Supporting H.R. 8542--Mental Health Justice Act of H.R. Invest and Protect Act of H.R. 4118--Break the Cycle of Violence Act; and H.R. 5768--Victim Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the four public safety bills that the House is considering today.

Crime, and in particular gun violence, continues to be a major problem affecting every community in our country. The annual cost of gun violence alone is more than $280 billion.

This Congress has already taken the most significant action in 30 years with the enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to reduce gun violence.

Today, we take another step forward to strengthen public safety by passing four bills that will keep our communities safer.

Together the bills will save lives by increasing grants for police training and recruitment for small police departments which often lack the resources they need.

They will fund the deployment of mental health crisis response units and evidence-based community violence intervention programs--two strategies that have been used very successfully in my district.

And they will provide funding so local law enforcement can solve homicide and non-fatal shootings.

I would like to thank Representatives Horsford, Demings, Gottheimer, and Porter for their leadership on these bills.

I urge my colleagues to put party over politics and vote YES on each of the public safety bills being considered today to reduce crime and save lives.

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