[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7826-7828]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT HEROES ACT OF 2017

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1428) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 to authorize COPS grantees to use grant funds to hire 
veterans as career law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1428

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``American Law Enforcement 
     Heroes Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. PRIORITIZING HIRING AND TRAINING OF VETERANS.

       Section 1701(b)(2) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
     and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd(b)(2)) is 
     amended by inserting ``, including by prioritizing the hiring 
     and training of veterans (as defined in section 101 of title 
     38, United States Code)'' after ``Nation''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 
each will control 20 minutes.

[[Page 7827]]

  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on H.R. 1428, currently under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Police officers and military veterans have much in common: Both wear 
uniforms, both protect and serve, and both face great physical risk in 
executing their duties. It is understandable, then, that many military 
servicemen and -women seek employment as police officers upon returning 
to civilian life.
  Similarly, police departments are seeking men and women who are 
physically and mentally fit to assume these roles, who are used to 
working in teams, and who have experience making quick decisions under 
stress. To a police department, a military veteran may be a perfect 
fit.
  In recent years, we have strived for community-oriented approaches to 
policing. A community-oriented approach requires officers not just to 
enforce laws, but to wear many other hats, like first aid provider, 
social worker, counselor, crisis manager, and peacemaker. If there is a 
problem, we expect the police to solve it. The knowledge, skill, and 
abilities military veterans bring to police departments enhance the 
departments' problem-solving mission.
  H.R. 1428, the American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017, is good 
legislation introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hurd). The bill authorizes grantees who receive grants under the 
Community Oriented Policing Services program at the Department of 
Justice, commonly known as COPS, to use them for prioritizing the 
hiring and training of military veterans.
  When military veterans return from deployment and enter civilian 
life, it is important we recognize their sacrifices by assuring they 
can obtain employment and support their families. This bill helps to 
ensure veterans can do just that.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Hurd for introducing this legislation, and I 
urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 1428, the American Law Enforcement 
Heroes Act of 2017. I want to thank the author of the bill, Mr. Hurd, 
for bringing it forward.
  This measure has the laudable goal of recognizing our brave men and 
women who have served in the armed services, but it also helps to 
protect our communities through community-oriented policing.
  I support H.R. 1428 for several reasons. To begin with, the Office of 
Community Oriented Policing Services, also known as the COPS Office, is 
responsible for advancing community policing by law enforcement 
agencies through information and grant resources.
  The COPS Office promotes community policing with a commitment to 
building trust and mutual respect between police and the people in the 
communities they serve by awarding grants to law enforcement agencies 
for the hiring of law enforcement officers for community policing.
  Through the COPS Hiring Program, funds are provided directly to law 
enforcement agencies to hire or rehire career law enforcement officers 
to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention 
activities. To date, more than 129,000 officers for over 13,000 
agencies have been funded via the COPS Hiring Program, which was first 
established 23 years ago under President Bill Clinton in 1994.
  The COPS Office began supporting military veterans through the COPS 
Hiring Program and currently gives additional consideration to law 
enforcement agencies that commit to hiring our veterans. Although we 
have not had hearings to discuss the import of providing incentives 
through this program for the hiring of veterans as new law enforcement 
officers by State and local law enforcement, we believe the bill is 
well designed and well intentioned.
  The bill prioritizes grant applications of law enforcement agencies 
that will use grant funds from the COPS Office to hire veterans, 
thereby giving preference to those agencies when applying for grant 
funds. The intent is to assist law enforcement agencies in attracting 
well-qualified, service-oriented people who have already served America 
through their military service.
  Another positive purpose of this legislation is to provide our brave 
veterans the opportunity to continue to serve their country and 
respective communities upon completion of their military service. 
Military service provides vital leadership traits that can be valuable 
in assisting military veterans in their effort to succeed in law 
enforcement careers, and we need to take advantage of that.
  Veterans with combat experience have obtained skill sets that relate 
to law enforcement work, such as discipline, loyalty, ethical 
standards, and integrity; physical fitness; firearms and tactical 
skills; the ability to respond appropriately under stress; and 
experience working with diverse populations.
  Those who have served in the military often have a desire to continue 
to serve others, and a career as a law enforcement officer allows 
veterans to continue serving others through community policing, where 
we need them so much. A career in law enforcement also provides 
veterans with long-term stability, gives a sense of accomplishment and 
pride, and offers a career where their dedication to protecting and 
serving the public can be applied.
  Finally, measures such as H.R. 1428 will help ensure our communities 
are protected through community-oriented policing.
  Accordingly, we support passage of H.R. 1428, the American Law 
Enforcement Heroes Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as 
he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hurd), the chief author 
of this legislation.
  Mr. HURD. Mr. Speaker, the veteran unemployment rate is currently 5 
percent in Texas, higher than the national average of 3.7. While the 
national average has steadily declined in recent years, the 
unemployment rate for young veterans ages 18 to 24 has skyrocketed to 
13 percent, more than double the rate it was at this time last year.
  We need to do more for the men and women who have sacrificed so much 
for our freedom and our safety. That is why I introduced the American 
Law Enforcement Heroes Act: to provide an outlet for these heroes to 
continue their service right here at home.
  My district is home to more than 4,600 Active Duty and 45,000 
military veterans who have served or supported Joint Base San Antonio, 
Laughlin Air Force Base, and Fort Bliss, among others. They often tell 
me about their struggles to find good jobs once they leave the 
military.
  This bill incentivizes State and local governments to hire veterans 
as new law enforcement officers by giving preference when applying for 
grants through DOJ's COPS Office which fund academy and field training 
along with promoting community collaboration. It is modeled after an 
expired program called Troops to COPS, which helped about 1,000 
veterans in the late 1990s.
  We owe our freedom to these men and women and must do a better job 
facilitating their transition into meaningful civilian careers. 
Ultimately, we should be doing everything we can to help those who have 
served our Nation in one uniform continue to do so in another one right 
here at home.
  In commemoration of both National Police Week and Military 
Appreciation Month, this bill will better serve our veterans and be a 
win for communities nationwide.
  I want to thank Senator John Cornyn, my colleague from Texas, for his 
leadership on this issue, and I ask my

[[Page 7828]]

colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 1428.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I close by restating my support for this 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I again commend the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Hurd) for his thoughtful legislation and his outstanding 
leadership on this issue. This is good legislation that will help young 
military men and women find employment in law enforcement where they 
can provide great continued service to our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1428, 
the American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017. This bill will 
positively affect the way we fight crime in our nation.
  The American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017 provides for the 
prioritization of the hiring of veterans to police forces across the 
nation and will allow public funds granted by the Community Oriented 
Policing Services program to be allocated towards the hiring and 
training of veterans entering local police forces.
  Our veterans are some of the bravest and most honorable men and women 
in this nation. They have voluntarily risen to the occasion to protect 
our nation from foreign threats. These men and women have served in far 
flung, dangerous places around the globe, from Iraq and Afghanistan to 
Vietnam to Lebanon. They have risked their lives to fulfill the goal of 
President Woodrow Wilson: to ``make the world safe for democracy.'' 
These veterans helped bring freedom and security to oppressed peoples, 
while protecting and serving all Americans, to protect our unique and 
comfortable existence.
  Our veterans are currently plagued with issues such as mental health 
issues often stemming from combat experience, drug abuse, unemployment, 
and homelessness. Veterans are currently more likely to become homeless 
after serving, more likely to be unemployed, and more likely to fall 
under the oppression of hard drugs. By implementing the American Law 
Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017, we, as a Congress, will be continuing 
our commitment to our veterans by helping to provide them with jobs. 
These jobs will provide a stable income and resources for our veterans 
to access, in case of debilitating mental health issues such as Post 
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
  Our veterans will be able to continue serving the American people 
with the particular training and expertise provided by the greatest 
military in the world. They have had access to education and are highly 
skilled at a plethora of jobs that municipal police departments can 
utilize to their advantage. By hiring these men and women, police 
forces around the nation can make the nation a safer, more secure 
place.
  I give my full support to the American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 
2017. This bill not only provides employment for our veterans, who have 
provided so much for our nation, but also makes our cities safer places 
to live.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1428.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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