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Floor Speech
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Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, today, we have the opportunity to pass landmark legislation to make our communities across America safe, to reduce crime and save lives.
I am elated that the legislation I authored, the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, is receiving a floor vote today and will pass.
I give special thanks to my colleagues, Representatives Robin Kelly, Lucy McBath, Lisa Blunt Rochester, and Joe Neguse for working around the clock with me on this legislation, and Chairwoman Beatty for her strong leadership.
Crime and violence don't happen in a vacuum. It happens when people lose hope and don't see opportunity in their lives or readily available in their communities. For decades, politicians in this Chamber have stoked fear about urban crime to divide us, while refusing to invest in real solutions.
Let me be clear, my father was shot and killed when I was a teenager. So this is not about politics for me; it is personal. That is why we have to focus on preventing crime before it ever starts. That is what the Break the Cycle of Violence Act will do.
It invests $5 billion in funding for anti-violence programs and $1.5 billion to provide workforce training and job opportunities for youth ages 16 to 24. This money will invest in proven, community-based violence intervention programs to build safer communities. This is about saving lives and preventing crime, and our constituents are counting on us to get it done.
Mr. Speaker, I stand here today as I prepare to cast a vote in favor of the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, historic legislation that will reduce crime and save lives so that so many people in our community don't have to experience the pain that I have.
Every day, 110 Americans are killed with guns and over 200 are shot and wounded.
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Mr. HORSFORD. Today, gun violence remains the leading cause of premature death for Black men as well as the number two cause of premature death for Latino men and Black women.
Mr. Speaker, I am casting my vote for my father; for my constituent, Sean'Jerrion Coleman, a youth leader in Las Vegas; and so many other Americans throughout the country.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Greg Jackson at Community Justice Action Fund; Pastor Troy Martinez in Las Vegas; Erica Ford; Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence--some many other groups--Everytown for Gun Safety; Brady: United Against Gun Violence; and Moms Demand Action.
Let's pass H.R. 4118 and break the cycle of violence. This is about supporting and funding the communities that need law enforcement.
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