[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E534-E535]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IMPROVING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER SAFETY AND WELLNESS THROUGH DATA ACT 
                                OF 2024

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 15, 2024

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in opposition to H.R. 
7581, the ``Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness 
Through Data Act.''
  As the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Crime Subcommittee and as 
Senior Member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am deeply 
disappointed in this harmful and misguided bill.
  Sadly, nothing in this bill makes a single officer safer or invests a 
single dollar in officer wellness.
  By contrast, last Congress, Democrats passed the Protecting America's 
First Responders Act, the Public Safety Officer Support Act, the 
Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support (COPS) Counseling Act, 
and the Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act.
  But this Congress, House Republicans are refusing to follow suit, 
instead offering this bill that sounds helpful, but is not.
  This legislation falls far short of the George Floyd Justice in 
Policing Act, which would invest in better data collection and 
reporting by requiring law enforcement agencies to report uses of force 
by or against law enforcement officers as a condition of the receipt of 
certain grants.
  My bill, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would actually 
provide us with new data because it would condition the receipt of 
certain grants on the reporting of incidents involving law enforcement 
officers and it would support better data collection and reporting 
through additional grants to reporting agencies.
  The reporting provisions of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act 
include officer shootings by civilians, officer deaths, deaths of 
civilians in custody, and uses of deadly force against civilians.
  In focusing only on attacks against officers, this bill turns a blind 
eye to uses of force by law enforcement against civilians, whether 
justified or not.
  House Republicans are again refusing to work with police and the 
organizations that represent them to pass meaningful legislation.
  At least seven bipartisan law enforcement bills, many led by 
Republicans, have been passed by the Democratic-led Senate and are 
awaiting consideration in the House.
  These are bills that would actually improve the welfare of law 
enforcement officers and are priorities for the groups who represent 
them.
  But, so far, House Republicans have only advanced one of these bills.
  While House Republicans continue to prioritize messaging over 
meaningful legislation, Democrats will continue to work with law 
enforcement organizations on substantive proposals--proposals we will 
pursue when we take back the House.
  With these facts, we can see that this bill is sadly another 
opportunity for my Republican colleagues to score cheap political 
points on a

[[Page E535]]

bill that has no chance to become law while trying to target and 
scapegoat migrants as criminals.
  For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this bill.

                          ____________________