PAID OFF Act of 2023

Madam President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan Outdoors for All Act. This legislation would ensure that access to local parks and outdoor recreation is equitable and available to all.

The Outdoors for All Act would codify and strengthen the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program at the Interior Department, which provides grants to build new outdoor recreation spaces, improve existing parks, and form connections between underserved, urban communities and the outdoors.

It specifically invests in parks and open spaces in areas where the majority of Americans live. Any single urban area or two adjacent urban areas with a population of at least 25,000 can qualify for grants, which can benefit residents in all 50 States.

These grants would fund projects in park-poor, urban communities, and the bill would require the National Park Service to prioritize projects that support underserved communities, provide job-training to youth, and leverage resources through public-private partnerships.

As our cities grow and the effects of climate change intensify, this bill will increase equitable access to the many benefits of local parks, from job creation, to shade and tree cover, the reduction of the urban heat island effect, and clean air.

Nationwide, 100 million people, including 28 million children, do not have a park within a half-mile of home. That is almost one-third of America.

Additionally, in the 100 most populated cities, neighborhoods where most residents identify as Black, Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Asian American and Pacific Islander have access to an average of 44 percent less park acreage than predominantly White neighborhoods.

For example, in Los Angeles, low-income communities and communities of color lack equal access to parks--a Los Angeles County survey found that Compton reported only 0.6 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, in contrast to Malibu, which has 55.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents.

This bill would address this staggering inequity in Los Angeles and across the country and make equity and justice a key focus of park investment and planning.

I thank Senator Collins for introducing this legislation with me in the Senate and Congresswoman Barragan and Congressman Turner for leading this effort in the House of Representatives.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Outdoors for All Act soon as possible.

Madam President, Indiana has lost several officers in the line of duty in the last 2 years, like Terre Haute Officer Greg Ferency and Richmond Officer Seara Burton.

I would like to say a few words about Elwood Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz, who was killed in the line of duty last year in a little town in Indiana. He was only 24 years old. He was shot during a routine traffic stop by a violent career criminal who should have been behind bars. His parents, Laurie and Matt, remembered their son to my office with these words:

All that Noah ever wanted to do is help others. Society has

been robbed of the many positive impacts he would have had on

our world.

When a police officer is killed in the line of duty, it sends a shock wave through the community, and it is happening in far too many places.

I decided after his death that I wanted to take the lead in reintroducing the Thin Blue Line Act. This bill would make targeting police officers an aggravating factor in favor of the maximum sentence. It has already passed through the House of Representatives once before. We need to do it again in this Congress and get it through the Senate as well.

Supporting our police shouldn't be a partisan issue. This law wouldn't apply in every case, but it would make criminals think twice before targeting our police. We have to do everything we can to protect those who protect us. The one thing we could do to fight back against crime is to support those on the frontline. We need to give them the resources they need and send a clear message to those who wish to do them harm: If you target a police officer, you are going to pay the highest price possible.

We need to get that done.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to print my bill for introduction in the Congressional Record. The bill amends the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to modify requirements under that act relating to exemptions.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to print my bill for introduction in the Congressional Record. The bill amends the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to modify requirements under that act relating to exemptions.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.