[House Report 114-543]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


114th Congress   }                                            {   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session      }                                            {  114-543

======================================================================



 
    FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SELF-DEFENSE AND PROTECTION ACT OF 2015

                                _______
                                

  May 10, 2016.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Goodlatte, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2137]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the 
bill (H.R. 2137) to ensure Federal law enforcement officers 
remain able to ensure their own safety, and the safety of their 
families, during a covered furlough, having considered the 
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommends that the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page

Purpose and Summary..............................................     1
Background and Need for the Legislation..........................     2
Hearings.........................................................     2
Committee Consideration..........................................     2
Committee Votes..................................................     2
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     2
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     2
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     2
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     3
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings..............................     4
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................     4
Advisory on Earmarks.............................................     4
Section-by-Section Analysis......................................     4

                          Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 2137 grants covered Federal law enforcement officers 
the same rights to carry a government-issued firearm during a 
covered furlough as they had before such furlough was in 
effect.

                Background and Need for the Legislation

    Because Federal law enforcement officers face potentially 
dangerous situations on a daily basis whether on duty or off 
duty, they are permitted to carry their government-issued 
firearms on their persons even when they are not on duty. 
However, during the 2013 government shutdown, at least three 
Federal agencies forbid their law enforcement officers from 
carrying their government-issued firearms or credentials during 
the furlough. This decision potentially endangered these 
officers' lives by putting them at an unnecessary risk. 
Further, it prevented these highly trained officers from being 
prepared to respond to a critical incident or threat.
    The Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act 
will ensure that officers are able to defend and protect 
themselves on and off-duty by allowing all covered Federal law 
enforcement officers to continue to carry their government-
issued firearms during a furlough or government shutdown.

                                Hearings

    The Committee on the Judiciary held no hearings on H.R. 
2137.

                        Committee Consideration

    On April 27, 2016, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered the bill H.R. 2137 favorably reported without 
amendment, by voice vote, a quorum being present.

                            Committee Votes

    In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that there 
were no recorded votes during the Committee's consideration of 
H.R. 2137.

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the 
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on 
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

               New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is inapplicable because this legislation does 
not provide new budgetary authority or increased tax 
expenditures.

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee sets forth, with 
respect to the bill, H.R. 2137, the following estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                       Washington, DC, May 6, 2016.
Hon. Bob Goodlatte, Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2137, the 
``Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act of 
2015.''
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark 
Grabowicz, who can be reached at 226-2860.
            Sincerely,
                                                Keith Hall,
                                                  Director.

Enclosure

cc:
        Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
        Ranking Member




 H.R. 2137--Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act of 
                                 2015.

      As ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary 
                           on April 27, 2016.




    H.R. 2137 would authorize Federal law enforcement officers 
to carry firearms during periods when they are subject to a 
government furlough. CBO estimates that implementing the bill 
would have no significant cost to the Federal Government. 
Because enacting the legislation would not affect direct 
spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2137 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
    H.R. 2137 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of State, local, or tribal 
governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz. 
The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    No provision of H.R. 2137 establishes or reauthorizes a 
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of 
another Federal program, a program that was included in any 
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program 
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance.

                  Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings

    The Committee estimates that H.R. 2137 specifically directs 
to be completed no specific rule makings within the meaning of 
5 U.S.C. Sec. 551.

                    Performance Goals and Objectives

    The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, H.R. 
2137 grants covered Federal law enforcement officers the same 
rights to carry a government-issued firearm during a covered 
furlough as they had before such furlough was in effect.

                          Advisory on Earmarks

    In accordance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, H.R. 2137 does not contain any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of Rule XXI.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    The following discussion describes the bill as reported by 
the Committee.
    Section 1. Short Title. This section cites the short title 
of the bill as the ``Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and 
Protection Act of 2015.''
    Section 2. Findings. This section lists the congressional 
findings.
    Section 3. Definitions. This section defines: (1) ``covered 
Federal law enforcement officer'' to mean any agency employee 
who has the authority to make arrests or apprehensions for or 
prosecute violations of Federal law and who, on the day before 
the applicable covered furlough begins, is authorized by the 
agency to carry a firearm in the course of official duties; and 
(2) ``covered furlough'' to mean a planned event by an agency 
during which employees are involuntarily furloughed due to 
downsizing, reduced funding, lack of work, or any budget 
situation, including a lapse in appropriations.
    Section 4. Protecting Federal law enforcement officers who 
are subjected to a covered furlough. This section grants 
covered Federal law enforcement officers the same rights to 
carry a government-issued firearm during a covered furlough as 
they had before such furlough was in effect.