[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 15, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H3214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PROTECTING LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Minnesota (Ms. Craig) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. CRAIG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today nearly 3 months since Burnsville 
lost Police Officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand and Firefighter-
Paramedic Adam Finseth in the line of duty.
  They answered a domestic call early one Sunday morning, where seven 
children were being held inside a home by an armed gunman. A tactical 
vehicle from the city of Rosemount was a critical part of the emergency 
response that day.
  Look at these photos beside me. Take a long look at these photos. 
Forty-one shots from a gunman's rifle hit this vehicle as officers from 
Rosemount and Apple Valley tried to help their brothers. We may have 
had even more injury and, God forbid, death that day without this 
vehicle.
  It was 3 months ago when I stood on the House floor and pledged to 
honor Matthew, Paul, and Adam's lives by giving the first responders 
who keep our communities safe the support they need on the ground. That 
is why, today, I am introducing the Protect Local Law Enforcement Act, 
a bill that would allow local law enforcement to purchase vehicles like 
the one used in Burnsville with Federal funds, which is currently 
restricted by the Federal Government.
  Law enforcement's multiple missions are harder and more dangerous 
than ever before. They are routinely put in harm's way. This National 
Police Week, let's honor them by protecting them.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill will save lives, and I ask my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to support it.

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