Providing for Consideration of H.R. Break the Cycle of Violence Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Invest to Protect Act of and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Mental Health Justice Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker. I rise today in strong support of this robust public safety package--legislation rooted in two of Democrats' most cherished values: safety and justice.

On behalf of our Caucus and the Congress, I salute the persistent, values-driven leadership of CBC Chairwoman Joyce Beatty and Members of the CBC--ensuring that accountability is central to our efforts.

Let us also commend Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for their tireless efforts to advance the goal of public safety for all.

We applaud the committed leaders of the legislation before us today: Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Congresswoman Katie Porter, Congressman Steven Horsford, and Congresswoman Val Demings.

And thank you to Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler and Energy & Commerce Chair Frank Pallone for steering this legislation to the Floor.

House Democrats believe that every American deserves to live in a safe community--where they and their family can thrive.

For us, this is a deeply held value.

And that is why our Majority has long sought--and today, continues to take--strong, commonsense action to fund our police, giving them the tools they need to prevent crime.

Let me be clear: Democrats salute our law enforcement heroes.

And we have fought to support them: securing a half-billion-dollar increase for local and state law enforcement in March's Appropriations legislation.

At the same time, we remain fully committed to improving training and accountability among the law enforcement ranks.

Our nation remains outraged at the scourge of systemic racism and brutality targeting communities of color and marginalized communities-- knowing that it remains a serious threat to safety.

That is why Democrats will never stop fighting for the fundamental transformation that our culture of policing demands--which goes hand- in-hand with our unyielding commitment to public safety.

Our George Floyd Justice in Policing Act--twice passed by the House-- includes strong, unprecedented reforms to save lives: from banning chokeholds; to stopping no-knock warrants; to combating racial profiling; to establishing nationwide standards against misconduct.

Sadly, this urgent and necessary legislation was blocked by Republicans.

But under the leadership of our brilliant, relentless Congresswoman Karen Bass, we will not rest until these life-saving measures are the law of the land.

Today, with our four bills, we seek to take a strong step to build stronger, healthier relationships between law enforcement and those they serve.

And together, they will help prevent crime, save lives and advance justice.

Our Invest to Protect Act funds our police, with grants to: help small, local law enforcement agencies retain and recruit officers; require the Attorney General to evaluate and collect data on how police departments are using the funds to reduce the use of force; and invest in strong accountability measures, including: training for de- escalation, responding to substance use disorders, supporting survivors of domestic violence, and promoting a duty of care.

Our Mental Health Justice Act will help send unarmed mental health professionals to respond to mental health crises in our neighborhoods: crucial action to save lives.

Our Break the Cycle of Violence Act invests in effective, evidence- based community violence intervention initiatives--building on the lifesaving progress we forged in our American Rescue Plan.

Our VICTIM Act will bolster the ability of police forces to solve homicides, sexual assaults, shootings and other violent crimes: a necessary step to ensure justice is served and improve trust in law enforcement.

In the same spirit, House Democrats take immense pride in our work so far this Congress to keep America's families safe from harm.

Under the magnificent leadership of President Biden, we enacted an historic gun violence prevention law--which is saving lives by getting deadly weapons out of dangerous hands.

Meanwhile, the House has successfully passed legislation reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban and establishing an AMBER Alert-style warning during shootings--measures that strongly support our law enforcement.

And this Congress, our Majority has also passed legislation to: require universal background checks, promote safe storage, and ban bump stocks, high-capacity magazines and ghost guns.

Make no mistake: our colleagues across the aisle overwhelmingly voted against all of these measures.

Because they fail to realize that preventing gun crime is a crucial piece of the puzzle in building safer communities--especially for our children.

Madam Speaker. Every Member who has the special privilege of serving in these hallowed halls takes a sacred oath to the American people.

That oath--which is blind to party affiliation--is to ``protect & defend.''

And with this package today, the House is honoring this foremost responsibility.

So I encourage every Member to join us in putting People Over Politics--and vote for safer communities in every corner of the country.

With that, I urge a resounding, bipartisan AYE vote on all four bills in this strong public safety package.

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