NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS REMEMBRANCE, SUPPORT, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACT

On 2026-09-14, Representative Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) delivered a floor speech titled "NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS REMEMBRANCE, SUPPORT, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACT" in the House.

NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS REMEMBRANCE, SUPPORT, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 144 (Monday, September 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 144 (Monday, September 14, 2026)] [House] [Pages H5582-H5584] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS REMEMBRANCE, SUPPORT, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACT Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 309) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide funding for the National Law Enforcement Museum, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 309 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act''. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: (1) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior. SEC. 3. SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MUSEUM. (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations made in advance for such purpose, beginning on the first fiscal year the begins after the date of the enactment of this Act, and for each of the following 6 fiscal years, the Secretary shall award a grant in the amount specified in subsection (c) to the Fund to be used solely for the purposes described in subsection (b), if upon review of the application submitted pursuant to subsection (d), the Secretary makes a determination to award such grant pursuant to subsection (e). (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the grants authorized under subsection (a) shall be 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; and (13) develop online Law Enforcement History and Officer Safety and Wellness Education Resources for the general public and scholarly research. (c) Grant Amount.--Each grant authorized under subsection (a) shall be for $6,000,000. (d) Application.--To be considered for an award of a grant under this section, the Fund shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (e) Review; Deadline for Award.--If the Secretary, after review of the application from the Fund, determines that the Fund satisfies any requirements established by the Secretary under subsection (d), the Secretary shall award the grant to the Fund, not later than 90 days after the date of receipt by the Secretary of the completed application submitted by the Fund. (f) Condition on Receipt of Grant.--As a condition on receipt of a grant under this section, the Fund shall-- (1) provide for-- (A) free admission to National Law Enforcement Museum for active and retired law enforcement officers and family members of fallen officers; and [[Page H5583]] (B) dedicated free admission hours for the general public at least once a week; and (2) allow for annual Federal audits of the financial statements of the Fund, including revenues associated with ticket sales, charitable donations, grants, and all expenditures on salaries and operations, which shall be subject to review by the Secretary and made available to the public. (g) Reports.--Not later than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year for which the Fund obligates or expends funds made available to the Fund pursuant to this section, the Fund shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report that includes, for the fiscal year covered by the report, each of the following: (1) Information relating to the amount of grant funds obligated or expended for the preceding fiscal year. (2) Information relating to any purposes for which such funds were obligated or expended. (3) Information relating to the progress in delivering public education, community outreach, and officer safety and wellness programming using funds provided under this section. (3) Any other information the Secretary may require to effectively administer the program under this section, as determined by the Secretary, if not later than the last day of the fiscal year the Secretary notified the Fund of such requested information. (h) No Additional Funds Authorized.--No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of this section, and the activities authorized by this section are subject to the availability of appropriations made in advance for such purposes. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas. General Leave Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 309, the bill now under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas? There was no objection. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 309, the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act, which provides temporary grants from the Department of the Interior to enhance the community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs of the National Law Enforcement Museum here in Washington, D.C. Supporting our brave men and women in law enforcement should not be a partisan issue, and the overwhelming support behind this bill is a true testament to that scenario. This bill is led by Representative Nehls of Texas. The bill has 124 bipartisan cosponsors. This legislation has also been endorsed by numerous law enforcement organizations across the Nation, including the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the National Sheriffs' Association. In my home State of Arkansas, this legislation also enjoys support from the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police; the city of Sheridan, Arkansas, Police Department; and the Arkansas Game Warden Association. In fact, Chief Gary Sipes, the executive director of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, said: A sustained national effort to restore confidence and understanding in law enforcement is urgently needed, now more than ever. That is precisely what this bill would do. I could not agree more. Every day, law enforcement officers across the country put themselves in harm's way to protect their fellow Americans. They make tremendous sacrifices to keep our communities safe, uphold the rule of law, and answer the call when their neighbors need them most. They deserve our respect, our gratitude, and our support. {time} 1740 Here in the heart of our Nation's Capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial honors Federal, Tribal, State, and local law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Nearby, the National Law Enforcement Museum helps share the history of American law enforcement through exhibits, educational programming, historical collections, and outreach. H.R. 309 builds on that mission by auth

Referenced legislation: HR309, HR309