January 9, 2025
Mr. Nehls (for himself, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Costa, Ms. Brownley, Mr. LaMalfa, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Mace, Mr. Valadao, Mr. Babin, Mr. Ciscomani, Mr. Lawler, Mr. Amodei of Nevada, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. Ryan, Ms. Craig, Mr. Garbarino, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Titus, Mrs. Hinson, Mr. Graves, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Bacon, Mr. LaLota, Mrs. Fischbach, and Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide funding for the National Law Enforcement Museum, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act.
Sec. 2. Findings
The Congress finds the following:
(1)
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC represent the only law enforcement campus in the United States and serves a critical national mission of honoring and remembering those law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty, educating the public about the important role of law enforcement in a democratic society and working to reduce the number of line of duty deaths and injuries among law enforcement.
(2)
It is in the national interest to ensure that the unique education and outreach programs of the National Law Enforcement Museum be maintained and enhanced.
(3)
In 1984, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed into law a joint resolution to authorize the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Inc., to establish a National Law Enforcement Heroes Memorial (Public Law 98–534) in Washington, DC.
(4)
Dedicated on October 15, 1991, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial honors Federal, tribal, State, and local law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of our Nation and its people. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is centered in the 400 block of E Street, NW, Washington, DC and is the nation’s monument to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. The Memorial was built entirely with private funds.
(5)
In 2000, Congress passed and President William J. Clinton signed into law the National Law Enforcement Museum Act (Public Law 106–492), which authorized the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Inc. to build and operate the National Law Enforcement Museum on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor and commemorate the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers in the United States.
(6)
In April 2016, construction began on the National Law Enforcement Museum in the District of Columbia across the street from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Judiciary Square. In October of 2018 the National Law Enforcement Museum was completed and formally opened. No Federal funds were used to build the Museum.
(7)
The National Law Enforcement Museum’s mission is—
(A)
to honor and commemorate the extraordinary service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers;
(B)
to serve as an important bridge between law enforcement’s past and present, between the heroes of yesteryear and those who have followed in their footsteps, and between America’s peace officers and the public they serve; and
(C)
to increase public understanding and support for law enforcement and to promote law enforcement safety.
(8)
The programs of the National Law Enforcement Museum play a critical role in educating the public about the vital importance of law enforcement in a democratic society, the critical role law enforcement plays in protecting and serving the public, and the sacrifices law enforcement officers have made to serve in this role.
(9)
The community education and outreach programs, activities, and special exhibits within the National Law Enforcement Museum help bring local law enforcement agencies closer to the communities they serve, and help to foster a better understanding between law enforcement and communities.
(10)
The National Law Enforcement Museum’s Officer Safety and Wellness education and outreach programs and activities help provide local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies with critical information on best practices to reduce the number of line of duty deaths and injuries and provide communities and the public with education concerning the sacrifices made. These programs, activities, and special exhibits are vitally important at a time when annual line of duty deaths among law enforcement officers remain at an historically high level.
(11)
Since the establishment in 1991 of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and the dedication of the National Law Enforcement Museum in 2018, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the National Law Enforcement Museum have worked cooperatively with local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies to properly honor the sacrifices made by law enforcement, and provide key programming to reduce the number of law enforcement fatalities and injuries, and foster better understanding between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
(12)
Law enforcement agencies around the country are dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation in officer and community safety, and to building trust through community-based engagement and interventions.
(13)
Since 2020, there has been a significant increase in the number of law enforcement officers resigning or retiring. According to the Police Executive Research Forum, over the past three years there has been an almost 24-percent increase in the number of law enforcement officers retiring, and more than 47-percent increase in the number of law enforcement officers resigning.
(14)
A number of law enforcement agencies across the country remain under-staffed, and many law enforcement agencies have been forced to declare personnel emergencies and require mandatory overtime.
(15)
The resulting deficit in confidence and support jeopardizes public safety. There is a critical need to enhance public understanding and appreciation of law enforcement, and to improve the safety and wellness of officers who serve our communities. Fostering a more informed and positive relationship between law enforcement and the public is essential for societal safety and cohesion. A sustained national effort to restore confidence and understanding in law enforcement is urgently needed.
Sec. 3. Support for the national law enforcement museum
During the first seven fiscal years beginning after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall award a grant to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for the expenses associated with operating and enhancing the community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs of the National Law Enforcement Museum, including programs to:
(1)
Memorialize law enforcement heroes who die in the line of duty and compile statistics on law enforcement fatalities and injuries.
(2)
Honor and commemorate the extraordinary service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers.
(3)
Develop and make available accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to promote the understanding of law enforcement history and officer safety and wellness training, which include digital resources and other types of resources, such as print resources and traveling exhibitions.
(4)
Increase technical resources to better engage the public in person and via online platforms to educate and inform the public about community policing and officer safety and wellness.
(5)
Create, expand and disseminate scholarly work through research, curricula, in-house and traveling exhibitions, publications, and other outreach initiatives.
(6)
Expand the collection acquisition and collection processes, including staffing, conservation, processing, and digitization.
(7)
Augment law enforcement history and officer safety and wellness education activities, including the development, dissemination, and implementation of principles of sound pedagogy for teaching about law enforcement history and officer safety and wellness.
(8)
Promote professional development including local, regional, and national workshops; teacher trainings; and partnerships with appropriate entities to better educate and inform the public about law enforcement history and officer safety and wellness education.
(9)
Engage with local and independent educational agencies and expand teacher engagement to cultivate and support the development of leaders in the teaching of law enforcement history and officer safety and wellness education.
(10)
Engage with State and local education leaders to encourage the adoption of resources supported under this Act into curricula across diverse disciplines.
(11)
Create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations for museum and officer safety and wellness improvement, and rigorously evaluate such innovations.
(12)
Provide for the free admission to National Law Enforcement Museum for active and retired law enforcement officers and family members of fallen officers; and dedicated free admission hours for the general public at least once a week.
(13)
Develop online Law Enforcement History and Officer Safety and Wellness Education Resources for the general public and scholarly research.
Sec. 4. Progress reports; certifications
(a) Progress report
For each of the first seven fiscal years the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund shall submit a report to the Secretary of the Interior that—
(1)
documents, consistent with the funding provided from the Department, the progress in delivering public education, community outreach and officer safety and wellness programming; and
(2)
provides a formal accounting of total amounts of Federal funds expended during the fiscal year.
(b) Submission to congress
The Secretary of the Interior shall share this report with Congress every fiscal year and make the report available on the U.S. Department of Interior website.
Sec. 5. Authorization of appropriations
(1) In general
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this section $6,000,000 for each of the first 7 fiscal years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) Exception
If in any fiscal year the amount appropriated pursuant to the authorization under paragraph (1) is not the full amount provided by such paragraph, the Secretary may transfer such sums as may be necessary from the National Park Service, up to the amount specified in paragraph (1), to carry out this section.
Sec. 6. Continuation of activities
To the extent that the National Law Enforcement Museum is engaged in an activity described on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary may use the funds appropriated under section 5 to continue that activity.