June 27, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 109 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S4613-S4614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NONPROFIT SECURITY GRANT

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, the legislation I came to the floor to 
talk about today passed in the Homeland Security Committee last week to 
help make our synagogues, our churches, our mosques, and other 
nonprofit institutions safer.
  Sadly, we have seen a troubling pattern in recent years. Hate-fueled 
attacks at houses of worship and religious institutions, not just in 
our country but around the world, are becoming more and more common. A 
couple of months ago, a shooting at a synagogue outside San Diego took 
the life of Lori Gilbert Kaye, who heroically sacrificed herself to 
save her rabbi. Exactly 6 months to the day prior to that, the shooting 
at the Tree of Life synagogue outside of Pittsburgh, PA, claimed 11 
lives, the worst act of anti-Semitic violence in U.S. history.
  Sometimes this hate is manifested in other ways: bomb threats at the 
Jewish Community Center in Columbus, OH, and anti-Semitic graffiti 
sprayed on the Hebrew Union College walls in my hometown of Cincinnati, 
OH.
  Right after the attacks on the synagogue in Pittsburgh last year, I 
went to the Jewish Community Center in Youngstown, OH, only 60 miles 
away from Pittsburgh, to meet with Jewish community leaders. An attack 
on one is an attack on all. We must all stand up.

[[Page S4614]]

  In Youngstown that somber day, we talked about where we go from here 
to stop anti-Semitism and hatred. I asked them for input about what the 
Federal Government can do to help keep the Jewish community safe. Part 
of the input I got was that we need more help on best practices on 
security and more resources to protect our community centers, our 
schools, our churches, our synagogues, our mosques.
  The resurgence of this anti-Semitism must be confronted and defeated 
with all the energy we can bring to bear. But sadly, it is not just 
related to the Jewish community, which has known it for over the 
centuries. Hate seldom stops at one religion or one country.

  Hundreds of Christians in Sri Lanka were massacred in churches and 
hotels on Easter Sunday. In New Zealand, the shooting at the mosques in 
Christchurch killed at least 49 people. We will never forget the 2015 
tragic killings of African-American parishioners at Emmanuel AME Church 
in Charleston, SC, where I have visited and prayed, or the 2017 attacks 
on the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX.
  While I have highlighted unconscionable mass murders, there are so 
many other examples of vandalism and harassment. We saw this in my home 
State of Ohio this February, where a man holding a gun smashed the 
windows of a mosque in Dayton while worshipers were praying inside. We 
saw it in Louisiana this April when three historically Black churches 
were deliberately burned down within the same parish. This violence is 
senseless and contrary to our values as Americans.
  Our first obligation as Americans and certainly as public officials 
is to stand up and say this must stop. Stop the hate--not just partisan 
finger-pointing but a single, unified message. Targeted communities 
cannot stop it on their own. We must remind all of our fellow citizens 
that we are all made in the image of God, and the anti-Semitism, the 
hatred, and the violence are not acceptable in this country.
  Sadly, if these trends are any indication, we also have to recognize 
these attacks are likely to continue, and I think Congress can and 
should do more to provide synagogues, mosques, churches, and other 
faith-based organizations with best practices and more resources to 
secure their facilities effectively.
  Based in part on the input I received in Youngstown that sad day, I 
have been the leading supporter of the Nonprofit Security Grant 
Program. This grant program allows nonprofits, including synagogues and 
other faith-based organizations, to apply for funds they can use to 
access best practices to secure their facilities and to train 
personnel.
  Some good news came out recently. Under the new Department of 
Homeland Security rules, nonprofits are now permitted to hire armed 
security personnel with these funds. That is something I had promoted. 
I think it is a good idea because it is needed. Last year, I led a 
bipartisan letter with Senator Casey to push for a total of $60 million 
for the program nationwide. I am happy to say that funding level was 
incorporated in the final Homeland Security appropriations bill.
  This year, I am working with my colleagues to actually authorize this 
program to be sure it will be there in the future and to increase the 
amount of funding in the program to $75 million so that nonprofits 
outside of the largest urban areas--which are currently being served 
through the initial program--also have access to this funding. 
Unfortunately, in a lot of instances I talked about earlier, it was not 
in major urban centers. So it is being spread well beyond our big 
cities.
  To support that effort, my colleague Senator Gary Peters and I have 
introduced bipartisan legislation called the Protecting Faith-Based and 
Nonprofit Organizations from Terrorism Act to provide best practices 
and more funding for hardening vulnerable nonprofits and faith-based 
institutions and for training resources for those congregations.
  The bill authorizes $75 million annually for the next 5 years, $50 
million to be used by nonprofits located within high-risk, large urban 
areas, and the rest will be available for nonprofits in other areas.
  I am pleased to report that the Homeland Security Committee 
unanimously approved this bill last week. I look forward to its coming 
to the floor, where I hope it can be passed on a bipartisan basis. 
While our bill is pending, I hope my colleagues in the Appropriations 
Committee will once again be receptive to the letter and spirit of our 
bill to make those resources available to urban and nonurban areas 
alike.
  I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
to ensure that the thousands of religious and other nonprofit 
institutions in Ohio and across our country are safe and welcoming 
places. I pray we will see the day when such security grants are not 
necessary because we will abide by the admonition to love our neighbors 
as ourselves. But in the meantime, let's do what we can to give our 
communities the know-how, the resources, and the best practices so they 
can be safer and more secure.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.

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