[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 86 (Thursday, May 19, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H5196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      KEEPING ALL COMMUNITIES SAFE

  (Mr. PHILLIPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, keeping our communities safe--and I mean 
all of our communities safe--is a fundamental responsibility of 
government.
  From our largest cities to our most remote towns, law enforcement 
agencies are struggling to recruit the next generation of principled 
police officers. In meeting with chiefs and ride-alongs with officers 
all across my district, I hear the same thing over and over: the 
pipeline of qualified candidates is simply drying up.
  That is why today I am introducing the bipartisan Pathways to 
Policing Act to support police recruitment, retention, and training 
efforts. Inspired by a Minnesota program of the same name, my bill is 
already endorsed by the Minnesota's Chiefs of Police Association, 
Fraternal Order of Police, and Police and Peace Officers Association.
  We must provide new tools and support for law enforcement agencies to 
attract and retain the best and brightest Americans to serve and 
protect the communities in which they live. Only then can we hope to 
ensure the safety and security of all Americans, no matter the color of 
their skin or the color of their politics.

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