Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recreation Pass Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, as has been noted, H.R. 183 simply extends the lifetime national parks pass to the frontline public safety officers who risk their lives every day to protect our families and communities. It is the same courtesy we already extend to U.S. military members and their families, to our veterans, and to our Gold Star families. The CBO estimates its cost at about $500,000 a year.

These men and women, just like those who serve our military, put their lives on the line to protect our families. It seems fitting that we should extend this small courtesy to them. It is simply a way to say thank you to them, a simple but tangible token of our gratitude and esteem.

I first introduced this legislation during the George Floyd riots, when BLM rioters were chanting: ``Pigs in a blanket, fry `em like bacon,'' and leftist politicians were calling for defunding local police departments. We recently expanded it to include firefighters and wildland firefighters, to whom we owe so much for protecting our homes, towns, and communities, as well.

The bill was proposed to me by Janine D'Agostini, the wife of then-El Dorado County Sheriff John D'Agostini, as a small token of appreciation for law enforcement officers who were taking so much abuse when they were trying so hard to protect our families from those who would prey upon them.

Madam Speaker, it seems that, in those years, the wheel has come full circle. Once again, law enforcement personnel are the target of doxing, violent demonstrations, and leftist officials who so often seem to take the side of the lawless against the law-abiding.

Our hearts go out to the many officers of ICE and CBP and their families who have recently been subjected to violence and intimidation, often fanned by the extremist rhetoric of elected officials who ought to know better.

In fact, just 2 weeks ago, while ICE was serving a court-ordered warrant in Carpinteria, a sitting Member of this House doxed an ICE agent to a violent mob. That mob then took off after the agent and physically attacked him with rocks, injuring him seriously enough to require treatment in a hospital emergency room.

This has to stop. We want these brave men and women and their families to know that the vast majority of the American people, the majority of this Congress, and, of course, this President stand behind them, appreciate them, and honor their work. We depend upon them not only for our safety but for the very rule of law itself.

After all, without law enforcement, there is no law. Without law, there is no civilization, as people in sanctuary cities like Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York are learning all too well once again.

This bill was first introduced in 2021. It received a hearing in 2023 but was never marked up. It is long overdue, and I appreciate the House finally considering it today.

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