National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 309) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide funding for the National Law Enforcement Museum, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 309, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 309, the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act, which provides temporary grants from the Department of the Interior to enhance the community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs of the National Law Enforcement Museum here in Washington, D.C.

Supporting our brave men and women in law enforcement should not be a partisan issue, and the overwhelming support behind this bill is a true testament to that scenario.

This bill is led by Representative Nehls of Texas. The bill has 124 bipartisan cosponsors. This legislation has also been endorsed by numerous law enforcement organizations across the Nation, including the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the National Sheriffs' Association.

In my home State of Arkansas, this legislation also enjoys support from the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police; the city of Sheridan, Arkansas, Police Department; and the Arkansas Game Warden Association.

In fact, Chief Gary Sipes, the executive director of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, said: A sustained national effort to restore confidence and understanding in law enforcement is urgently needed, now more than ever. That is precisely what this bill would do. I could not agree more.

Every day, law enforcement officers across the country put themselves in harm's way to protect their fellow Americans. They make tremendous sacrifices to keep our communities safe, uphold the rule of law, and answer the call when their neighbors need them most. They deserve our respect, our gratitude, and our support.

Here in the heart of our Nation's Capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial honors Federal, Tribal, State, and local law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Nearby, the National Law Enforcement Museum helps share the history of American law enforcement through exhibits, educational programming, historical collections, and outreach.

H.R. 309 builds on that mission by authorizing the Department of the Interior to provide grants to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund to expand its education and community outreach initiatives. These grants will support free museum access for officers, expansion of digitized collections, and broader distribution of officer safety and wellness resources to law enforcement agencies across the country.

I am proud to support this legislation, stand with our police officers across the country, and honor the service and sacrifices of America's law enforcement officers.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Nehls for his leadership on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 309, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Nehls), the lead sponsor of this bill and someone who personally knows about law enforcement, having served as a sheriff.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Nehls for his leadership on this bipartisan legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote

``yes'' on H.R. 309, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 309, the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act, was introduced by my colleagues, Representative Nehls and Representative Panetta, so this is a bipartisan effort.

This bill takes an important step toward establishing a program at the Department of the Interior and supports community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs at the National Law Enforcement Museum.

In 1984, Congress passed a joint resolution to authorize the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund to establish the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The memorial fund built and continues to maintain the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, the Nation's monument dedicated to officers killed in the line of duty. The fund also maintains the largest, most comprehensive database of line-of-duty officer deaths, conducts research into officer fatality trends and issues, and serves as an information clearinghouse.

In 2000, President Clinton signed the National Law Enforcement Museum Act, which authorized the fund to build and operate the National Law Enforcement Museum. Opened in 2018, the museum tells the story of American law enforcement through exhibits, collections, research, and education.

H.R. 309 would take additional steps toward authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to establish and award a grant to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for 7 fiscal years to take that work outside of the museum. Such grants would have an annual $6 million limit during that period. As a condition of receiving the grant funding, the fund would be required to submit annual reports to the Secretary, documenting and accounting progress and expenditures.

This funding would allow the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and their museum to continue supporting officers and educating the public on the important work our law enforcement officers do every day to keep our communities safe.

This bill is an important step forward in continuing Congress' longstanding support of this important memorial and museum and the men and women who keep our communities safe.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 309, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 309, the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act. I thank Chairman Westerman for his support and his work on this.

Congressman Panetta and more than 120 Members--120 of us--all came together in this bipartisan effort to support our law enforcement officers. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 309.