Alan B. Mollohan: “I rise in support of Mr. Etheridge's amendment. I can tell you that the beneficiaries of the Public Safety Officers'…”

“I rise in support of Mr. Etheridge's amendment. I can tell you that the beneficiaries of the Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program and the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Program are extremely lucky to have advocates like Mr. Etheridge in the United States House of Representatives. I mention him first and most often because he has been all over this issue for the last 6 months, since I have been chairman of this subcommittee. I am extremely pleased to see Mr. Reichert on this, a person who comes from law enforcement, who understands the issues of law enforcement, and is probably personally acquainted with cases of disappointment of beneficiaries under this program. It is tremendous that this program is bipartisan. You can tell by Mr. Kennedy's remarks and the sincerity behind them that this is an issue of vital concern to the subcommittee as well. Mr. Kennedy has been championing Mr. Etheridge's cause and Mr. Reichert's cause through the process of this bill. I give credit to these people because they have been especially attentive to this concern. It is, indeed, something that we should be concerned about. As we talk about homeland security, as we talk about State and local law enforcement, and as we recommend a bill with this kind of funding to the House of Representatives, we have to be mindful of those people who have made sacrifices and who have suffered greatly. That's what these programs are about.”