.
  As a former officer with the Michigan State Police and Escanaba City 
Police Department, as well as founder and co-chair of the Law 
Enforcement Caucus, I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this resolution, 
and I want to thank Congressman Hefley for introducing it again this 
year.
  Everyday, our Nation's police officers face danger and uncertainty in 
order to keep us safe. There are 56,000 assaults against law 
enforcement officers each year; and last year, 155 peace officers were 
killed in the line of duty, including five from my own state of 
Michigan. They leave behind husbands, wives, parents, and children, who 
supported them and believed in their work, and who now need and deserve 
our support.
  I want to take a moment to thank organizations like Concerns of 
Police Survivors and Thin Blue Line that work to help give a voice and 
a helping hand to the families of officers who are killed. These 
compassionate organizations help to remind us that the law enforcement 
community goes beyond those who wear the uniform to include the 
families who share the risks that come with a career in police work. 
The ceremonies of this past weekend are for them, to commemorate their 
commitment and their sacrice, and to let them know that their Nation 
shares their loss and that their loved ones did not die in vain.

  I also think that we need to go beyond the usual gestures to offer 
the families of fallen officers real, material support. We need to 
fully fund critical law enforcement programs like the Byrne Grant 
program, which was named for a fallen officer and which has helped to 
provide vital funding for organizations like Thin Blue Line. This 
program has been under attack by the administration in recent years, 
and I call on my colleagues to show the familes and officers gathered 
here this week that we mean to support them with our resources as well 
as our words.
  In addition, I am especially proud to have introduced a piece of 
legislation that will provide health insurance coverage to the 
survivors of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty. 
This bill, H.R. 4424, has been endorsed by leading national law 
enforcement organizations, and will help to relieve the financial 
strain on police survivors in the wake of the most traumatic possible 
loss. I think this legislation is an example of the kind of practical 
support that we can provide to law enforcement officers and their 
families, and I hope to see it move forward in the coming year.
  After September 11, this Congress seemed to recognize the heroic 
nature of the work that our law enforcement officers do, and the 
importance of supporting them fully. However, I

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am concerned that we have begun to lose sight of our priorities in 
recent years. Funding for essential programs like COPS has been 
declining, and even highly successful programs like the Byrne Grant are 
being threatened with elimination. I believe that we need to go back to 
the model that helped to radically reduce crime across this country in 
the Clinton years: funding to put cops on the streets, support for 
succesful local programs, and federal commitment to initiatives, like 
communications interoperability, that help to make our first responders 
more effective.
  This week should serve as a chance for us to renew our commitment to 
the men and women of the law enforcement community. Today, we have the 
chance to honor them with our words, through the excellent resolution 
that Mr. Hefley has introduced. For the rest of the year, let's make 
sure that we are honoring and supporting them through our priorities 
and our actions. It is the least we can do for the officers and 
families who do so much for us every day.

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