Durbin, Graham Applaud Senate Passage of Three Bills Supporting Law Enforcement and Public Safety

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed three Senate Judiciary Committee bills to support law enforcement and public safety. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on their passage:

“Our law enforcement officers are faced with physical, emotional, and mental challenges each day as they work to protect our communities. It’s imperative that we provide them the resources they need to do their jobs safely and effectively, as well as equip agencies with the tools to recruit and retain talented officers. We encourage our colleagues in the House to show their support for law enforcement by passing these bills on a swift, bipartisan basis just as we did in the Senate.”

The bills passed by the Senate, which were advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee during National Police Week in May, are:

• The Recruit and Retain Act, sponsored by Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Chris Coons (D-DE), allowing law enforcement agencies to use COPS grant funds to cover hiring costs and support onboarding for new officers.
• The Project Safe Neighborhoods Reauthorization Act of 2023, sponsored by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Gary Peters (D-MI), reauthorizing the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, a nationwide law enforcement program that uses evidence-based and data-driven approaches to reduce violent crime.
• The Strong Communities Act of 2023, sponsored by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Cornyn (R-TX), allowing COPS grant program funds to be used to provide training to officers and recruits who agree to serve in law enforcement agencies in their communities.

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