Memorializing Police Officers Who Lost Their Lives in the Line of Duty

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUIZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today in the wake of National Police Week to memorialize our officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Nearly 3 years ago, on October 8, 2016, Officers Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega from the Palm Springs Police Department were shot and killed in the line of duty responding to what appeared to be a routine domestic disturbance.

Through this tragedy, our community came together, not only to remember Officers Zerebny and Vega, but to do more for their families and the entire law enforcement community.

Together, we found that families of fallen first responders, those who gave their all to protect us all, are being shortchanged. That is why I introduced the Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega First Responder Survivor Support Act, to honor those who have passed by serving the living.

My bill will increase the Public Safety Officer Benefit from $350,000 to $500,000 in order to pay off the calculated national average debt most families have; it will increase the monthly education benefit from $1,024 per month to $2,000 per month to ensure they can afford the actual rising costs of an education; and it will fix a bureaucratic loophole that, due to unnecessary red tape and delays in receiving benefits, can cost families up to tens of thousands of dollars through no fault of their own.

I urge all Members of Congress to do the right thing: to follow words with action, to follow praise with pragmatic solutions that will improve the lives of fallen first responders' families. I hope that all Members will cosponsor and support my bipartisan Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega First Responder Survivors Support Act.

I urge the Speaker to bring it up for a vote immediately. Let's support this bill and stand up for the families of fallen officers who have sacrificed so much for us.

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