Sheila Jackson Lee: “First of all, let me thank Congressman Raskin for the diligent work that he has done on the Judiciary Committee, as a…”

“First of all, let me thank Congressman Raskin for the diligent work that he has done on the Judiciary Committee, as a whole, but particularly his assistance today for those of us who were flying in. This is a particularly important bill because I have just had the opportunity to visit with corrections officers in a correction center in New York. It was both an informational opportunity and tour of the facility, but also, it was enormously instructive. First, I want to honor Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati, correctional officer in the Self-Protection Act, and I want to thank the author of the legislation. It is clear that this is a very important addition to both respecting, and, as well, protecting correctional officers. It is a bipartisan, commonsense bill, as has been indicated, and specifically provides for Federal Bureau of Prisons correctional officers to carry personal firearms for protection as they commute to and from their jobs. Listening to these correctional officers, sitting down with them, you know that there is a passion for their work. You also know that they want those who are incarcerated to do well, to restore their lives, to be rehabilitated.…”