[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11411-11412]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    AUTHORIZING USE OF CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR NATIONAL PEACE OFFICERS' 
                            MEMORIAL SERVICE

  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 124) authorizing the use of the 
Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 124

       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring),

     SECTION 1. USE OF CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR NATIONAL PEACE 
                   OFFICERS' MEMORIAL SERVICE.

       (a) In General.--The Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of 
     Police and its auxiliary (in this resolution referred to as 
     the ``sponsor'') shall be permitted to sponsor a public 
     event, the 26th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial 
     Service (in this resolution referred to as the ``event''), on 
     the Capitol Grounds, in order to honor the law enforcement 
     officers who died in the line of duty during 2006.
       (b) Date of Event.--The event shall be held on May 15, 
     2007, or on such other date as the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration 
     of the Senate jointly designate.

     SEC. 2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

       (a) In General.--Under conditions to be prescribed by the 
     Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police Board, the 
     event shall be--
       (1) free of admission charge and open to the public; and
       (2) arranged not to interfere with the needs of Congress.
       (b) Expenses and Liabilities.--The sponsor shall assume 
     full responsibility for all expenses and liabilities incident 
     to all activities associated with the event.

     SEC. 3. EVENT PREPARATIONS.

       Subject to the approval of the Architect of the Capitol, 
     the sponsor is authorized to erect upon the Capitol Grounds 
     such stage, sound amplification devices, and other related 
     structures and equipment, as may be required for the event.

     SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT OF RESTRICTIONS.

       The Capitol Police Board shall provide for enforcement of 
     the restrictions contained in section 5104(c) of title 40, 
     United States Code, concerning sales, advertisements, 
     displays, and solicitations on the Capitol Grounds, as well 
     as other restrictions applicable to the Capitol Grounds, in 
     connection with the event.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maine (Mr. Michaud) and the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. 
Capito) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maine.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on House Concurrent Resolution 124.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Maine?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 124 authorizes the use of 
the Capitol grounds for the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service. 
Over 150 Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers killed in 
the line of duty in 2006 will be honored at this memorial service.
  In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which 
designated May 15 as Peace Officers' Memorial Day, and the week in 
which the date falls as Police Week.

[[Page 11412]]

  The first official memorial service took place on May 15, 1982, at 
which 91 law enforcement officers were honored. Over the past 26 years, 
the memorial service has honored over 3,000 law enforcement officers 
from around our Nation.
  Today, the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Capitol Hill 
has become one in a series of well-attended events during Police Week. 
Activities on Capitol grounds conducted under House Concurrent 
Resolution 124 will be coordinated with the Office of Architect of the 
Capitol, will be free and open to the public. I support this resolution 
and urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  House Concurrent Resolution 124 authorizes the use of the Capitol 
grounds for the annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service to be 
held Tuesday May 17, 2007. The Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of 
Police and its auxiliary annually sponsor this event honoring some of 
America's bravest men and women.
  Since the first recorded police death in 1792, there have been more 
than 17,900 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The 
memorial service will honor the 145 Federal, State, and local law 
enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting 
their communities in 2006, as well as all law enforcement officers who 
have died in the line of duty.
  This will be the 26th time that this event has been held on the 
grounds of the Capitol. This memorial service is part of National 
Police Week, which was created by law in 1962 and runs this year from 
May 8 through May 15.
  Police Week draws officers, their families and survivors of fallen 
officers from around the country and includes such events as the Blue 
Mass at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, the candlelight vigil at the 
National Law Enforcement Memorial, and a police unity tour featuring 
officers and historic vehicles.
  The memorial service begins at noon on Tuesday. Following the 
ceremony on the Capitol Hill grounds, there will be a procession to the 
Law Enforcement Memorial and a wreath-laying ceremony.
  I encourage my colleagues to attend this much deserved memorial 
service and honor those who protect our communities on the front lines.
  I support the measure and encourage my colleagues to do the same.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Con. Res. 124, which authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the 
National Peace Officers' Memorial Service.
  Peace officers, the sworn, public-sector officers entrusted with law 
enforcement authority and the power of arrest, risk their lives daily 
to protect our nation. These individuals, who are responsible for 
safeguarding the rights and freedoms we enjoy as Americans, are true 
heroes.
  Peace Officers Memorial Day honors those who have made the ultimate 
sacrifice for the safety and security of their communities and our 
nation. Created by Public Law 87-726, signed by President Kennedy in 
1962, this day gives us the opportunity to acknowledge and pay our 
respects to those who, through their courageous deeds, have fallen in 
the line of duty.
  Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, May 13, 2007, 382 names will be added to the 
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial during the 19th Annual 
Candlelight Vigil. These 382 names include 145 officers who died in 
2006, plus 237 from earlier years who had previously been lost to 
history. Of these 382 names, 55 represent Texas law officers who lost 
their lives in the line of duty, nine of them in 2006.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the names of the fallen heroes to be added to the 
list is Officer Rodney J. Johnson of the Houston Police Department. 
Officer Johnson, a 12 year veteran of the Houston Police Department, 
was killed September 21, 2006, while taking a suspect in custody during 
a traffic stop. He leaves to honor his memory his beloved wife, Houston 
Police Department Officer Joslyn Johnson, and five teen-age children; 
three daughters and two sons, ages 14 to 19.
  Officer Rodney Johnson was born in Houston and served in the U.S. 
Army as a military police officer until being honorably discharged in 
1990. He then went to work as a corrections officer for the Texas 
Department of Criminal Justice and then as a jail attendant. He 
graduated from the Houston police academy in 1994.
  As a member of the department's Southeast Gang Task Force, Officer 
Rodney Johnson earned two Lifesaving Awards and one Medal of Valor from 
the state of Texas. In January 1998, Officer Rodney Johnson rescued a 
physically challenged driver trapped in rising floodwaters in January 
1998 and later that year he rescued mentally challenged people trapped 
inside of a burning house.
  Officer Rodney Johnson, who stood 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 
nearly 300 pounds, served on his union's board of directors. As Hans 
Marticiuc, the president of Officer Johnson's union stated, ``he was 
big and he was intimidating-looking, but he was as gentle as a baby 
bear.''
  Mr. Speaker, the number of officers killed in the line of duty last 
year declined nearly 8 percent from 2005, when there were 157 officer 
deaths. The 2006 figure was the lowest annual total since 1999, when 
143 officers were lost.
  Although the number of officers killed in the line of duty has 
declined in recent years, the fact that one officer is killed every 
two-and-a-half days in our country is a sober reminder that protecting 
our communities and safeguarding our democracy come at a heavy price. 
Including this year's officers, there are now 17,917 names engraved on 
the Memorial, representing officers from all 50 states, the District of 
Columbia, U.S. territories, and federal law enforcement and military 
police agencies.
  This resolution permits the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of 
Police and its auxiliary to sponsor a free public event, the 26th 
Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service, on the Capitol 
grounds on May 15, 2007. This service will honor the law enforcement 
officers killed in the line of duty during 2006 who have died in the 
line of duty, as well as the 800,000 officers who continue to serve in 
federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MICHAUD. 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 Maine (Mr. Michaud) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 124.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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