In Appropriations Markup, Rep. Lee Votes to Support Southern Nevada Law Enforcement

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Susie Lee, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, voted to pass the fiscal year 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill out of the full Appropriations Committee. The bill includes multiple provisions that Rep. Lee has pushed for, including increased federal support for law enforcement and direct investment in southern Nevada safety, including funds for the Boulder City Police Department's purchase of new patrol vehicles and $3 million for the City of Henderson's mental health co-responder crisis response unit.

"Keeping all Nevadans safe is one of my top priorities," said Rep. Susie Lee. "That starts with full funding for our law enforcement. Local law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect us, and we owe it to them to ensure they have the resources they need to continue to protect our communities. I'm proud to support this legislation, which includes critical investments in local and state law enforcement and provides them access to new training resources, including scenario-based training for handling active shooters, de-escalation training, and funding to support the mental health and wellbeing of our law enforcement officers. This legislation also invests directly in the communities I represent, with nearly $3 million to support the City of Henderson's mental health co-responder crisis response unit, as well as funding for the Boulder City Police Department's purchase of 22 new vehicles to ensure the safety and reliability of its patrol fleet."

The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill:

• Supports safer communities with increased funding for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance programs, including Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne-JAG) and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring grants, scenario-based training through the POLICE Act, the VALOR initiative focused on officer safety, wellness, and resilience training, the Collaborative Reform Model, Community Policing Development initiatives, and much more.
• Addresses violence against women with significant increases for Violence Against Women Act prevention and prosecution programs, as well as efforts to reduce the backlog of unprocessed rape kits.
• Helps create good paying American jobs with investments in economic development in distressed communities, with support for small businesses, including small and medium-sized manufacturers.
• Confronts the climate crisis with strong funding for climate resilience and research at NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Science Foundation, and increased funding for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of DOJ to help combat the climate crisis and advance environmental justice.

The following amendments to the bill were adopted by the full Committee:

• Rep. Cartwright – The manager's amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Reps. Lee (CA) and Joyce #1 – This amendment prohibits the use of funds to prosecute against any State or Tribal marijuana laws. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Rep. Harris – This amendment adds report language under the United States Marshals Service (USMS) directing USMS to continue providing security to the Supreme Court of the United States Justices through fiscal year 2023 and keep the committee informed of their funding needs to provide judicial security for the Justices. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Rep. Wasserman Schultz – This amendment prohibits the use of funds to prosecute anyone who crosses state lines to get an abortion or anyone who provides assistance to another individual to obtain abortion services. The amendment was adopted by a vote of 32 to 23.
• Rep. Garcia #2 – This amendment prohibits the use of funds to cap overtime for local law enforcement engaged in the eradication of black market marijuana. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the draft bill is here. The bill report, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.

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