National Blue Alert Act of 2012

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to my friend, the majority leader, Mr. Cantor, for the purpose of inquiring as to the schedule for the week to come.

I thank the gentleman for his information.

On the Violence Against Women Act, a very important piece of legislation which we have reauthorized in the past in a bipartisan fashion, it is under a rule. Does the gentleman know whether it will be an open rule or whether there will be, perhaps, a modified open rule with amendments being printed? Will the gentleman tell us? I have a lot of folks on my side of the aisle who are very interested in dealing with certain portions of that bill, and they'd be interested to know whether or not they will be able to offer amendments.

I would tell the majority leader, for the purposes of his planning and anticipation, as he may well know, the bill that has been reported out of the Judiciary Committee is controversial. There was a bill that passed through the other Chamber, which passed overwhelmingly--more than 2 1--and it is not like this bill.

There are Members that would like to incorporate the Senate's provisions in the House bill, and I know we would appreciate it if we would be given that opportunity to offer that on the floor as an alternative. If the gentleman would take that into consideration, perhaps talk to Mr. Dreier about making such amendments in order, we would very much appreciate that. Of course we would also appreciate, perhaps, if you wanted to take up the Senate bill as a substitute. We think we would have overwhelming votes for that on this side of the aisle. In light of the fact that you and I have been working in such a bipartisan fashion lately, perhaps that would be a good way to continue that process.

I yield to my friend.

I thank the gentleman for his observations, and clearly he and I agree on the importance of this piece of legislation.

Certainly we're concerned about violence perpetrated against all women who happen to be in this country and subject to violent acts by others. So we want to make sure that we can, in fact, protect all women who are subject to abuse. Hopefully we can pursue that objective.

Mr. Leader, the appropriation bill we just passed was somewhat more controversial than I had hoped it would have been, in part because of the riders that were adopted to that bill, which were strongly opposed by many on this side of the aisle, and in part because we do not believe it complied with the agreement that we reached with reference to funding levels.

There are now 11 more appropriation bills to go. Can the gentleman tell me the next appropriation bill that he expects to have on the floor?

I thank the gentleman for that information.

As I said, one concern we had on our side of the aisle was the riders, many of which we thought were inappropriate. They were adopted, but we did not favor them. The second was, of course, the level of funding. The Appropriations Committee clearly articulated very early in this process they thought the monies available to them under the Ryan constrictions on 302(a) were too low to meet some of the commitments that they had.

First of all, pursuant to what he says the Speaker wants to do and he wants to do, and I think we ought to do--we didn't always get that done lamentably--does the gentleman believe that we're going to have the time to bring each one of the appropriation bills to the floor between now and the August break so that the Senate might consider them and we might consider them individually, as opposed to in some omnibus piece of legislation?

I yield to my friend.

I thank the gentleman for his comments.

I want to make it clear that clearly I understand it is the democratic process that riders are offered and the House does its will. There it is. The gentleman is absolutely correct, that's the process.

But I want to emphasize that we still have great concerns about the agreement that we reached not being carried out pursuant to what we believed the agreement was in terms of funding levels and 302(a) allocations; that is, the general allocation to the Appropriation Committee. I know the gentleman knows that we have that concern. I know the gentleman has also made the observation that that was a cap and not an agreed number. I will tell my friend again--I think I said this a couple of weeks ago--that undermines our willingness to make agreements if what we make an agreement on is the most that you'll do, but then come in at levels substantially below that which we think we agreed to, and in fact is in the law.

I want to make it clear that was my major concern and continues to be my major concern. I understand, as all of us do on this floor, that the majority will rule on the amendments, and what amendments are adopted are adopted. There were a lot of them on the floor, as you know better than I, because there were a lot from your side, and that's appropriate.

Let me ask you about the transportation conference, Mr. Leader. We are very concerned about this. We think this is a jobs bill. We think it's an important bill. This bill, as you know, was adopted overwhelmingly by some 74 Senators. Half of the Republican Conference in the Senate is voting for the transportation bill. We're in conference now. We've been in conference for some time. Can the gentleman tell me what he thinks the status of the conference is and when we might adopt this bill? Obviously, we have it extended until the end of June, but we must act before then. Can the gentleman tell me the status of the conference?

I thank the gentleman.

I want to say as we close this colloquy--which some people will say was one of our more tame colloquies--perhaps that's appropriate. On a week that we did have an opportunity to come together, I want to thank the gentleman. I want to again say that Neil Bradley did an excellent job working with John Hughes and my staff and the Financial Services staff of Mr. Frank, Mrs. McCarthy, Mr. Miller's staff, and the Senate.

I think we've done what we ought to do more of. And we passed a bill which, as you know, my party supported unanimously because we believe it does, in fact, make us more competitive in the international marketplace and will help keep and grow jobs. So I want to thank the gentleman for his work on that and, again, thank Mr. Bradley and Mr. Hughes for their work on that. And hopefully the Senate will act on that with dispatch.

I thank the gentleman for his remarks. I want to apologize to

your chief of staff for not mentioning him.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman from Maryland, the Democratic whip, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House is not in session. On Tuesday, the House will meet at noon for morning-hour and at 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning-hour and at noon for legislative business. On Friday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. The last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of bills under suspension of the rules, a complete list of which will be announced by the close of business tomorrow. Among next week's suspensions will be H.R. 365, the National Blue Alert Act, sponsored by Congressman Michael Grimm, which will coincide with National Police Week and will help deter the threat of violence against our Nation's law enforcement officers.

In addition, the House will consider two important bills under a rule. The first is H.R. 4970, the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, sponsored by Congresswoman Sandy Adams, herself a former sheriff. Our second rule bill, which will take up the remainder of the week, is H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act, sponsored by Chairman Buck McKeon. This bipartisan bill provides for the funding of our armed services prior to Memorial Day, as is the House's appropriate custom.

I will just tell the gentleman, as he knows, the Rules Committee is the one to decide the process by which bills come to the floor and the rules for those bills; and the Rules Committee will be meeting on Tuesday.

It has certainly been an improved sense of cooperation, and I appreciate that on the gentleman's part in trying to deliver results and trying to make sure we get America back to work.

I would say to the gentleman, as he rightly noted, that this bill has traditionally been reauthorized. The approach that we tried to focus on was to do what it is that the gentleman and I have been trying to do the last couple

of weeks, and that is to separate out things that divide us and try to unite us around the central focus of a particular piece of legislation.

VAWA is a program that calls for the commitment of taxpayer dollars to fund the appropriate services for abused women. This is a bill that is much needed, and it is one that I think deserves our bipartisan support. We tried to stay away from issues that divide us, and we tried to listen to the GAO in terms of its recommendations under this program to make sure that taxpayer dollars are spent at their most efficient levels so that we can get more out of the dollars being spent. That is the spirit with which we will bring this bill to the floor.

Again, I know it's an important bill. We all care deeply about making sure that abused women receive the necessary services that they need.

I would say to the gentleman that we are looking to accommodate the needs of the committee as they move forward and with their bills and their agenda. It is our intention to continue with the kind of debate that we had on the CJS bill this week.

As you know, it's been some time since this House was able to see an appropriations process work in a very open fashion like we had this week. We intend to continue to do that with the bills. It's the Speaker's commitment that this be an open process and that Members have a right to air their views, and that those issues and amendments can come to a vote.

I say to the gentleman that we look forward to working with him and looking to the committee to bring forward the bill that they think is ready next to be brought to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, all I would say to the gentleman is it is certainly the intention and the commitment we have to bring these bills forward for an open and fair debate.

I know the gentleman has expressed now twice the fact that his side didn't like some of the votes that occurred on the specific provisions of some bills. This is a democratic process, as he knows. Twenty-three Members on his side of the bill ended up supporting the CJS bill. Again, this is the House's will at work, and we hope to be able to work with him in this very new environment in which we're operating on appropriations bills.

The commitment that we have is still that we want to bring these bills forward under a very challenging fiscal time in our country and do so without earmarks. This does represent a new construct within which we are operating. Again, we look forward to the gentleman's participation towards that end in a successful way.

As the gentleman rightly suggests, we are in conference with the Senate. Deliberations are ongoing. We are very mindful, as he indicates, of the expiration of the existing authorization of the program at the end of June, knowing that is our deadline.

Mr. Speaker, I will join the gentleman in thanking both of our staffs. They did tremendous work, as well as Mr. Miller on the Financial Services Committee and the staff there, Mr. Bachus' staff. Your office can be instrumental, I think, in helping move the Senate along. But everyone from the chief of staff on down in your office--and we want to thank you as well for your team's commitment to working, again, in a very difficult equation where there were a lot of differences that we tried to work through but, in the end, didn't want to unilaterally disarm American business in the name of competitiveness in our country.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 365) to encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans throughout the United States in order to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 365, as amended, currently under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, in 1962, at the request of Congress, President Kennedy proclaimed today as National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Every May 15 we honor our Nation's law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty. Earlier today, on the west front of the Capitol, we honored those officers who were killed last year while protecting us and enforcing the law.

H.R. 365, the National Blue Alert Act of 2012, establishes a nationwide system for distribution of time-sensitive information to help identify a violent suspect when a law enforcement officer is injured or killed in the line of duty.

Each year, hundreds of law enforcement officers are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty. America's law enforcement officers courageously put their lives on the line every day. They often work long and irregular hours in demanding and dangerous conditions. These officers run a high risk of being injured or killed by the same criminals that prey on Americans.

Just last month, in my home State of Texas, an Austin police officer was shot and killed while responding to a call about a drunk man shoplifting at the local Walmart. What seemed to be a routine call turned out to be a dangerous and deadly situation. We cannot bring Officer Padron back, but we can honor his sacrifice by helping to apprehend and bring to justice criminals who harm our men and women in blue.

In 1789, President George Washington appointed America's first law enforcement officers, 13 United States Marshals. Since then, over 21,000 local, State, and Federal law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty.

Despite the fact that national crime rates continue to drop, in 2011, 163 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty, a 14 percent increase over the previous year. Unfortunately, criminals are becoming even more violent, and their contempt for law enforcement and the rule of law is more evident than ever.

This bill encourages expansion of an integrated Blue Alert communications network throughout the United States, much like the well-known AMBER Alert system used to locate missing and abducted children. A Blue Alert broadcasts information and speeds apprehension of violent criminals when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty. Blue Alerts use the same principle as AMBER Alerts for missing children and Silver Alerts for missing seniors.

The Blue Alert system is a cooperative effort among local, State, and Federal authorities, law enforcement agencies, and the general public. A Blue Alert provides a description of an offender who is still at large and may include a description of the offender's vehicle and license plate information. Like AMBER Alerts, Blue Alerts will help hinder the offender's ability to escape and will facilitate their capture.

The bill directs the Department of Justice to designate an existing officer as the Blue Alert national coordinator, who will encourage those States that have not already done so to develop Blue Alert plans and establish voluntary guidelines. As of today, 14 States have Blue Alert networks in place, and Ohio will implement its network in June.

An integrated nationwide Blue Alert system ensures that when tragedy strikes, the public is on notice and suspects can be more quickly apprehended and brought to justice. A nationwide Blue Alert network will be particularly effective when a suspect flees across State lines.

I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grimm) and Mr. Reichert of Washington for their work on this issue. This is a bipartisan, bicameral bill. Similar legislation was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last September.

Supporters of this legislation include the National Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs' Association, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

Too often, criminals in our society have no respect for authority and the rule of law. The goal of the Blue Alert is to immediately notify the entire community to assist in the location and apprehension of violent criminals who injure or kill police officers. This bill reaffirms our determination to ensure the future safety of our law enforcement men and women and the communities they serve to protect every day.

I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grimm), who is the sponsor of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time as well.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 365, and I yield myself such time as I may consume to explain the bill and to respectfully urge my colleagues to vote for it.

The National Blue Alert Act of 2012 has strong bipartisan backing and was approved unanimously by the Judiciary Committee on April 25. I am proud to join my colleague, Mr. Grimm, as the lead Democratic sponsor of this legislation, and I want to thank the gentleman from New York, a former FBI agent, for his leadership on this and on other law enforcement issues.

This bill constitutes an effort to protect and defend the men and women of law enforcement, who protect and defend us, our families, and our communities. The bill has been endorsed, as has been stated by the gentleman from Texas, by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National Sheriffs' Association, and the Sergeants Benevolent Association. In our sister Chamber, an identical companion bill to H.R. 365 has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and currently awaits floor consideration.

The legislation before us directs the Attorney General to establish a national Blue Alert communications network within the Department of Justice to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty and when the suspect has not yet been apprehended. A Blue Alert would provide

a physical description of the suspect and may include a description of the suspect's vehicle and license plate information.

The Blue Alert system is a cooperative effort among Federal, State, and local authorities, law enforcement agencies, and the general public. The Blue Alert system would use the same infrastructure as AMBER Alerts, which are disseminated for missing children, and Silver Alerts, which are disseminated for missing seniors.

Pursuant to the bill, the Attorney General will assign an existing DOJ officer to serve as the national coordinator for the Blue Alert communications network. The national coordinator's duties will include: encouraging State, territory, and local governments to develop Blue Alert plans; establishing voluntary guidelines for these government entities to use in developing such plans; developing protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects; and establishing an advisory group to assist State and local governments and law enforcement agencies to create, facilitate, and promote Blue Alert plans.

In the last 220 years, nearly 21,000 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in the United States, and many more have been seriously injured. In Puerto Rico, which is the jurisdiction I represent, over 325 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty since 1900, with over 40 island officers killed between the year 2000 and the year 2010.

This year, two veteran Puerto Rico police officers were fatally shot in the line of duty--Abimael Castro Berrocal and Francis Crespo Mandry. Although at least one suspect has been apprehended, other suspects in both of these killings remain at large. This morning, these two officers, along with over 160 of their brothers and sisters in law enforcement who lost their lives in the line of duty in the past year, were honored in front of the Capitol as part of the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service.

The overriding purpose of this legislation is to help deter violent acts against police officers and, in the event such a violent act occurs, to ensure that the perpetrator is quickly apprehended and brought to justice. Police officers, unlike young children and seniors, are not a vulnerable population group in the traditional sense. They are strong, capable, and brave, but every day, they put themselves in harm's way to protect us. They have our backs, and it's important that we have theirs.

I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes).

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

This is truly a very special opportunity for me to speak on this bill, H.R. 365, the National Blue Alert Act of 2012. As a former FBI special agent, it makes it a very special honor to have the House consider this important legislation, especially during National Police Week. Think about it. Thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world and this country are going to converge on our Nation's Capitol to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice: to protect the citizens back at home.

On a personal note, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to New York City's police commissioner, Ray Kelly, and to the very brave men and women of the NYPD for their service to our great city. I encourage all of my colleagues to treat every week as if it were National Police Week, because it is truly those sacrifices made by these individuals that have inspired me to introduce this important legislation.

During my career in the FBI, I witnessed firsthand the danger posed by criminals who attack law enforcement officers and the particular threat that they pose to our communities. Time and time again, we have seen, if criminals are willing to attack police officers to avoid apprehension, then there is no limit to the lengths they will go or to the victims they will target simply to avoid being brought to justice.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 173 officers were killed in the line of duty in 2011. As Members of Congress representing New York City and Puerto Rico, it is a sad fact for me and for my friend and colleague, Congressman Pierluisi, who is the lead cosponsor of this bill, that the New York City Police Department and the Puerto Rico Police Department both lost four officers--the most of any other agency--in 2011. Now, it is impossible to completely transform the hazardous nature of the work our law enforcement officers carry out every single day, but there are steps that we can take to enhance their safety and to quickly apprehend those who put them at risk.

The National Blue Alert Act does this by creating a national Blue Alert communications network within the United States Department of Justice to disseminate information on suspects who are being sought in connection with the death or injury of a law enforcement officer. Similar to the nationwide AMBER Alert system for missing children, the Blue Alert would rapidly notify law enforcement agencies, as well as the media and the public, in order for them to help aid in the apprehension of these extremely violent criminals. Additionally, this legislation would further encourage the expansion of the Blue Alert program beyond the handful of States where it currently exists by helping develop the Blue Alert plans, the regional coordination, and the development and implementation of new technologies to improve Blue Alert communications.

This legislation, as we have heard, is supported across the board by many law enforcement organizations, and I am certain that the National Blue Alert Act will enhance the safety of our communities as well as the law enforcement officers who protect them. I encourage its swift passage in the full House of Representatives, and I would like to thank my lead cosponsor and friend, Mr. Pierluisi.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.