Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this has been a journey for me in terms of dealing with veterans who are in need of help. Some years ago, I joined with the late and former member of the military, Chairman Murtha, to bring a satellite site to my congressional district for post-traumatic stress disorder. The center was outside of the veterans hospital but could be accessed by veterans through TRICARE. So I have seen the needs of veterans who have experienced the impact of combat, the impact of the service, but are still committed to duty. This particular legislation responds and respects that duty. That is the duty that we owe to those who have fallen along the highway of challenges. Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that we have the treatment for those who have experienced substance abuse, as well as that we have the judicial system that responds to that need. It may cross the gamut of substance abuse, alcohol abuse, and of course, encounters with the criminal justice system. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Nadler of the Judiciary Committee. And I thank members of the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee because it shows that our work is expansive. It includes rehabilitation and treatment and fairness and justice. Finding ways to have people steer away from incarceration and, of course, encounters over and over again with the judicial system or the criminal justice system. So veterans treatment court programs around the country have successfully provided support to veterans struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues. We have seen them work effectively. The need to expand veterans treatment court services is real and immediate. We look forward to this bill moving in the other body and the President of the United States signing it, saying to veterans, we want to be helpful to you in your time of celebration of who you are as a veteran, but also in your time of need. Based on the most recent data, the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that approximately 181,500 veterans are incarcerated in jail as well as State and Federal prisons. Mr. Speaker, that is too many who have been lost to the abusing of drugs, alcohol, and substance abuse. H.R. 4035 would help rehabilitate justice-involved veterans and ultimately make for a safer community and give them a better quality of life; and might I say, give their families a better quality of life. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this important bill. Mr. Speaker, veterans treatment court programs around the country have successfully provided support to veterans struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues. The need to expand veterans treatment court services is real and immediate. Based on the most recent data, the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that approximately 181,500 veterans are incarcerated in jails as well as state and federal prisons. H.R. 4035 would help rehabilitate justice-involved veterans and ultimately make for safer communities. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this important bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 921) to amend title 18, United States Code, to further protect officers and employees of the United States, and for other purposes.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar), the original sponsor of this legislation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is necessary to ensure that Federal employees who are serving overseas can be protected by the American umbrella of justice. We have seen since this tragic incident of those who were serving our country and lost their life and were injured. We have seen a myriad of attacks on diplomats and others outside of the boundaries of war. We have been stunned by actions against diplomats in embassies and outside of embassies. So this is a bipartisan bill that was adopted by the Senate by unanimous consent, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation so the President can sign it into law and to be able to tell all of our Federal employees and diplomats who are standing in the name of that flag that is shown behind you, Mr. Speaker, that we do care about their service and their safety. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is necessary to ensure that federal employees who are serving overseas can be protected by the American umbrella of justice. This is a bipartisan bill that was adopted by the Senate by unanimous consent. I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting this legislation so that the President can sign it into law. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1502) to make Federal law enforcement officer peer support communications confidential, and for other purposes.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 1502, the COPS Counseling Act, a bill that will encourage the adoption of law enforcement peer counseling programs across the country and protect the privacy of Federal officers as they seek mental health support. It is important to all of us that we promote the mental health and well-being of our law enforcement officers, not only in order to help individual officers but also because it helps bolster the safety of our communities and the people our officers take a solemn oath to protect. Law enforcement officers play a special role in our communities. They are specifically called upon to protect and serve. Often they see, encounter, and respond to horrendous situations that are both dangerous and stressful and often life-threatening. I don't know how many times, Mr. Speaker, we have heard on the news where officers have said: I have never seen this in my lifetime. I have never seen this horrific scene. I have never seen a car crash. I have never seen the violence. With the pandemic of COVID-19, we have seen officers coming to scenes that they expressed that they have never seen. That has an impact even though they must continue to rise the next day and serve. They are indeed first responders, on the scene when unthinkable and tragic events take place, whether they be mass shootings, terrible incidents of domestic or sexual violence, and other horrific instances of victimization. Even after the incidents are over and the threats addressed, these situations can long remain with officers. As they seek to protect us, we must also seek to protect them when they are in need. We have a hearing today on issues dealing with gun safety. That is not this bill. But what I will say is that the officers in times of crisis are always the first ones to come to school shootings, violent scenes where they see children who are wounded or tragically are dead. Imagine an officer having to pick him or herself up and carry on after you have seen, yes, little children--high school, middle school, elementary school--who have been fallen because of school shootings. That is a particularly unique circumstance. But there are many, many others. That is why I support this bill which would help officers who seek counseling. The bill provides confidentiality to Federal law enforcement officers by restricting individuals who participate in a peer support counseling session from disclosing communications arising out of peer support counseling session. In doing so, however, the bill defines clear and necessary exceptions to confidentiality in circumstances including explicit threats of suicide; any admission of criminal conduct; any explicit threat of imminent and serious physical harm or death to an individual; any information relating to the abuse or neglect of a child, older person, or vulnerable person; or any information that is required by law to be reported. That had to be clarified. Additionally, this bill encourages implementation of peer counseling programs within the entire first responder community by requiring the Department of Justice to make best practices publicly available on its website. Information I have found has been the key in helping to restore the stability of these individuals who are needing the kind of counseling that we offer. The Department of Justice is also required to provide a list of training programs for public safety officers to become peer support mentors. Always we have been told that to have a like fellow traveler, a like experienced person, a like person in your career or profession, Mr. Speaker, is sometimes the best medicine, the best cure, and the best direction toward treatment. These are important steps that will help our officers and the communities they serve. As we take action on this Senate-passed bill, I want to recognize our colleague from Maryland, Representative David Trone, for his work in introducing the House companion legislation. I thank the chairman of our committee, Mr. Nadler, for being focused on this legislation, and I am delighted that my subcommittee is also very interested in this kind of work. Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill, I am proud to support it, and I ask my colleagues to do the same. Today, I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting S. 1502, the ``COPS Counseling Act,'' a bill that will encourage the adoption of law enforcement peer counseling programs across the country and protect the privacy of federal officers as they seek mental health support. It is important to all of us that we promote the mental health and well--being of our law enforcement officers, not only in order to help individual officers but also because it helps bolster the safety of our communities and the people our officers take a solemn oath to protect. Law enforcement officers play a special role in our communities, specifically called upon to protect and serve. Often, they see, encounter, and respond to horrendous situations that are both dangerous and stressful, and often life-threatening. They are indeed first responders, on the scene when unthinkable and tragic events take place, whether they be mass shootings, terrible incidents of domestic or sexual violence, and other horrific instances of victimization. Even after the incidents are over and the threats addressed, these situations can long remain with officers. As they seek to protect us, we must also seek to help them when they are in need. That is why I support this bill, which would help officers who seek counseling. The bill provides confidentiality to federal law enforcement officers by restricting individuals who participate in a peer support counseling session from disclosing communications arising out of a peer support counseling session. In doing so, however, the bill defines clear and necessary exceptions to confidentiality in circumstances including: explicit threats of suicide; any admission of criminal conduct; any explicit threat of imminent and serious physical harm or death to an individual; any information relating to the abuse or neglect of a child, older person or vulnerable person; or any information that is required by law to be reported. Additionally, this bill encourages implementation of peer counseling programs within the entire first responder community by requiring the Department of Justice to make best practices publicly available on its website. The Department of Justice is also required to provide a list of training programs for public safety officers to become peer support mentors. These are important steps that will help our officers and the communities they serve. As we take action on this Senate-passed bill, I want to recognize our colleague from Maryland, Representative David Trone, for his work in introducing the House companion legislation. This is an important bill. I am proud to support it and ask that my colleagues do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to again emphasize the massive number of law enforcement officers across the Nation. There are, first of all, 18,000 police departments of varying levels, meaning that we think of police, constables, or sheriffs, all of them law enforcement officers. And every day, as we speak, they are out on the front lines and, again, seeing enormous tragedy. I really want to emphasize what it means to come upon a scene dealing with an injury to a child. Gun violence, car crashes, fires, police go to those scenes as well. For too long, we have not stopped for a moment to provide these resources and to provide these services. I hope that, as we pass this legislation, this will be the catalyst for local entities to build on their mental health relief and that they will also focus on peer-directed mental health relief. We can imagine, in the course of all the scenes that we have seen in this body, on this floor, in this year, starting with January 6, where police officers were involved, that there is no doubt that this legislation is crucial. But it works across the Nation, and it should be a tool for ensuring the strength and the stability of our officers who are out there, men and women, family members, every single day. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am very glad that we are able to come together, recognizing that our law enforcement officers face dangers every day. When I look to the support for that community, I really look to the family of citizens, the family of the community, no matter where you are, and I think that should be the statement and the litmus test. When you speak to community persons who generally go about their daily business, and local governments, you can be assured that there is an embodiment of support. There is the sense of horror when we see circumstances that tragically hit this very Congress, this very House, on January 6, when that was not how brave law enforcement officers were treated. But we are well aware of the everyday work that is done. Before I left to come to Washington, I had the tragic duty of going to the funeral of a fallen. What an amazing individual that Deputy Atkins was, and the outpouring of love and affection by the community reflected that. To show the humanity of officers--they have moms and dads and wives and children--they read a letter from his mother. I just simply want to put this letter in from his mother. ``When I last saw you, before you said good-bye, I said the prayer I taught you, `As I lay me down to sleep.' Nadia heard me and told me you always said that prayer.'' Nadia was his wife. ``And that made me really feel good, Kareem. I love you so much and I will never stop loving you,'' the letter said. A mother, a father, a fallen son. These are the true human aspects of service. So this help to officers who have seen, or been engaged, or seen fellow officers lose their lives, or been wounded, or, again, come upon that scene that they will be interviewed, saying that they have never seen it before, never seen something so devastating like it before, this is an important step forward, as was the real justice bill for veterans, some of whom turn out to be police officers. I think we are moving so much in the right direction to be effectively concerned about the whole person, and that is what this legislation, I believe, will move forward on. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article from the Houston Chronicle. [From the Houston Chronicle, Oct. 25, 2021] Deputies Line Up by the Dozen To Honor Slain Pct. 4 Deputy Kareem Atkins Hundreds gathered at a north Houston church Monday afternoon to pay their respects to Kareem Atkins, the Precinct 4 deputy constable who was fatally shot while trying to stop a robbery. The day began with a private service for Atkins' family. Officers lined up hours before the memorial service at Champion Forest Baptist Church to take a last look at their friend, removing their hats and saying a few words over the flag-draped casket at the front of the massive church hall. A slideshow played on screens next to the altar, with images of Atkins cuddling with his wife, Nadia Aweineh, and their young children, Adalynn, a toddler, and Aiden, a newborn. In other photos, Atkins was pictured in uniform with fellow deputies and posing for group shots while out on the town with friends, a broad smile on his face. While some attendees silently wiped away tears after viewing Atkins' casket, others laughed and shared stories, remembering Atkins as the ``loving, protective, funny, great dancing (or at least so he thought), outgoing and flashy guy'' described in the funeral's program. ``It seemed to me Kareem had many, many, best friends, and, on a daily basis, I saw his co-workers routinely look to him for guidance,'' Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said at the memorial. ``Despite his young age, he was someone you could count on to be calm, cool and collected. He had a unique strength about him. He was the rock we all leaned on.'' ``If I had 100 more Kareem Atkinses (in my department), this boss would sleep much better at night,'' Herman said. Atkins' godsister and former babysitter also spoke, sharing a letter Atkins' mother, Celine Pemberton-Atkins, wrote to her son after his death. In the letter, Pemberton-Atkins reminisced about the times her son would surprise her with visits home to New York City, where he was born, and about the inside jokes they shared that would not make sense to anyone else. His mother noted in her letter that she'd just learned he was planning to travel home and surprise her for Thanksgiving. ``When I last saw you, before you said goodbye, I said the prayer I taught you, `As I lay me down to sleep.' Nadia heard me and told me you always said that prayer . . . and that made me feel really good, Kareem. I love you so much and I will never stop loving you,'' the letter said. end of watch After the service, attendees filed out of the church for a color guard ceremony. The rows of friends, family and officers sat in silence amid a few isolated sobs as pallbearers wheeled Atkins' casket to the family. The color guard folded the American flag that was covering the casket and handed it to the constable, who gave it to Atkins' wife. Police dispatchers declared the ``end of watch'' over the air. A three-volley salute followed. Then Atkins' coffin was placed in a hearse to be taken to Klein Memorial Park Cemetery in Tomball. The funeral came more than a week after Atkins was shot and killed--and two other Precinct 4 deputies were wounded--while attempting to arrest a robbery suspect at 45 Norte Sports Bar, where they worked side jobs as security guards. The shooter, who opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle, wounded Deputies Darryl Garrett and Juqaim Barthen, according to police. Garrett remained in the intensive care unit Monday, while Barthen, who attended the service, is still recovering. On HoustonChronicle.com: `They were the 3 amigos,' fiancee of wounded Precinct 4 deputy says after ambush in north Houston. Police have not identified or apprehended any suspects in the shooting. A reward for information leading to the assailant's arrest and conviction was increased Wednesday to $75,000. making time fly on the shift In comments during the funeral, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo declared Oct. 25 ``Deputy Kareem Atkins Day'' in Harris County from this year forward. ``When somebody ambushed Deputy Barthen, Deputy Garrett and Deputy Atkins, that attack on our protectors, that attack on you all, was an attack on our entire community,'' Hidalgo said. ``They tried to tear down what makes our community great, to tear down that spirit of service, to break that trust that binds us, to bring fear, but we won't tolerate that. The way we fight back against that, and honor Deputy Atkins' life, is by living by the values he embodied,'' Hidalgo said. Others attending the funeral remarked about Atkins' good humor and generous spirit. Indrani Boodram and her co-workers came to support Atkins' father, who worked with them at a medical center in north Cypress. She remembered how the younger Atkins helped her move about five years ago, despite never having met Boodram. ``He had just moved here from New York and he knew no one. He even bought pizza when he came and told me he would stay with me until I was completely done.'' Canray Warren, who worked other security jobs with Atkins at bars and clubs around the area, remembered the 30-year-old as someone who made the time fly on nights when the staff were tired and wanted to check out for the night. When it was nearing time to start closing shop, the pair would simply exchange looks and start cracking up. ``He kept us laughing and kept a smile on our face,'' he said. ``We'd joke about telling the DJ to play boring songs so everybody could move out of the club faster,'' Warren said. Warren explained he wouldn't want to take a shift if he learned that Atkins wasn't working with him. And now, looking forward, work won't be the same without him.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As I indicated in my discussions, I think the idea of the COPS Counseling Act is a profound statement that we see the whole person in law enforcement. We don't just see the person's uniform externally, but we see the whole person. The reading of the words of Deputy Atkins' mother was to indicate we see the family members, the children; we see the neighbors; we see the communities. In order to do that, we must then have a holistic approach to the service of these officers. I can't help but think about officers coming upon an injury to a child in whatever form it is, and I have heard them speak of it. It is the worst investigation case to have. It is the worst scene that they have ever seen because it is a child. The COPS Counseling Act will help our law enforcement officers and also the communities they serve. We can and must do both. When officers are in need of counseling, we should remove barriers and disincentives that are standing in the way. Therefore, I ask my colleagues to see the whole person as they serve the community and the Nation, and join me in supporting this legislation so that the President can sign it into law. Mr. Speaker, the COPS Counseling Act will help our law enforcement officers and also the communities they serve. We can and must do both. When officers are in need of counseling, we should remove barriers and disincentives standing in the way. Therefore, I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting this legislation so that the President can sign it into law. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1511) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 with respect to payments to certain public safety officers who have become permanently and totally disabled as a result of personal injuries sustained in the line of duty, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support S. 1511, the Protecting America's First Responders Act of 2021, which will make important improvements to the Department of Justice Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program. Every day, public safety officers put their lives on the line for the greater good of those whom they have taken an oath to serve and protect. Unfortunately, some of those brave men and women make the ultimate sacrifice and die while in the line of duty. The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program, which is administered by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance, was established in 1976 to provide certain benefits to families of these officers, as well as to officers who are disabled as a result of their service. A death benefit is provided to eligible survivors of public safety officers whose deaths are sustained in or due to actions in the line of duty. An education benefit is provided to spouses and children of public safety officers killed or disabled while on duty, and the program provides disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty. This program provides critical support to these officers and their families, and it is important that Congress continually oversee implementation and periodically update it to make it more effective and more efficient. That is what this bill would do. Specifically, the bill would expand the program's restrictive definition of disability so that permanently disabled first responders are able to perform work for therapeutic purposes, work that involves simple tasks, or work that provides special accommodations and still receive PSOB benefits. The bill would provide for retroactive disability benefits to public safety officers who responded to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, allowing those first responders who became permanently disabled as a result of their work at Ground Zero to reapply for disability benefits under the bill's expanded disability definition. I am not from New York. I represent Texas. But I was at the edge of the creation of the Homeland Security Committee, which was generated around the tragic terrorist acts of 9/11, and interacted with those individuals who, time after time, went onto the smoldering grounds of Ground Zero to recover the remains of all who had fallen on that day. They never stopped, Mr. Speaker, month after month, day after day. We honored those persons in the 20th commemoration of 9/11. I will speak about that as we continue this debate. There was no more moving, powerful, tragic, or devastating a moment in America's life, among others. This bill would address lengthy delays in processing benefit claims by permitting the DOJ to use subpoena power to expedite claims so that impacted officers and families aren't left waiting for their owed relief during the most difficult of times. For cases pending longer than 365 days, the bill would index the award amount to the date of the final determination, rather than the date of death or injury, so that families aren't financially penalized for any delays. The bill would extend benefits to certain public safety officers not currently covered, including Good Samaritan officers who act outside of their jurisdiction in an emergency situation, trainee officers, and fire police who handle traffic and crime scene management. The bill would close a loophole in the program where children born after the death or disability of a public safety officer are not able to receive education benefits and mandate that the DOJ provide backpay of educational benefits to children previously left out. Finally, this bill also includes an extension of Safeguarding America's First Responders Act concerning the provision of benefits for officers who contract COVID-19 in the line of duty. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey, my dear friend, Representative Bill Pascrell, for his leadership of the House companion to this bill and his longstanding service as champion of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, which I am delighted to have been a part of, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill today. Mr. Speaker, I support S. 1511, the ``Protecting America's First Responders Act of 2021,'' which will make important improvements to the Department of Justice's Public Safety Officers' Benefits program. Every day, public safety officers put their lives on the line for the greater good of those whom they have taken an oath to serve and protect. Unfortunately, some of these brave men and women make the ultimate sacrifice and die while in the line of duty. The Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program, which is administered by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance, was established in 1976 to provide certain benefits to the families of these officers as well as to officers who are disabled as a result of their service. A death benefit is provided to eligible survivors of public safety officers whose deaths are sustained in or due to actions in the line of duty. An education benefit is provided to spouses and children of public safety officers killed or disabled while on duty. And, the Program provides disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line-of-duty. This Program provides critical support to these officers and their families, and it is important that Congress continually oversee its implementation and periodically update it to make it more effective and more efficient. That is what this bill would do. Specifically, the bill would expand the Program's restrictive definition of disability so that permanently disabled first responders are able to perform work for therapeutic purposes, work that involves simple tasks, or work that provides special accommodations and still receive PSOB benefits. The bill would provide for retroactive disability benefits to public safety officers who responded to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, allowing those first responders who became permanently disabled as a result of their work at Ground Zero to re-apply for disability benefits under the bill's expanded disability definition. The bill would address lengthy delays in processing benefit claims by permitting DOJ to use subpoena power to expedite claims, so that impacted officers and families aren't left waiting for their owed relief during the most difficult of times. For cases pending longer than 365 days, the bill would index the award amount to the date of final determination, rather than the date of death or injury, so families aren't financially penalized for any delays. The bill would extend benefits to certain public safety officers not currently covered, including Good Samaritan officers who act outside of their jurisdiction in an emergency situation, trainee officers, and fire-police who handle traffic and crime scene management. And the bill would close a loophole in the Program where children born after the death or disability of a public safety officer are not able to receive education benefits, and mandate that DOJ provide back pay of educational benefits to children previously left out. Finally, this bill also includes an extension of the Safeguarding America's First Responders Act concerning the provision of benefits for officers who contract COVID-19 in the line of duty. I thank the Gentleman from New Jersey, Representative Bill Pascrell, for his leadership of the House companion to this bill, and I urge all my colleagues to support this bill today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield again to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pascrell, who I have worked with, as have many others, as he has been on the front lines of helping first responders. He continues to do it, and I will continue to work with him. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz), who is a committed emergency medicine physician and chair of the Hispanic Caucus and co-chair of the bipartisan COVID- 19 Task Force.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), another committed advocate for first responders and who has continued his work on that issue.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. You have seen the bipartisan and bicameral support of this legislation. I am grateful for that because I think this is an important statement in the midst of intense negotiations on Build Back Better and the INVEST Act, which will be an enormous gift to the American people, including our law enforcement, first responders, firefighters, and others. We now take a moment to ensure that there are special benefits for public safety officers. As I indicated, I had the privilege of being in New York at Ground Zero for the 20th commemoration and to hear stories of family members where the pain is still deeply embedded, to see babies that are relatives of the deceased that they never got a chance to see. It was an honor to see the children of those who perished speak. They were just babies when their loved ones lost their lives in the line of duty in a brave manner. The visual that I had in getting to that area during the recovery, still going on months later, hearing the whistle blow, seeing the gurneys come in carried by firefighters and others, the remains placed gently on that gurney makes this even more potent and powerful and important to be able to help. In addition, there are two deputies who were wounded in the same tragic incident as the death of Deputy Atkins, and they, too, need comfort and support, and potential benefits that are necessary for their continued survival. I think this legislation impacts any number of men and women around this Nation. Having participated with Local 341 President Marty Lancton just this past weekend at the Fire Memorial in Houston, Texas, to note those firefighters who passed in this last year--some suffering from COVID- 19, others that we are remembering who died in fires and other tragic incidents--this emphasizes more and more the importance of this legislation. The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program is an important program to address the terrible circumstances in which officers give their lives or are disabled due to their actions in the line of duty. Now we work to improve and strengthen this program in the ways we have discussed today. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) and all of the cosponsors. I was glad to also have the commitment of our House Judiciary Committee as well as the work of Senator Grassley. This is a bipartisan bill that was adopted by the Senate by unanimous consent, and therefore I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation so the President can sign it into law. Mr. Speaker, the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program is an important program to address the terrible circumstances in which officers give their lives or are disabled due to their actions in the line of duty. Now, we work to improve and strengthen this program in the ways we have discussed today. This is bipartisan bill that was adopted by the Senate by unanimous consent. I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting this legislation so that the President can sign it into law. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Yesterday, I said there was going to be breaking news, and there is breaking news. Does anyone know that the great Houston Astros are in the World Series, and that this Congressperson representing Minute Maid and the Houston Astros is saying they are in it to win it? Madam Speaker, I am challenging my sister from Georgia (Ms. Williams), with Dusty Baker as a coach and stellar baseball people, for some catfish and barbecue that you have never eaten before, against those Atlanta Braves.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I love it. Catfish and barbecue, yes, Dusty Baker, and all of our ball hitters and Barbara Jordan. We are in it to win it. Go Astros.