[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 14, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H3751-H3755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        REAUTHORIZING BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 2379) to reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest 
Partnership Grant Program, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2379

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM 
                   REAUTHORIZATION.

       (a) In General.--Section 1001(a)(23) of title I of the 
     Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
     10261(a)(23)) is amended by striking ``part Y'' and all that 
     follows and inserting ``part Y, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 
     2020, and each fiscal year thereafter.''.
       (b) Program Name.--Part Y of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
     Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10531 et 
     seq.) is amended by inserting before section 2501 the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 2500. PATRICK LEAHY BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP GRANT 
                   PROGRAM.

       ``The program under this part shall be known as the 
     `Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant 
     Program'.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Johnson) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. 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 material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program stands as a shining 
example of the public safety collaboration between Congress and local 
governments to improve public safety and protect the officers who 
protect us.
  In the 20 years that the program has been in existence, Congress has 
allocated funds that have enabled local law enforcement agencies to 
purchase more than 1.3 million bulletproof vests. Through this program, 
thousands of officers have survived what would otherwise have been 
deadly shootings.
  Without the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, local 
jurisdictions that lack the financial means to purchase vests would 
simply be unable to do so.
  As reauthorized under H.R. 2379, the program would give priority to 
small jurisdictions that apply for assistance. Those that most need the 
Federal support will continue to have priority.
  An often-overlooked element of the program is the supporting role the 
National Institute of Justice plays in providing expert analysis on the 
quality and life expectancy of bulletproof vests, ensuring that 
officers who patrol our streets every day and every night wear vests 
that will give them the measure of safety that they deserve. 
Importantly, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program has worked 
in recent years to ensure the vests that female officers are issued fit 
properly and provide the same protection as the vests that male 
officers are issued.
  With H.R. 2379, the House today takes a crucial step toward ending an 
uncertainty concerning the future of the program by permanently 
authorizing its funding at $30 million per year.
  It is fitting that we consider this important legislation at the 
start of National Police Week, which honors those who serve and have 
paid the ultimate price and sacrifice in protecting our communities.
  Since President John F. Kennedy first signed the proclamation 
designating National Peace Officers Memorial Day in 1962, officers and 
citizens assemble in our Nation's Capital during Police Week to thank 
law enforcement officers for their service, dedication, and commitment.
  It is in that spirit that we seek to reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest 
Partnership Grant Program. It is also fitting that this bill names the 
program in honor of the distinguished Senator from Vermont, Patrick 
Leahy, who played a critical role in conceiving it and who has been a 
consistent champion of its continuation and, now, its permanent 
reauthorization.
  I thank Senator Leahy for his leadership.
  I would be remiss if I were not to recognize the tireless efforts of 
the author of H.R. 2379, my good friend Congressman Bill Pascrell, who 
has worked diligently to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor today.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill that will help protect those 
who put their lives on the line to protect us. I urge my colleagues to 
support it today, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2379, a bill to 
reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, and I would 
also like to thank Mr. Pascrell for his work on this. This is something 
that we have seen over many years, and I appreciate the chairman and my 
friend from Georgia on the committee for bringing this forward as well.
  The Bulletproof Vest Partnership, or the BVP, created by the 
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998, is a unique U.S. 
Department of Justice initiative designed to provide a critical 
resource to State and local law enforcement. The goal of the BVP is to 
support the purchase of body armor that has been tested and found to 
comply with applicable ballistic and stab standards promulgated by the 
National Institute of Justice.
  For the past 20 years, the BVP has awarded more than 13,000 
jurisdictions a total of $467 million in Federal funds for the purchase 
of over 1.3 million vests.
  From fiscal year 2015 through 2017, protective vests were directly 
attributable to saving the lives of at least 129 law enforcement and 
corrections officers. BVP funds helped purchase 21 of those vests.
  In short, body armor saves lives. For 30 years, bullet-resistant body 
armor has protected law enforcement officers from ballistic and 
nonballistic incidents. As recorded by the IACP/DuPont Kevlar 
Survivors' Club, more than 3,100 officers have survived potentially 
fatal or disabling injuries because they were wearing their body armor.
  The bill before us today permanently reauthorizes this vitally 
important program. It will ensure our local heroes are protected from 
those who try to do them harm.
  When a law enforcement officer leaves home in the morning, there is 
no guarantee he or she will return home safely that evening. This 
program makes it more likely, though, that these heroes will see their 
families again.
  That is why I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 2379. As the son of a 
Georgia State trooper, I know what that means.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
brave

[[Page H3752]]

men and women who place their lives on the line to protect our 
communities. They deserve every ounce of support from their government.

  I introduced H.R. 2379 to permanently authorize the Bulletproof Vest 
Partnership Grant Program at $30 million every year. Our bill will help 
struggling law enforcement agencies maintain the necessary lifesaving 
bulletproof vests for each of their officers.
  Making this important grant program permanent is one of the most 
sensible policies Congress can pursue. According to the Government 
Accountability Office, more than 3,000 law enforcement lives have been 
saved by armored vests since 1987.
  But vests are costly, and they wear out. Thankfully, this Federal 
program has ensured our Nation's police officers are equipped with the 
latest technology to keep them safe.
  For the last two decades, the program has awarded more than 13,000 
jurisdictions a total of $467 million in matching Federal funds to help 
purchase more than 1.3 million vests.
  Mr. Speaker, we know that having well-staffed, well-trained, and 
properly equipped public safety departments is critical to ensuring our 
communities are safe. The importance of sustained Federal funding on 
this front cannot be overstated.
  I am proud the House of Representatives is considering this 
legislation during National Police Week, as was just mentioned. We 
mourned the loss of 158 law enforcement officers in 2018 who died in 
the line of duty, three of whom served in New Jersey. At 53, this was 
the deadliest year for law enforcement officers being shot.
  Ensuring more vests are in the field, which can help reduce the 
statistics, is our goal.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the three 
officers from New Jersey who died while serving in the line of duty.
  First was my friend from New Jersey, Tamby Yagan of the Paterson 
Police Department. With 13 years of service in his hometown, Officer 
Yagan died in an automobile crash while on duty on April 22, 2018.
  Lieutenant Christopher Robateau from Jersey City passed on January 5, 
2018, after being struck by a vehicle.
  New Jersey State Police Trooper Robert Emmet Nagle passed on November 
26, 2018, because of 9/11-related illness.
  Mr. Speaker, I grieve for their families, as do you, and their loved 
ones. I know this House does, too.
  Our Nation's local, State, and Federal law enforcement officers 
constitute both the first and last lines of protection for the American 
people. These officers deserve our support, and I am committed to 
ensuring that they have the resources needed to protect the public's 
safety.
  Congress has renewed the program five times, most recently in 2016. 
The current authorization expires next year.
  I especially thank Congressman Peter King from New York, who is 
always there on the firing line for our police officers. On every bill, 
on every piece of legislation, he is there.
  I also thank Lindsey Graham from South Carolina and, of course, the 
bill's namesake, Patrick Leahy.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from New 
Jersey an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, this bill has strong support from several 
law enforcement groups, including the National Sheriffs' Association, 
the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police 
Organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the 
Sergeants Benevolent Association, and the Major County Sheriffs' 
Association.
  I thank Chairman Nadler for allowing our bill to be released.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in strongly supporting 
H.R. 2379.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I do appreciate this time. This is a special week for me personally 
because it is recognizing something that I grew up with. It recognizes 
something that I am that I can't get a part of who I am. And I 
appreciate Mr. Pascrell, my friend from New Jersey, talking about this 
and what that actually means.
  But for what I will just term as a trooper's kid, this week means a 
lot. And it would mean even more when we come here if really, we had 
had more to do this week. I say that with respect, and I say that with 
love, because this is a good bill, and I urge everyone to support it, 
and I want to.
  But just this past week, in Georgia, just as was recommended and said 
in New Jersey, just in the past few days in Savannah, Georgia, we lost 
another officer, Sergeant Kelvin Ansari, in an incident. He went to 
work and did not come home.
  For the past few years, I have been in this body, and we have worked 
during Police Week, even beforehand, to bring up bills and to bring up 
issues that involve our law enforcement community because I recognize, 
and I know others in this body do as well, that on those mornings when 
they get up to go to work, the ladies and gentlemen who serve us in our 
law enforcement community, all of us, they are giving a gift of life to 
go serve others.
  And on many days, unfortunately, the headlines will show to us that 
they don't return home; some through violence; some through activity; 
some, as we have seen this past year in this country, ambushed in front 
of their own police departments; cruelly murdered by those anarchists 
in this country who believe that the police are the enemy; and 
sometimes, fed by others who want a different version of what upholding 
the law means. And that is sad.
  My heart breaks, because when those officers don't come home, there 
is a space left at the table. There is a void left in the hearts of 
families and communities.
  One of my earliest remembrances of my dad as a trooper, and one of 
the biggest things that made an impression on me, was years ago there 
was a trooper who had made a stop on 129 South out of Gainesville, 
Georgia, T.C. Dillard. As he made that stop, a young man who was not in 
his right mind through drugs, came over a hill and hit him.
  I remember hearing about it. I was young at the time, and I remember 
him being taken to the hospital. And I can remember my dad and other 
officers all going to the hospital, and they were giving blood and 
doing whatever they could. It was one of the first times I remember of 
my earliest remembrances of watching my dad cry.
  To a scrawny kid from north Georgia, who had a dad, and has a dad who 
is 6 feet 2 inches, 250 pounds, carried a .357 on his hip, and wore the 
badge of the Georgia State Patrol, he was and is my hero. To see him 
cry was something I had not experienced. To watch him love another 
officer and do anything for that officer is something that has impacted 
me today.
  As we move forward, and we look at the things today, I guess my only 
thing--and I wanted to spend just a few more moments on this, because 
this is our only chance. This is the only bill that we have dealing 
with Law Enforcement Week this week.
  I know that we are busy in the Judiciary Committee. I know that we 
have got a lot of other things going on. I know that we have so many 
things that we need to investigate, and I get that.
  I am not--for once, I am just honestly speaking as much as a 
Congressman as I am as a trooper's kid.
  Thirty thousand officers will be coming to Washington, D.C. over the 
next few days to honor those who have fallen, and to remember this 
week. And this bill, which is a good bill, is it. It is all we are 
offering. It is all we are discussing.
  In years past, in 2018, we had six bills, including one rule bill. In 
2017, nine bills, including two rule bills. 2016, eight bills, 
including two rule bills. Protect and Serve, Thin Blue Line, Probation 
Officer Protection Act of 2017, the Comprehensive Opioid and Abuse Act, 
which gave our officers training in how they can actually help in an 
opioid crisis.
  I understand that we have a lot going on, but in our committee right 
now we have H.R. 816, which would ensure certain law enforcement 
officers on college campuses and their families are eligible for death 
and disability benefits under the Public Safety Officers Benefit 
Program.
  H.R. 816 is named in honor of Sean Collier, a police officer at MIT 
who was

[[Page H3753]]

murdered by one of the Tsarnaev brothers after the attack at the Boston 
Marathon. This is to make sure their family has security.
  Another bill from my committee colleague, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler), is his aim to prevent law enforcement 
suicides. Other bills that we have pending for law enforcement by 
helping them provide resources to combat opioid crisis or curb sex 
trafficking. In years past, we have considered numerous bills, not all 
of them, in fact, most of them noncontroversial. But we didn't seem to 
have time to mark them up this year or to bring them forward.
  I understand, and I am trying my best to just bring an honest 
concern, because when you look at these officers--and I used to ride 
with them; as I got older and I went to seminary and I was a chaplain 
for the Gainesville Police Department--it never leaves you.
  As I came here today, and I appreciate my friend from Georgia, we 
have shared so many things together, we have done this, and Mr. 
Pascrell and others who have talked about this.
  But this is it. This is our only chance to actually say to these 
people--instead of just saying we appreciate you; we love you; and we 
are glad that you do what you do and offer them help in the things that 
they do, we offer them bulletproof vests, which is good; but it is all 
we are offering right now.
  And I want to make sure, on this floor, for those kids whose dads and 
moms didn't come home this past year, just a reminder that it is not 
about what we say to those officers, it is also what we do.

  I live each day, as best as I possibly can, to do as best as I 
possibly can for the ones who have given me so much; my mom, who I lost 
last June, my dad, who I still have, who taught me how to grow up; how 
to love; how to care; taught me to serve my country in the military and 
to serve my country here.
  But when I come to a discussion today, and I heard my friend from New 
Jersey so eloquently discuss those who lost their lives in New Jersey 
and here in Savannah, the one thing that gets me up every morning, and 
if I have had a bad day, or if I am thinking about it, and when I hear 
all the discussion in this country about officers who are bad, or 
officers who are not doing it right, and officers--I understand the 
discussion that we need to have in our communities, and how we need to 
come together as communities to help each other and to lift each other 
up, from the poorest communities to the richest; the police are there 
to take the law. And if there are bad ones, they need to be got out. 
But they are 99.99 percent good, who honestly just want to do a good 
job, and we need to honor that.
  But when we talk about bulletproof vests, when we talk about other 
issues of how we care for officers, just remember those this week, 
especially those who didn't come home because, Mr. Speaker, except by 
the grace of God, I would have not known my father, because on a 
traffic stop, when I was still a small child, he walked up to a car. He 
caught a glint of a gun laying on the shoulder of the driver. He, 
fortunately, was able to pull his gun, and they stood there for many 
minutes in a standoff until the gentleman threw the gun out of the car 
window. That incident almost deprived me of knowing my hero.
  When we talk about police, when we talk about law enforcement and the 
other first responders on all sides, but the police we are talking 
about today, I just humbly believe that there is more that we can do, 
and I look forward to working with our committee to do more throughout 
this year.
  But on this week, it is worth pointing out that these folks stand in 
the line, many of them not sleeping while we sleep, and they are worth 
protecting, and they are worth more, frankly, than this one bill; and I 
look forward to working with my Democratic colleagues to make sure that 
we see more come across this floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  This could not be a more solemn moment than what my friend from 
Georgia just expressed to the Nation about our State and local law 
enforcement personnel, male, female, Black, White, Latino, Asian, this 
legislation is an effort to protect them.
  And I will note that there have not been just one, but actually three 
deaths of law enforcement officers already this year in the State of 
Georgia. The numbers are up. It is very concerning, and this is 
something that we can do to help protect the lives of our law 
enforcement officers.
  I know that my friend from Georgia, Representative Collins, has a 
long and storied history of support for State and local law 
enforcement, and I stand with him in his concern, and I stand with him 
in his support for this very important legislation that my friend, Bill 
Pascrell, has introduced.
  I will note that a lot of little boys and girls who first go into law 
enforcement, they go into local and State law enforcement, and then 
they are able to attain their ultimate dream, which is to become an FBI 
agent.
  FBI agents are Federal law enforcement agents. They are sworn to 
protect and serve; they wear a gun, and they wake up every morning not 
knowing what they will face during that day. Some have given their 
lives in the ultimate sacrifice for this Nation.
  So, in addition to our State and local law enforcement agents, we, 
today, uphold our Federal law enforcement agents who work for the 
various Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, with its 
storied history of integrity.
  So, it is not about what we say; it is about what we do. It is about 
what we say also, because what we say has an impact on those who serve 
us. And we cannot, because of one or two outliers, indict the entire 
State or local law enforcement agency for the imperfections of the few; 
nor can we do so with our Federal law enforcement agencies, 
particularly our premier Federal law enforcement agency, the FBI.
  I support the FBI. I support our State and local law enforcement 
agencies.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Visclosky).
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2379, which 
will permanently reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program.
  I want to particularly thank Mr. Pascrell, as well as Mr. King, for 
taking the lead on this very important legislation.
  In 1997, I co-authored the original legislation to create the 
Bulletproof Vest Partnership program with the gentleman who originated 
the idea for this legislation, and who was the original cosponsor, our 
good friend, former colleague, Representative Frank LoBiondo, from the 
State of New Jersey; he had been active over the last 22 years in 
having the act reauthorized, which is why I strongly support this bill 
to add permanence to it.
  As has been mentioned during the debate, there have been over 13,000 
jurisdictions who have been helped. I represent the First Congressional 
District in Indiana, and in Fiscal Year 2018 the Bulletproof Vest 
Partnership program provided $80,738 to local law enforcement in 
Northwest Indiana. This assisted in the purchase of about 200 new vests 
for officers who are protecting our communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand here to reiterate my strong support for this 
legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I am almost at the end, but as I was finishing up--and I appreciate 
the gentleman from Georgia's words, and I agree that we can--but I 
would be remiss if I didn't share what I just got in my inbox. I just 
got this in my inbox.
  It is a letter signed by my chairman of my committee and four other 
members of our committee on Police Week. After I just talked about how 
we can do more, this is what we are doing more.
  ``As you know, the House Judiciary Committee exercises legislative 
and oversight jurisdiction in the areas of civil rights and criminal 
law enforcement. These areas continue to be subjects of intense 
national concern in the wake of high-profile incidents involving the 
fatal use of force by law enforcement against unarmed people in cities 
such as Ferguson, Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago, Falcon Heights, Tulsa, 
Pittsburgh, and Dallas. In 2018, 992 people were shot and killed by 
police. In the first 2 months of this year, at least 265 people have 
suffered the same fate.''

[[Page H3754]]

  Mr. Speaker, I include the May 14, 2019, letter in the Record.
                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                                     Washington, DC, May 14, 2019.
     Hon. William P. Barr,
     Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Attorney General Barr: As you know, the House 
     Judiciary Committee exercises legislative and oversight 
     jurisdiction in areas of civil rights and criminal law 
     enforcement. These areas continue to be subjects of intense 
     national concern in the wake of high-profile incidents 
     involving the fatal use of force by law enforcement against 
     unarmed people in cities such as Ferguson, Baltimore, 
     Cleveland, Chicago, Falcon Heights, Tulsa, Pittsburgh, and 
     Dallas, In 2018, 992 people were shot and killed by police. 
     ``In the first two months of this year, at least 265 people 
     have suffered the same fate.``
       Despite continuing concerns from civil rights and 
     community-based organizations, the Department has sharply 
     curtailed its statutory role in identifying and eradicating 
     civil rights abuses by law enforcement. Excessive force in 
     police-civilian encounters presents a crisis of trust 
     throughout our nation. Changes to Department policy and 
     failure to uphold the law run the risk of undermining federal 
     oversight authority in this space.
       Congress identified the need for the Department and 
     community stakeholders to play a role in eliminating unjust 
     and discriminatory practices by law enforcement. With that 
     goal in mind, Congress has provided the Department with the 
     authority to identify and eliminate patterns and practices of 
     unconstitutional conduct in law enforcement agencies through 
     civil action and administrative authority. Additionally, it 
     provided the Department the ability to encourage communities 
     to have a voice in how they are policed through programs 
     offered by the Community Oriented Policing Services or ``COPS 
     Office.'' These tools must be used to promote Constitutional 
     poJicing practices that support public safety and respect 
     civil rights and civil liberties.
       Accordingly, we write to request information related to the 
     manner in which the Department of Justice is currently 
     carrying out its statutory responsibilities to eliminate 
     patterns and practices of unconstitutional conduct in law 
     enforcement agencies. We respectfully request you provide 
     complete responses and produce the relevant documents and 
     communications listed below by no later than June 5, 2019:
       1. Documents and communications dated from January 1, 2017 
     to March 31, 2017, relating to Attorney General Sessions's 
     March 31, 2017 Memorandum, ``Supporting Federal, State, 
     Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement.'' This should include any 
     prior drafts of the memorandum. Please include a list 
     identifying all individuals involved in the decision to 
     conduct the review of ``existing or contemplated consent 
     decrees.''
       2. Documents and communications dated from January 1, 2017 
     to November 7, 2018, relating to Attorney General Sessions's 
     November 7, 2018 Memorandum ``Principles and Procedures for 
     Civil Consent Decrees and Settlement Agreements with State 
     and Local Government Entities.'' This should include any 
     prior drafts of the memorandum. Please include a list 
     identifying all individuals involved in the decision to 
     identify issues arising from the Department's ``civil 
     action[s] against a state or local government . . . by 
     consent decree or settlement agreement.''
       3. Documents and communications dated from January 1, 2017 
     to November 21, 2018, from or to the Acting Associate 
     Attorney General Jesse Panuccio and Deputy Associate Attorney 
     General Stephen Cox concerning the Department's recession or 
     withdrawal of policies, procedures, and guidance issued by 
     the Civil Rights Division, the Office of Justice Programs, 
     the COPS Office, and the Office of Violence Against Women.
       4. Please provide copies of any standards or guidelines, by 
     which the Department identifies potential patterns or 
     practices of conduct by law enforcement agencies that deprive 
     persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or 
     protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.
       5. Documents and communications dated from January 1, 2017 
     to the date of this letter, identifying any Department-
     negotiated consent decree, authorized under 34 U.S.C. Section 
     12601 (b), that has ``deprived the elected representatives of 
     the people of any affected jurisdiction of control over their 
     government.''
       6. Documents and communications dated from January 1, 2017 
     to the date of this letter, identifying any Department-
     negotiated consent decree, authorized under 34 U.S.C. Section 
     12601 (b), that has subjected a law enforcement agency to 
     ongoing court oversight after the Department determined that 
     the purpose of the consent decree had been achieved.
       7. Documents and Communications dated from January 1, 2017 
     to the date of this letter, from non-government organizations 
     relating to the Department's review of existing or proposed 
     consent decrees or reform agreements pursuant to the Attorney 
     General's March 31, 2017 Memorandum.
       8. Documents and communications dated from November 7, 2018 
     to the date of this letter, relating to updating standards or 
     guidelines used to identify patterns and practices 
     of discriminations by state or local law enforcement 
     agencies. This response should include how complaints 
     against recipients of federal financial assistance from 
     the Office of Justice Programs, other grant making 
     agencies, and participants in the Asset Forfeiture Program 
     are centrally accounted for or tabulated and considered in 
     opening investigations into alleged discriminatory 
     patterns and practices by law enforcement agency.
       9. Copies of standards or guidelines in force as of January 
     1, 2017, that the Department uses to determine whether the 
     Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that a 
     violation of 34 U.S.C. Section 1260l(a) has occurred.
       10. Documents and communications dated from November 7, 
     2018 to the date of this letter, relating to updating 
     guidelines or standards used to determine whether the 
     Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that a 
     violation of 34 U.S.C. Section 1260l(a) has occurred.
       11. Copies of any evidence-based study, analysis, or report 
     supporting the decision to adopt the general statement of 
     principles as memorialized in the Attorney General's November 
     7, 2018 Memorandum.
       12. Documents and communications dated from January 1, 2018 
     to the date of this letter, relating to proposed changes to 
     the existing memorandums of understanding or agreement, 
     resolution agreements, or consent decrees, including but not 
     limited to the matters open in Baltimore, Chicago, and 
     Ferguson.
       13. Total number of preliminary inquiries and 
     investigations of law enforcement agencies opened, initiated, 
     or given a case or other tracking number by the Civil Rights 
     Division or civil rights matters opened by the Office of 
     Justice Programs after January 1, 2017. Please include a list 
     identifying each law enforcement agency subject to a 
     preliminary investigation or inquiry after January 1, 2017, 
     and a brief description of the basis for the preliminary 
     investigation or inquiry.
       14. Total number of preliminary inquiries or investigations 
     of law enforcement agencies closed after March 31, 2017. 
     Please include a list identifying the date each case was 
     closed, the identity of the law enforcement agency subject of 
     the preliminary inquiry or investigation, and a brief 
     description of the basis for closing the preliminary 
     investigation or inquiry.
       15. Total number of complaints, referrals, or multi-party 
     complaints received by the Department after January 1, 2017, 
     from a federal, state, or local public official relating to 
     potential pattern or practice violations by a law enforcement 
     agency. Please provide brief descriptions of each referral or 
     complaint.
       16. Documents and communications dated from February 9, 
     2017 to the date of this letter, relating to modifications of 
     existing agreements for technical assistance with law 
     enforcement agencies, COPS Office proposed budget, or changes 
     to existing Department guidelines or standards relating to 
     the administration of the Collaborative Reform Initiative for 
     Technical Assistance.
       17. Total number of requests, including any memorandums or 
     communications dated after January 1, 2017 to the date of 
     this letter, to open investigations of law enforcement agency 
     officers or agencies from the Special Litigation Section to 
     the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under section 
     12601.
       18. Documents or Communications dated from January 1, 2017 
     to the date of this letter, related to the review and 
     decision to retreat from the agreement in principle with the 
     Chicago Police Department and Chicago, including any review 
     or analysis of the findings by the AG and his office of 
     evidence of constitutional violations presented in the 
     findings letter dated January 3, 2017.
       19. An account of open investigations alleging an unlawful 
     pattern and practice or disparate impact involving law 
     enforcement agencies and explanation of what steps the 
     Department has taken to withdraw federal funding of law 
     enforcement agencies that are subject to the grant conditions 
     pursuant to Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
     Streets Act of 1968. In your response, please address the 
     Department's investigations of the Springfield, Massachusetts 
     Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and 
     the Orange County District Attorney's Office and Sheriffs 
     Department.
       Thank you for your prompt attention on this matter. We look 
     forward to working more closely with your office in the 116th 
     Congress.
           Sincerely,
     Jerrold Nadler,
       Chairman, House Committee on the Judiciary.
     Karen Bass,
       Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland 
     Security, House Committee on the Judiciary.
     Mary Gay Scanlon,
       Vice Chair, House Committee on the Judiciary.
     Steve Cohen,
       Chairman, Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and 
     Civil Liberties, House Committee on the Judiciary.

[[Page H3755]]

  

     Sheila Jackson Lee,
       Member of Congress.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Are you kidding me? We couldn't wait a week?
  Look, vote for this bill. This bill is a good bill. But this shows 
the dedication of the majority to Police Week right here. It is about 
what my chairman of the committee did. It is about what we say and what 
we do. This is what we did.
  On the first part of Police Week, we sent to the Attorney General a 
discussion about people who are shot by police, many of which in no 
context here of how the accidents occurred or how it occurred or what 
was actually happening; it is just that we need to go investigate, a 4-
, 5-page letter.
  Vote for the bill. The bill is a good bill.
  This letter is embarrassing.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining for 
both sides?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson) has 
6\1/2\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) has 
6\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am ready to close, and I yield 
myself the balance of my time.
  Again, I will come back to the issue. This bulletproof vest bill is a 
great bill. It needs to be permanent. In fact, if we can do better, it 
would be great. We need to do more.
  I made my point about this letter, and, unfortunately, this is a 
stain on Police Week, and hopefully we can do better, and I know we 
will.
  I trust my friend from Georgia. I trust my friend from New Jersey. We 
can do this, and we can do this better. I am sorry that this is the way 
it has had to start, but actions do speak louder than anything else, 
than words, like I said, and this is an action on Police Week that, 
frankly, is unbelievable.
  Support this underlying bill. Support this bill for bulletproof 
vests. Support our officers not just with words, but with actions as 
well, and I know the Members here on this floor are doing that. It is 
just a shame that this had to come out with that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  The top law enforcement individual in the country is the Attorney 
General, and our Attorney General has declared war on the FBI by 
ordering a third investigation into the origins of the Mueller 
investigation. This is nothing more than an attack on our own premier 
law enforcement agency. It is politics reduced to its lowest level at 
the same time as Police Week is occurring.
  What does it say to those down the line, to those aspiring boys and 
girls who aspire to be FBI agents?
  What does it say to the men and women who are currently in law 
enforcement and looking to move into Federal law enforcement?
  Well, it doesn't tell them to not aspire to that height. I think most 
look beyond the politics of the day, and when they consider the 
legislation that is at hand, they support it without regard to 
political persuasion. They support the fact that H.R. 2379, introduced 
by my friend Bill Pascrell, is a testament to the important role that 
Congress plays in promoting officer safety today and for decades to 
come.
  In passing this bill during Police Week, we acknowledge the many 
contributions that law enforcement officers make to public safety, and 
we thank them for their service. We also recognize that there are 
challenges within law enforcement that we must weed out and that are an 
affront to the ideals that law enforcement officers are taught to 
adhere to, and we must do that, as well.
  But today it is not about that. Today it is about bulletproof vests 
for our law enforcement officers on the State and local level. We will 
make sure that our Federal officers are always protected, but today it 
is about State and local law enforcement agents and agencies, 
particularly those that cannot afford to purchase these bulletproof 
vests or to keep current in terms of these vests when they wear out.
  They do wear out, and they have to be replaced, and they have to have 
money to do that. This bill will enable $30 million per year to be 
permanently authorized. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2379, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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