Richard B. Nugent: “I thank my fellow Rules Committee member, Dr. Foxx, for allowing me to speak on this issue not only for women but for…”

“I thank my fellow Rules Committee member, Dr. Foxx, for allowing me to speak on this issue not only for women but for all Americans. I also want to thank my Florida colleague Sandy Adams for her leadership shown on this issue. I spent my entire career as a law enforcement officer, 36 years, and the last 10 years as a sheriff. When you are a cop, you usually don't get to see people in the best light. Getting called to somebody's house or somebody coming to your office isn't typically something that is a highlight of their day. It's because they are in need of help. Throughout my entire career, I saw some of the worst that man has to offer, and no small part of that was domestic violence. During my four decades as a cop and sheriff, I saw the results of domestic violence: battered partners, both men and women; children either physically or emotionally hurt in the crossfire between their fighting parents; victims who were suffering, scared, intimidated, and didn't know where to go for justice. If you will look at the State of Florida and what it did with regards to domestic violence, it's clear that it was not just about a husband and wife. It's about those folks that live within a home. It's about their relationship within that home as it affects their children, as it affects each other. It doesn't specifically say that it has to be a man or a woman. It doesn't identify that.…”