On the recordMay 12, 2015
Let me thank Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers of the Judiciary Committee for this timely presentation and the offering of this legislation on the floor this week, which is a time to commemorate and mourn and to uphold the Nation's law enforcement. It is a very important statement that we make today on the floor of the House. As a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, and yes, as a Member of Congress from Houston, which has one of the Nation's most effective police departments, and as a cosponsor of the House companion measure, I rise in strong support of S. 665, the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 2015. I, too, thank Senator Cardin, Congressman Reichert, and my colleague and friend, Congressman Pascrell. I am also a cosponsor. I thank them for their particular leadership on this bill. Every day, more than 900,000 officers protect and serve the people of the United States. On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty every 58 hours. Each year, there is an average of 58,930 assaults on our law enforcement officers, resulting in 15,404 injuries. Just yesterday, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the community held a memorial for two dedicated public servants fatally shot during a traffic stop on Saturday night.…
