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Each May, we commemorate National Police Week and recognize the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to public service and our communities. Law enforcement officers risk their lives daily to defend American values and the freedoms we enjoy and so often take for granted.
Our men and women in uniform should be honored and esteemed for the sacrifices that they make, and during this year’s Police Week, the House passed a number of bills reaffirming our commitment to supporting the nation’s law enforcement and bolstering public safety.
H.R. 115, the Thin Blue Line Act, adds the murder of a state or local police officer as an aggravating factor for a jury to consider in deciding whether to impose the death penalty in federal capital cases. The murder of a federal law enforcement officer is already an aggravating factor under current federal law, and this legislation would grant state and local police the same status. H.R. 510, the Rapid DNA Act of 2017, helps identify the guilty and free the innocent by allowing Rapid DNA analysis machines to be used at local police stations. Rapid DNA technology expedites DNA analysis for suspect identification purposes and allows local law enforcement to accurately identify a suspect within hours, as opposed to weeks when evidence is shipped off to a lab.
H.R. 1039, the Probation Officer Protection Act of 2017, protects public safety by giving probation officers the authority, while in the performance of their official duties, to arrest a person if there is probable cause to believe that the person has forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated or interfered with the probation officer, or a fellow probation officer, in the performance of his or her duties. H.R. 1428, the American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017, gives priority to the hiring of veterans by awardees of grants under the COPS Hiring program.
H.R. 1616, the Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017, authorizes a program that educates state and local law enforcement, prosecutors and judges regarding cyber and electronic crimes. H.R. 1892, the Honoring Hometown Heroes Act, honors law enforcement by permitting the American flag to be flown at half-staff when a police officer, firefighter or first responder is killed in the line of duty.
Strengthening Career and Technical Education
On Wednesday the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved with unanimous support bipartisan legislation to improve career and technical education (CTE). H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, updates federal CTE policies to help more students gain the knowledge and skills they need to compete for in-demand jobs.
This bill is about ensuring all Americans can pursue multiple pathways to success. Career and technical education has long made a positive difference for students and communities, despite the false perception it’s somehow less valuable than a bachelor's degree. We must continue to improve the narrative about CTE, and just as importantly, we must update our CTE policies to reflect the realities of today’s economy. That’s why I am proud to support this legislation, which will increase transparency, improve accountability and help prepare students for in-demand jobs.
Upholding Strong Retirement Protections
This week President Trump signed a resolution of disapproval into law that closes a regulatory loophole created by the Obama administration allowing states to force private-sector workers into government-run retirement accounts without the consumer protections provided by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
The Obama administration’s regulatory loophole would have led to unintended consequences for hardworking men and women. Many working families would have lost retirement protections they have long been afforded under federal law. And many small business employees could have seen the retirement benefits they once had dropped in favor of government-run plans. America’s workers need more retirement options, and those options must include strong protections.
What’s Coming Up?
Next week the House will take up legislation to protect minors against sexual abuse.
Sincerely,
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