Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding; and I thank the two cosponsors, the gentleman from Pennsylvania and the…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding; and I thank the two cosponsors, the gentleman from Pennsylvania and the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania, for a very important initiative that not one of us have, unfortunately, not heard of one of our law enforcement officers in recent years, in recent times, or in recent months committing suicide. That incident has occurred in my own community. It is clearly important to be able to provide this extra support, the Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act of 2019, the STOIC Act. It is crucial because it also impacts these families. These officers every day deal with such catastrophic incidences. In my own community, we have seen six little children killed over the last couple of months. {time} 1545 The individuals who arrive first to the scene are law enforcement officers, and they are moms and dads with children. And I cannot imagine the impact that those scenes, those crime scenes, have day after day on these officers who have joined the force to do good and to help people. We often say when we call 911, we are looking for the men and women in blue, and we are looking for them to strengthen those families who are broken or in crisis. This particular act would revitalize the DOJ's grant program for Law Enforcement Family Resources, in addition to allocating funds to establish suicide prevention, stress management, and mental health programs.…”