[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 81 (Thursday, May 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4142-H4143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            MEMORIALIZING OFFICERS LOST IN THE LINE OF DUTY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Ruiz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to speak on the House floor 
today in recognition of National Police Week and to memorialize the 
officers lost in the line of duty.
  For me and for the communities that I represent, it is personal. Just 
2 years ago, Officers Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega from the Palm Springs 
Police Department were shot and killed in the line of duty, responding 
to what appeared to be a routine domestic disturbance.
  In the wake of this tragedy, our communities came together to 
remember Officers Zerebny and Vega and to do more for the entire law 
enforcement community.
  Over the past year, I have worked with law enforcement, firefighters, 
and other local and national public safety officer leaders to draft the 
Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega First Responder Survivors Support 
Act, legislation that honors those who have passed by serving the 
living.
  We developed this bill with one central idea in mind: that those who 
risk their lives for our community deserve the peace of mind to know 
that if something happened to them their family would be okay--that 
they would be able to pay off their debt, put their kids through 
college, and have a fair shot of making it in the world.
  So we did the math, looking at the existing Public Safety Officer 
Benefit Program to see if it achieved these principles, and we found 
that families of fallen first responders, those who gave their all to 
protect us, are being shortchanged and don't even have enough to pay 
off their debt and pay for the rising cost of an education.
  Families of fallen public safety officers are still struggling. My 
bipartisan bill will correct this and provide needed relief for those 
who sacrifice so much. It will increase the Public Safety Officer 
Benefit from $350,000 to $500,000 in order to pay off the calculated 
national average debt most families have. It will increase the monthly 
education benefit from $1,024 per month to $2,000 per month to ensure 
they can afford the actual rising cost of an education. And it will fix 
a bureaucratic loophole that costs families tens of thousands of 
dollars for no fault of their own.
  Right now, our men and women who risk their lives in order to save 
our lives are being shortchanged. I urge all Members of Congress to do 
the right thing, to follow words with action and actually do something 
pragmatic that will improve the lives of fallen first responders' 
families.
  I hope that all Members will cosponsor and support my bipartisan 
Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega First Responder Survivors Support 
Act, and I urge the Speaker to bring it up for a vote immediately. 
Let's support this bill and stand up for these families that have 
sacrificed so much for us.

                              {time}  1015


                    Honoring Christopher's Clubhouse

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to honor an incredible organization in 
my

[[Page H4143]]

district that, for more than a decade, has served the community by 
providing information and resources to help children, the elderly, and 
vulnerable individuals protect themselves from violent crimes.
  Christopher's Clubhouse was started in 1996 after Mika Moulton's son, 
Christopher, was kidnapped and murdered at 10 years old. The family 
made the brave and selfless choice to turn their grief into something 
positive. They realized that, while they had done everything right like 
telling Christopher not to talk to strangers, no one had told them that 
there was more that they could have done. They realized that they had 
not taught him what to do if someone had grabbed Christopher.
  They didn't want any parent to face that same realization and that 
same grief, so they started Christopher's Clubhouse to provide safety 
skills and personal defense techniques for children, teens, and the 
elderly throughout the Coachella Valley.
  Over the years, Christopher's Clubhouse has served more than 100,000 
people through their programs in schools, community events, and 
churches. There is no doubt that they have made a difference and saved 
lives, preventing other parents from going through their pain.
  I thank them and I applaud them for their years of service. While 
Christopher's Clubhouse may be closing, the legacy of their work will 
be felt for generations.

                          ____________________