[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6217]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, this week, the Senate is poised to pass the 
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2015. 
The law enforcement community is unified in its support of this program 
because it quite simply saves lives. To date, this program has provided 
more than 13,000 State and local law enforcement agencies with nearly 
1.2 million bulletproof vests, including nearly 4,400 to officers in 
Vermont.
  Senator Graham and I have been working to address any and all 
concerns that certain Republican Senators have raised about the bill. 
We are prepared, for example, to accept an amendment from Senator Lee 
that would reduce the authorization level from $30 million annually to 
$25 million. Unfortunately, I learned yesterday that a single 
Republican Senator continues to maintain a hold on this bill, 
continuing a pattern from the last Congress of unwarranted 
obstructionism. I have been in contact with a number of law enforcement 
groups representing officers around the country, and I know that they 
are all incredibly disappointed that this bill continues to be blocked.
  The Bulletproof Vest Partnership has helped to establish protective 
vests as standard equipment for law enforcement agencies across the 
country. Yet, for far too many jurisdictions--especially rural and 
smaller agencies--vests still cost too much and wear out too soon. We 
know that bulletproof vests will not save every officer, but they have 
already saved the lives of more than 3,000 law enforcement officers 
since 1987. I have met with police officers who are alive today because 
of vests purchased through this program, and they will attest to the 
fact that this program saves lives. These vests also are a comfort for 
families, to know that their loved ones have them.
  While I will keep fighting for passage of this bulletproof vest 
legislation, we must also make sure that our work to make our 
communities safer for all continues. Over the past few years, the 
Senate has come together to protect victims of sexual assault and 
domestic violence by reauthorizing and reinvigorating the Violence 
Against Women Act. We have worked to protect racial and religious 
minorities and the LGBT community when we passed the Matthew Shepard 
and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We came together to 
pass the Innocence Protection Act and the Drug Free Communities Act. 
And just a few months ago, we came together to enact the Death in 
Custody Act to bring needed transparency to every death that occurs in 
police custody, and we need to do more to prevent such tragedies.
  In the coming weeks, I hope that the Senate Judiciary Committee will 
turn its attention to the bipartisan effort to end mass incarceration. 
I am working with Chairman Grassley on the importance of legal 
representation for those accused of misdemeanor offenses. Chairman 
Grassley is working with Senator Whitehouse and others to improve our 
juvenile justice system. Senator Rand Paul and I are working to 
eliminate mandatory minimum sentences. I also support the work of 
Senators Durbin and Lee, who are seeking to reduce mandatory minimum 
sentences for certain drug crimes. We have historic opportunity to 
restore the faith that Americans should have in the justice system. If 
we work together, I know we can make meaningful improvements so that 
our entire justice system lives up to its name.

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