Back the Blue

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the men and women in law enforcement who risk their lives every day to keep us safe. In return, Congress owes it to them to do everything in our power to keep them safe.

As many of you know, I spent over 40 years in law enforcement, including 12 years as sheriff of Duval County, Florida. Sadly, some of my friends and colleagues paid the ultimate price in the line of duty. In fact, our memorial wall is filled with the names of too many good police officers who laid down their lives in service to their community.

When you are called to policing, you know the undertaking that you are taking is a dangerous job. This growing antipolice rhetoric and widespread efforts to defund police departments are leaving officers increasingly at risk to attacks, and communities are less safe.

In 2022, 89 officers around the country lost their lives to gunfire, beatings, stabbing, or vehicular assault, officers like Nassau County Deputy Joshua Moyers, who was killed last year in an attack while conducting a traffic stop in northeast Florida.

So, what are we doing in Congress to help stop these attacks? I have introduced a bipartisan bill called the Protect and Serve Act, which would increase penalties for individuals who deliberately target law enforcement officers with violence. In 2018, the Protect and Serve Act overwhelmingly passed the House 382-35.

I urge my Democrat colleagues to come back to the table and support this important legislation. Police officers' lives depend on it.

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