[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 12, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2476-S2477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the nomination.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Ronald 
Stroman, of the District of Columbia, to be a Governor of the United 
States Postal Service for a term expiring December 8, 2028. 
(Reappointment)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.


                           EAGLES Act of 2021

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, today I would like to address the 
national plague of targeted violence. Whether it is in our schools, 
houses of worship, restaurants, businesses, or even on our city 
streets, these senseless killings are impacting all of us.
  I woke up Friday morning, April 16, to learn of another tragedy, this 
time in Indianapolis, where a 19-year-old walked into a private 
business and proceeded to kill eight innocent workers, including four 
members of the Sikh community. My heart breaks for another set of 
families and friends newly devastated and the unthinkable happening to 
them.
  While it is still early in the investigation and an exact motive 
remains unclear, all signs indicate that that young killer suffered 
from mental illness. The killer's own mother contacted authorities just 
last May for fear that he was going to commit what she called ``suicide 
by cop.''
  The date of April 16 is unfortunately significant, as it is the 
solemn anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre. Thirty-two students 
and educators lost their lives at the hands of a 23-year-old who had a 
well-documented record of mental illness. Despite clear homicidal 
warning signs, school authorities and counselors failed to intervene 
and help the troubled young man.
  Earlier this April, tragedy struck when a 25-year-old man rammed his 
vehicle into a security barricade just steps from this Chamber. 
Fortunately for those inside, U.S. Capitol Police officers courageously 
intervened when the man brandished a large knife and lunged in their 
direction. As all of us know, this attacker tragically took the life of 
U.S. Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans. Officer Evans was a hero, and 
we mourn his loss.
  While the Capitol attacker's exact motive is unknown, social media 
profiles indicate the man was a devout follower of a group that 
repeatedly holds racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ beliefs. It is 
too early to tell if these beliefs motivated this man to commit an act 
of terrorism, but what is clear is this man struggled with depression, 
hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts.

[[Page S2477]]

If someone had properly identified these symptoms as warning signs, 
perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided.
  I could go on and highlight tragedies from just the past several 
years from all over the country. Post-incident investigations show that 
all of these violent actors often suffer from variations of mental 
health concerns, including depression, anxiety, delusions, paranoia, 
bipolar disorder, suicidal and homicidal thoughts, and adherence to 
bizarre conspiracy theories. Many of those who are closest to these 
attackers were aware of their conditions, and some even expressed 
concern about their propensity for violence ahead of their times of 
killing.
  The EAGLES Act of 2021 is a bipartisan, commonsense piece of 
legislation. This bill carries the namesake of the Parkland, FL, 
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mascot--the Eagles, that is--and 
it is a tribute to the 17 Eagles who tragically lost their lives 3 
years ago at the hands of a former student struggling with severe 
behavioral problems and mental illness.
  This legislation helps proactively mitigate threats of violence by 
reauthorizing as well as expanding the U.S. Secret Service's National 
Threat Assessment Center, which also goes by the acronym NTAC.
  NTAC's approach is squarely focused on research. After every instance 
of mass violence, their team of social science experts canvasses the 
circumstances and the attacker's behavior to determine the facts.
  NTAC's 2019 publication called ``Mass Attacks in Public Squares'' 
found that during the previous year, 93 percent of the attackers 
engaged in threatening or concerning communications prior to carrying 
out violent actions. Another 2019 NTAC study entitled ``Protecting 
America's Schools'' made an even more definitive finding related to 
violence in our educational system. This study concluded that all--in 
other words, every one--of the school attackers exhibited concerning 
behaviors prior to engaging in an act of violence.
  A family member, a teacher, a coach, a fellow employee, or a 
neighbor's ability to observe someone's behavior, home life 
circumstances, work life factors, and other political stressors, 
coupled with NTAC's threat assessment training, can prevent harmful 
outcomes from occurring. But in order for this to be effective, we need 
to increase NTAC's ability to continue their research and get much 
needed training to their communities. The result will be increased 
opportunities for early intervention and referrals to mental health 
services for those in need and also get names to the FBI database so 
that they can't buy a gun.
  Just recently, the EAGLES Act got a resounding endorsement from the 
National Association of Attorneys General. Forty attorneys general from 
all over the United States believe that NTAC's proactive approach is 
critical to violence prevention and its training programs are urgently 
needed. These attorneys general are responsible for ensuring safe 
communities and are urging our quick action to pass this legislation. 
We cannot afford to ignore or delay their explicit plea for assistance.
  So now, as a bottom line, I ask all of my Senate colleagues to 
consider the commonsense, practical solution provided in the EAGLES 
Act. The more research and threat assessment training that we can 
provide, the more violence we can prevent