[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 16, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4210-H4211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT HEROES ACT OF 2017
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1428) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets
Act of 1968 to authorize COPS grantees to use grant funds to hire
veterans as career law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1428
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 ``American Law Enforcement
Heroes Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. PRIORITIZING HIRING AND TRAINING OF VETERANS.
Section 1701(b)(2) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd(b)(2)) is
amended by inserting ``, including by prioritizing the hiring
and training of veterans (as defined in section 101 of title
38, United States Code)'' after ``Nation''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous materials on H.R. 1428, currently under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Police officers and military veterans have much in common: Both wear
uniforms, both protect and serve, and both face great physical risk in
executing their duties. It is understandable, then, that many military
servicemen and -women seek employment as police officers upon returning
to civilian life.
Similarly, police departments are seeking men and women who are
physically and mentally fit to assume these roles, who are used to
working in teams, and who have experience making quick decisions under
stress. To a police department, a military veteran may be a perfect
fit.
In recent years, we have strived for community-oriented approaches to
policing. A community-oriented approach requires officers not just to
enforce laws, but to wear many other hats, like first aid provider,
social worker, counselor, crisis manager, and peacemaker. If there is a
problem, we expect the police to solve it. The knowledge, skill, and
abilities military veterans bring to police departments enhance the
departments' problem-solving mission.
H.R. 1428, the American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017, is good
legislation introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Hurd). The bill authorizes grantees who receive grants under the
Community Oriented Policing Services program at the Department of
Justice, commonly known as COPS, to use them for prioritizing the
hiring and training of military veterans.
When military veterans return from deployment and enter civilian
life, it is important we recognize their sacrifices by assuring they
can obtain employment and support their families. This bill helps to
ensure veterans can do just that.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Hurd for introducing this legislation, and I
urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 1428, the American Law Enforcement
Heroes Act of 2017. I want to thank the author of the bill, Mr. Hurd,
for bringing it forward.
This measure has the laudable goal of recognizing our brave men and
women who have served in the armed services, but it also helps to
protect our communities through community-oriented policing.
I support H.R. 1428 for several reasons. To begin with, the Office of
Community Oriented Policing Services, also known as the COPS Office, is
responsible for advancing community policing by law enforcement
agencies through information and grant resources.
The COPS Office promotes community policing with a commitment to
building trust and mutual respect between police and the people in the
communities they serve by awarding grants to law enforcement agencies
for the hiring of law enforcement officers for community policing.
Through the COPS Hiring Program, funds are provided directly to law
enforcement agencies to hire or rehire career law enforcement officers
to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention
activities. To date, more than 129,000 officers for over 13,000
agencies have been funded via the COPS Hiring Program, which was first
established 23 years ago under President Bill Clinton in 1994.
The COPS Office began supporting military veterans through the COPS
Hiring Program and currently gives additional consideration to law
enforcement agencies that commit to hiring our veterans. Although we
have not had hearings to discuss the import of providing incentives
through this program for the hiring of veterans as new law enforcement
officers by State and local law enforcement, we believe the bill is
well designed and well intentioned.
The bill prioritizes grant applications of law enforcement agencies
that will use grant funds from the COPS Office to hire veterans,
thereby giving preference to those agencies when applying for grant
funds. The intent is to assist law enforcement agencies in attracting
well-qualified, service-oriented people who have already served America
through their military service.
Another positive purpose of this legislation is to provide our brave
veterans the opportunity to continue to serve their country and
respective communities upon completion of their military service.
Military service provides vital leadership traits that can be valuable
in assisting military veterans in their effort to succeed in law
enforcement careers, and we need to take advantage of that.
Veterans with combat experience have obtained skill sets that relate
to law enforcement work, such as discipline, loyalty, ethical
standards, and integrity; physical fitness; firearms and tactical
skills; the ability to respond appropriately under stress; and
experience working with diverse populations.
Those who have served in the military often have a desire to continue
to serve others, and a career as a law enforcement officer allows
veterans to continue serving others through community policing, where
we need them so much. A career in law enforcement also provides
veterans with long-term stability, gives a sense of accomplishment and
pride, and offers a career where their dedication to protecting and
serving the public can be applied.
Finally, measures such as H.R. 1428 will help ensure our communities
are protected through community-oriented policing.
Accordingly, we support passage of H.R. 1428, the American Law
Enforcement Heroes Act.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as
he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hurd), the chief author
of this legislation.
Mr. HURD. Mr. Speaker, the veteran unemployment rate is currently 5
percent in Texas, higher than the national average of 3.7. While the
national average has steadily declined in recent years, the
unemployment rate for young veterans ages 18 to 24 has skyrocketed to
13 percent, more than double the rate it was at this time last year.
We need to do more for the men and women who have sacrificed so much
for our freedom and our safety. That is why I introduced the American
Law
[[Page H4211]]
Enforcement Heroes Act: to provide an outlet for these heroes to
continue their service right here at home.
My district is home to more than 4,600 Active Duty and 45,000
military veterans who have served or supported Joint Base San Antonio,
Laughlin Air Force Base, and Fort Bliss, among others. They often tell
me about their struggles to find good jobs once they leave the
military.
This bill incentivizes State and local governments to hire veterans
as new law enforcement officers by giving preference when applying for
grants through DOJ's COPS Office which fund academy and field training
along with promoting community collaboration. It is modeled after an
expired program called Troops to COPS, which helped about 1,000
veterans in the late 1990s.
We owe our freedom to these men and women and must do a better job
facilitating their transition into meaningful civilian careers.
Ultimately, we should be doing everything we can to help those who have
served our Nation in one uniform continue to do so in another one right
here at home.
In commemoration of both National Police Week and Military
Appreciation Month, this bill will better serve our veterans and be a
win for communities nationwide.
I want to thank Senator John Cornyn, my colleague from Texas, for his
leadership on this issue, and I ask my colleagues to join me in support
of H.R. 1428.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I close by restating my support for this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I again commend the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Hurd) for his thoughtful legislation and his outstanding
leadership on this issue. This is good legislation that will help young
military men and women find employment in law enforcement where they
can provide great continued service to our country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1428.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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