1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,100 Madam President, today I'm going to be talking about a bill of mine 2 00:00:04,100 --> 00:00:06,500 that I think is very appropriate and very timely. The 3 00:00:06,500 --> 00:00:10,980 Protect Our Heroes Act, which will federalize certain violent 4 00:00:10,980 --> 00:00:14,660 crimes against public safety officers like police and first 5 00:00:14,660 --> 00:00:18,820 responders across the country to deter this kind of crimes 6 00:00:18,820 --> 00:00:22,580 and to show the men and women in our law enforcement 7 00:00:22,580 --> 00:00:25,940 community that we have their back. Before I get into the 8 00:00:25,940 --> 00:00:29,060 details of my bill, I want to talk a little bit about a 9 00:00:29,060 --> 00:00:34,640 very moving event. I was back home last week in Alaska. I was at 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:39,920 the American Legion Post No. 15 in Palmer, Alaska, and 11 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:46,320 it was on the commemoration of September 11th, and it was a 12 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:52,880 wonderful remembrance dinner. Tons of veterans and patriots. My 13 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,440 state is blessed with more vets per capita than any state in the 14 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,960 country. But it was focused on law enforcement. We had the 15 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,960 Palmer Police chief there. We had members of the police 16 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,720 department from Anchorage there, because we were focused on 17 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:11,120 many things that came out of that day, 9-11, but honoring our 18 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:16,000 first responders was something that I think America learned 19 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,840 that we need to respect the men and women, epitomized by the 20 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:24,000 police and firemen who went up in the towers. Many of them knew 21 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,400 they were going to die and they did that. They did that to 22 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:35,120 protect us and there was this new-found respect for our first 23 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,640 responders that 24 00:01:39,500 --> 00:01:45,680 came out of the tragedy of 9-11. Now, in my remarks to my fellow 25 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:50,080 veterans in Palmer at the American Legion post last 26 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:54,080 Friday, I did mention that one of the elements of 27 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:57,280 what's happening in our country, unfortunately, is that 28 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:01,920 these memories are fading. They're fading and in some ways 29 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:06,800 the respect for the police is not just fading, it's being 30 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,300 reversed. You see this movement, this national 31 00:02:10,300 --> 00:02:14,460 movement to defund our police--a horrible idea in my 32 00:02:14,460 --> 00:02:18,460 view. My state needs more law enforcement, not less. We've 33 00:02:18,460 --> 00:02:21,980 seen on our TV screens or social media channels, there 34 00:02:21,980 --> 00:02:27,260 are criminals who are focused on harming the police, 35 00:02:27,260 --> 00:02:33,280 killing the police, attacking the police, even taking glee in 36 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,360 the killing and in the violence against law enforcement. So Madam 37 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,280 President, we've all seen in the past few years a dramatic 38 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:46,480 increase in killings and ambushes--Iowa New York, 39 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,840 Massachusetts, Texas, California, Colorado, 40 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:54,000 Pennsylvania, Georgia. This has been happening. It certainly 41 00:02:54,000 --> 00:03:00,400 hit home in my state. In Anchorage, in 2016, we had a 42 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:06,580 brave police officer who was a victim of an ambush in 43 00:03:06,580 --> 00:03:12,020 2016. Thankfully, he survived, barely--the result of 44 00:03:12,020 --> 00:03:16,900 the arrest of the individual who tried to kill him. 45 00:03:16,900 --> 00:03:21,460 He ended up being a serial killer, killing five others in 46 00:03:21,460 --> 00:03:24,400 Anchorage, but this brave police officer found him, stopped 47 00:03:24,500 --> 00:03:27,780 him, and almost lost his life. Unfortunately, another officer 48 00:03:27,780 --> 00:03:33,300 in a shooting in Alaska during same year, 2016, in Fairbanks wasn't 49 00:03:33,300 --> 00:03:38,900 so fortunate. October 16th, 2016, Sergeant Allen Brandt, an 11- 50 00:03:38,900 --> 00:03:43,060 year veteran of the Fairbanks Police Department, pulling over 51 00:03:43,060 --> 00:03:47,300 a suspect to question him. He was shot five times and 52 00:03:47,300 --> 00:03:50,980 eventually succumbed to the complications related to his 53 00:03:50,980 --> 00:03:53,940 injuries. I went to the memorial service with hundreds of 54 00:03:53,940 --> 00:04:04,660 Alaskans. He had a young family and a young wife. It was brutal to watch 55 00:04:04,660 --> 00:04:09,940 this. These are selfless men and women in my state who are 56 00:04:09,940 --> 00:04:13,940 every day getting up to risk their lives, wear the uniform in 57 00:04:13,940 --> 00:04:18,320 the line of duty. All of this Madame President inspired me to 58 00:04:18,420 --> 00:04:24,580 put together my Protect Our Heroes Act, which will enhance 59 00:04:24,580 --> 00:04:27,220 federal penalties for the killing or assaulting of public 60 00:04:27,220 --> 00:04:32,240 safety officers and first responders, especially increasing 61 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,080 penalties for criminals who ambush or lure law 62 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,680 enforcement officers for the purpose of committing crimes 63 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,680 against them. It dramatically enhances penalties. This is 64 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:50,160 something that I think the vast majority of us in the Senate 65 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:56,600 agree with. Now I take the opportunity to go running most 66 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:01,220 mornings when I'm here and back home. And when you're running 67 00:05:01,220 --> 00:05:04,660 on Capitol Hill, what I see every morning and I saw it this 68 00:05:04,660 --> 00:05:09,300 morning, police officers, no matter the time of day, Capitol 69 00:05:09,300 --> 00:05:15,320 police sitting in their vehicles or on patrol. Their 70 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:20,520 sole purpose is to protect this institution and the members. And 71 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,720 this morning, as I usually do when I run pass them, sitting in 72 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:29,240 their car, I give me a thumbs up. Thank you. Thank you. We 73 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:36,800 respect you and we certainly have your back. Madam President 74 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:42,780 or Mister President. That's why I'm offering this legislation 75 00:05:42,780 --> 00:05:47,100 today I hope my Senate colleagues can come together to 76 00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:52,380 support this. I think it would be inconceivable 77 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,380 to vote against this bill, especially now when we're 78 00:05:56,380 --> 00:05:59,260 seeing these kinds of heinous activities like we saw in 79 00:05:59,260 --> 00:06:03,340 Compton, California, But we also wanna send us a message to 80 00:06:03,340 --> 00:06:09,340 our first responders and law enforcement. We're watching. 81 00:06:09,340 --> 00:06:12,540 We're going to pass laws to disincentivize this kind of 82 00:06:12,540 --> 00:06:18,220 heinous action against you and we have your back and the backs 83 00:06:18,220 --> 00:06:22,380 of your family members who are probably worried when you go 84 00:06:22,380 --> 00:06:26,140 out on your duty every day...I just wanna thank my colleague 85 00:06:26,140 --> 00:06:30,540 from Pennsylvania. I know that he and I both share a passion 86 00:06:30,540 --> 00:06:34,060 on this on this issue. I think the vast majority of the 87 00:06:34,060 --> 00:06:39,580 senators share a passion on this issue that we should be 88 00:06:39,580 --> 00:06:44,380 standing here in the U.S. Senate to make sure our law 89 00:06:44,380 --> 00:06:48,940 enforcement know that we have their back. As Senator Toomey 90 00:06:48,940 --> 00:06:52,460 just mentioned, this is happening all across the 91 00:06:52,460 --> 00:06:56,920 country that the men and women who put on the uniform to protect 92 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:01,320 us are being targeted simply because they wear the uniform 93 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:06,440 to protect us. If there's not an issue that cries out for some 94 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:11,720 kind of action, some kind of discussion, 95 00:07:12,500 --> 00:07:17,320 to prevent this and tell these brave men and women whether in 96 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,720 Alaska or Pennsylvania or New Mexico, that we have their 97 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:23,480 back, I don't know what that is. I don't know what that 98 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:30,500 issue is. And so, unfortunately, Senator Toomey tried to move 99 00:07:30,500 --> 00:07:34,980 his legislation in the last couple of days. It was thwarted 100 00:07:34,980 --> 00:07:41,700 and now my legislation to send a message that we're not going to 101 00:07:41,700 --> 00:07:44,820 let criminals get away with this kind of heinous crimes 102 00:07:44,820 --> 00:07:48,020 that the U.S. Senate is watching and that we have the backs of 103 00:07:48,020 --> 00:07:51,220 law enforcement and their families. That's a really 104 00:07:51,220 --> 00:07:56,000 important message to send right now. So I'm disappointed in 105 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:00,960 colleague for objecting. We will continue to work on this 106 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:05,360 issue and, as Senator Toomey mentioned, the issue, which is a 107 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:11,160 hugely important issue in my state for my constituents. But 108 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,200 right now, Mister President, I think we should be acting on 109 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:18,840 the issue that we're seeing and that issue is there's a 110 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:24,280 movement across the country. that's really focused on 111 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:27,160 perpetrating violence against the men and women who are sworn 112 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:31,160 to protect us and I can't believe that anyone here thinks 113 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,880 that's a good 114 00:08:34,580 --> 00:08:42,460 movement. It's happening in America right now and we need 115 00:08:42,460 --> 00:08:45,180 to send a message. It's unacceptable and we're going to do 116 00:08:45,180 --> 00:08:48,540 everything in our power to stop it.