Expressing support for the Nation's law enforcement officers.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1071 Expressing support for the Nation’s law enforcement officers. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 30, 2020 Mr. BUCK (for himself, Mr. BUDD, Mr. NORMAN, Mr. BIGGS, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. GIBBS, Mr. GIANFORTE, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. KELLER, Mr. ROY, Mr. GAETZ, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. LAMALFA, Mrs. LESKO, Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mr. BABIN, and Mr. LAMBORN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judici- ary RESOLUTION Expressing support for the Nation’s law enforcement officers. Whereas law enforcement officers protect the American peo- ple from criminals who seek to perpetrate violence and harm innocent lives regardless of the political cir- cumstances of the day; Whereas America’s law enforcement community also seeks to assist the communities they serve through a variety of nontraditional means, including nonarrest pathways that connect individuals with treatment and recovery pro- grams to overcome addiction, and juvenile diversion pro- grams to prevent minors from entering the criminal jus- tice system; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Jul 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1071.IH HR1071 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1071 IH Whereas supporting law enforcement officers with the equip- ment, training, and funding necessary to serve our com- munities and keep our streets safe has long been a bipar- tisan issue, dating back to President Clinton and then- Senator Biden joining their Republican colleagues to pass the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994; Whereas law enforcement officers willingly face dangerous circumstances and the threat of serious bodily injury or death on a daily basis to ensure the safety of all Ameri- cans; Whereas the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Mu- seum reports that as of December 31, 2019, 1,627 law enforcement officers had died in the line of duty during the past decade, a rate of one law enforcement death every 54 hours; Whereas the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Muse- um’s 2020 Mid-Year Law Enforcement Officers Fatali- ties Report detailed that 65 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty this year, including 27 offi- cers who were killed in firearms-related incidents; Whereas peaceful protests sparked by the death of George Floyd have been hijacked by violent extremists and pro- gressive groups seeking to sow discord, damage property, loot businesses, and inflict harm against civilians and law enforcement officers; Whereas law enforcement officers have been run over, shot, hit with objects, and stabbed attempting to maintain peace and the rule of law during the violent protests fol- lowing George Floyd’s death; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Jul 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1071.IH HR1071 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1071 IH Whereas the New York Post reported on June 8, 2020, that more than 700 Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers have been injured during protests resulting from George Floyd’s death; Whereas progressive politicians and interest groups have re- sponded to this violence with calls to defund law enforce- ment agencies across the Nation; Whereas defunding or otherwise handcuffing law enforcement officers will make officers less likely to intervene in dan- gerous situations and will result in law enforcement pull- ing back from the neighborhoods they are entrusted to protect; Whereas violent crime increases when law enforcement is forced to withdraw from neighborhoods; Whereas, on May 31, 2020, 18 people were murdered in Chi- cago; Whereas over the course of the full weekend, 85 Chicagoans were shot, 24 fatally, as residents experienced the dead- liest weekend in the city’s history as police withdrew from the neighborhoods to deal with violent rioting; Whereas, for the month of June 2020, New York City re- ported steep increases in violent crime, including a 130.3- percent increase in shooting incidents, a 30-percent spike in murders, and a 118.2-percent rise in burglaries as po- lice faced a stiff round of budget cuts and reduced sup- port from local officials; Whereas Minneapolis has seen a 55-percent increase in homi- cides this year as Minneapolis City Council officials con- tinue pushing to dismantle the city’s police department while hiring private security details for their own per- sonal protection; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Jul 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1071.IH HR1071 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1071 IH Whereas efforts to defund police departments will cause ir- reparable and lasting damage to the Nation: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) offers its sincere thanks and appreciation to 2 the Nation’s law enforcement officers who protect 3 and serve our communities; 4 (2) recognizes the great sacrifice our law en- 5 forcement officers make to keep the Nation safe; 6 and 7 (3) rejects the misguided and dangerous efforts 8 to defund and dismantle the Nation’s law enforce- 9 ment agencies. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Jul 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1071.IH HR1071 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS