Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee
Executive Business Meeting
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Mr. Chairman,
All of the nominees are on the agenda for the first time and we’d ask that they be held over.
We have two bills on the agenda, S.2554, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act and S.2276, the Officer Safety Act. Both bills are on the agenda for the first time and there is a request that they be held over.
I want to thank the Chairman for putting my bill, the Officer Safety Act, on the agenda. It is an important bill that will clarify federal removal jurisdiction for suits brought against federal agents who act to protect victims from violent crimes. It has strong bi-partisan support from Senators Coons, Coburn, Sessions, and Feinstein.
Regarding S.2554, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership bill, I would note that my staff is working with the Chairman’s staff and I think we should be able to reach an agreement on that bill. We had an informative hearing on the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program back in February. The program has helped provide nearly 1 million pieces of body armor to police departments across the country.
However, as Government Accountability Office pointed out at the hearing, the program has some issues that need to be addressed. GAO made a number of recommendations that will help strengthen the program. For example, the program has an unexpended balance of $27 million which should have paid for body armor. Instead, it’s just sitting in a bank account.
We need to ensure that the program works as we originally intended. The GAO recommendations should help us meet that goal. So, given the bi-partisan support this program has had in the past and the safety these vests provide law enforcement officers, I think that we should be able to work the details out in time to move the bill during National Police Week.
Thank you.
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