James Comer: “I rise in support of H.R. 2096, sponsored by Mr. Garbarino, the Protecting Our Nation's Capital Emergency Act. The men…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2096, sponsored by Mr. Garbarino, the Protecting Our Nation's Capital Emergency Act. The men and women of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department serve the community every day to keep this District safe and secure. On January 4, 2023, the D.C. Council passed the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. The act stripped D.C. police officers of certain employee protections, making the job more difficult despite rising crime in the District. When the D.C. Council passed this law, Congress acted swiftly in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to overturn it. The House and Senate passed H.J. Res. 42, which would have overturned the entire D.C. law, with 14 House Democrats and 6 Senate Democrats joining Republicans in support of the resolution. However, then-President Biden vetoed the bipartisan resolution of disapproval, allowing the harmful policies of the D.C. Council to remain in effect today. In another attempt to protect the D.C. police, Representative Garbarino introduced this bill to repeal certain provisions of D.C.'s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act.”