Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge House Leadership to Prioritize Policing Bills

U.S. Representative Angie Craig and 30 of her colleagues have written a letter to House leadership, urging them to bring bipartisan policing bills to the floor for standalone votes after the July 4 recess. The bills focus on investing in law enforcement, improving training and mental health, and addressing crime in communities. The lawmakers argue that packaging these bills with appropriations legislation would limit bipartisan support and prevent members from showing their stance on law enforcement.

Key Takeaways:

• The letter was signed by 32 lawmakers, including Representatives Angie Craig, Josh Gottheimer, Katie Porter, Dean Phillips, and Abigail Spanberger.
• The bipartisan bills requested to be brought to the floor include Craig's Invest to Protect Act, the Mental Health Justice Act, the COPS on the BEAT Program Reauthorization and Parity Act, and Representative Dean Phillips' Pathways to Policing Act.
• The lawmakers urge House leadership to use their power to bring the bills to the floor for up-or-down votes, allowing members to be on the record about their support for law enforcement.
• The House Judiciary Committee has stated that it will not bring any law enforcement bills through the markup process, prompting the lawmakers to implore leadership to step in.

Statistics:

• 32 lawmakers signed the letter to House leadership.
• 5 bipartisan bills are requested to be brought to the floor: Invest to Protect Act, Mental Health Justice Act, COPS on the BEAT Program Reauthorization and Parity Act, Pathways to Policing Act, and Protecting Our Kids Act.
• The bills aim to increase investment in local police departments to boost numbers, retention, training, and accountability of law enforcement officers.
• The lawmakers have consistently advocated for commonsense, bipartisan legislation to address the rising level of crime in the country.

Sources:

• A letter sent by Representatives Angie Craig and over 30 colleagues to Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, and Majority Whip Clyburn on June 21, 2022.
• H.R. 6448, the "Invest to Protect Act" proposed by Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Rutherford.
• H.R. 6375, the "COPS on the BEAT Program Reauthorization and Parity Act" proposed by Representatives Tom Rice and Abigail Spanberger.
• H.R. 1368, the "Mental Health Justice Act" proposed by Representatives Katie Porter and Michelle Steel.
• H.R. 7826, the "Pathways to Policing Act" proposed by Representative Dean Philips.