Rep. Susie Lee Votes to Pass Slate of Public Safety Bills, Including Her Invest to Protect Act

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03) released the following statement after voting to pass four public safety bills, including her Invest to Protect Act, which would provide funding for police departments with strained resources to invest in recruiting, training, equipment, mental health support and other priorities. Additionally, the House voted to pass H.R. 8542, the Mental Health Justice Act of 2022, H.R. 4118, the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, and H.R. 5768, the VICTIM Act of 2022. Earlier this week, Rep. Lee once again wrote a letter to House Leadership, urging them to bring these common-sense bills to a vote before the full House of Representatives.

"We all deserve to feel safe in our communities, and I'm proud to have voted to pass four critical pieces of legislation that will make Nevada safer. These include my Invest to Protect Act, which provides local police departments with the funding and training they need to do their jobs and keep us safe," said Congresswoman Susie Lee. "Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect us, and we owe it to them to ensure that they have the resources they need to keep us safe. For months, I've fought to get the Invest to Protect Act to the floor for a vote, and today, we finally passed this critical bill.

"And that's not all. We passed another three bills that will go a long way in making southern Nevada safer for all of us. The Mental Health Justice Act will establish mental health first responder units to respond to mental health crises in our neighborhoods, a common-sense measure to help save lives. The Break the Cycle of Violence Act invests in evidence-based community violence intervention programs to help stop the root causes of violence in our communities. And lastly, the VICTIM Act will bolster police efforts to solve homicides sexual assaults, shootings, and other violent crimes."

More on the four public safety bills passed today:

• H.R. 6448, the Invest to Protect Act funds the police, with grants to help small, local law enforcement agencies retain and recruit officers. At the same time, this bill invests in strong guardrails and accountability measures, including training for de-escalation, responding to substance use disorders, supporting survivors of domestic violence, and promoting a duty of care
• H.R. 8542, the Mental Health Justice Act will help send unarmed mental health professionals to respond to mental health crises in our neighborhoods: crucial action to save lives from potentially fatal encounters with armed police officers.
• H.R. 4118, the Break the Cycle of Violence Act invests in effective, evidence-based community violence intervention initiatives. This builds on the life-saving progress we forged with similar investments in our American Rescue Plan.
• H.R. 5768, the VICTIM Act will bolster the ability of police forces to solve homicides, sexual assaults, shootings and other violent crimes: a necessary step to ensure justice is served and improve trust in law enforcement.

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