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[Pages S6342-S6343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Protect and Serve Act
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on behalf of the
brave and hard-working men and women of law enforcement across this
Nation.
Last month, I talked about the dangerous consequences of inaction by
the Senate if we didn't come to protect them. Unfortunately, since my
last speech, four more law enforcement officers, men and women, have
died--been murdered--in the line of duty. That is a 20-percent increase
over the number last year.
That doesn't count the hundreds of police officers who have been
injured in the line of duty, many of them still recovering from their
wounds. The groundswell of violence against law enforcement is
shocking, and it is our responsibility as Senators to act.
Enough is enough. Rather than support radical ideas like defunding
and abolishing the police, the Senate should take the lead and pass
meaningful legislation to protect law enforcement officers, increasing
funding, improving training, and raising standards. That is why I again
call on my
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colleagues to support and pass the Protect and Serve Act, a bill that I
sponsored and a bill that I hope we can get passed.
The Protect and Serve Act would punish dangerous criminals who murder
a law enforcement officer in the line of duty. If they murder a law
enforcement officer in the line of duty, they will be sentenced to
life. If they injure a law enforcement officer in the line of duty,
they will be sentenced to 10 years in prison. The premise of the
legislation is simple: There is no escape from justice for dangerous
criminals who intentionally assault or kill a law enforcement officer.
The Senate passes legislation almost every day in this Chamber by
unanimous consent, but I am sad to report that if I try to get
unanimous consent for this bill, we would have objection on the floor.
The heated rhetoric and the violent attacks on officers are having
real-world impacts, and the safety of law enforcement has never been at
the low that it is today. Across the country, recruitments are down.
Fewer people are applying to go into service or into law enforcement
academies, and retirements are up. We are seeing our law enforcement
ranks dwindle. It is sad, but it is not surprising.
Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every single
day. Every morning, they wake up, they kiss their spouse goodbye, and
they don't know if they are going to come back safely. But when they
spend all day being disrespected while doing this very difficult and
very dangerous job and politicians harass them or allow them to be
harassed, I should say, by violent mobs and protesters, there is no
wonder morale is at an alltime low.
Fewer police means more criminal activity. It means hard-working
American citizens who go to work every day just to make their lives
better are living in communities that are less safe. We cannot sit idly
by and allow the streets to be filled with dangerous, violent criminals
who face no consequences. Instead, we must speak up and show our men
and women in blue that we respect them and we back them.
They put their lives on the line to protect us, and we should do the
work in Congress to protect them. In fact, in the last Congress,
Speaker Pelosi allowed this bill to be voted on. She supported making
it a law. But now her conference is run by radical leftists who want to
abolish the police or defund the police, and she is not even allowing
this bill to be brought to the floor. She won't speak in support of law
enforcement officers despite the rising tide of violence against them.
That is why the responsibility lies here in the Senate for us to show
our support and let law enforcement communities across the country know
that we have their back.
Let's protect police and deputies, and let's pass the Protect and
Serve Act. I urge the American people to call your Senators and tell
them that you want this bill passed. You want law enforcement to be
safer, and you want our communities to be safer. Don't be silent. Help
me fight for the men and women in blue. They are counting on all of us.
____________________
