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U.S. PARK POLICE MODERNIZATION ACT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice) for 5 minutes.
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor our brave law enforcement officers at the United States Park Police. From every major protest to every parade that occurs on the National Mall, our Park Police officers answer the call to keep our constituents safe when they are visiting here in the Nation's capital.
However, due to an increase in the number of demonstrations and the fact that they are extremely understaffed, one of our Nation's oldest uniformed Federal law enforcement agencies is now stretched extremely thin.
As of March 1, 2021, there were fewer than 500 Park Police officers. That is significantly lower than the minimum requirement they have of 639 officers. This is alarming, and obviously, among other concerns, this leaves the Nation's most historic landmarks extremely vulnerable. And that is why today, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3924, the U.S. Park Police Modernization Act.
And what is the problem? Why are they facing the issues that they are facing? Well, the bottom line, for whatever reason, is because the pay and benefits are much lower for the Park Police than for other Federal law enforcement agencies. And the big question is why is that the case? That is an outstanding question. Why?
There is no real good reason. And it is for that reason that we, here in Congress, need to immediately improve the Park Police's pay and benefits and to put that agency on equal footing with other similar departments. To do so would incentivize officers to both join the Park Police, but even more importantly, to stay. Both of those issues are huge concerns right now. That is how we will ensure that Washington, D.C., the place where each of us work, the place where our staff works, and obviously, where many of our constituents come to visit, remain safe for years to come.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3924. Let's put our U.S. Park Police on equal footing with other law enforcement agencies in this area so that they can do the job that we all depend upon them to do.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 25
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