1. Do you support the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act?

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1 1. Do you support the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act? I continue to support due process rights for all individuals, groups, and organizations. Collective bargaining rights should be left to the local communities and state legislatures to determine what the best course of action is for its work force. 2. Would you support H.R. 1789, the State and Local Law Enforcement Discipline Accountability and Due Process Act? I am not aware of the current introduction of this specific piece of legislation in the U.S. House of Representative. However, I continue to support due process rights for all individuals, groups, and organizations. I would certainly be inclined to support a bill of rights for law enforcement officers. To help ensure that law enforcement officers are given further protections, I voted in favor of and the House passed H.R. 5698, Protect and Serve Act of This legislation would create a new statute in title 18, United States Code, to allow for federal prosecution of defendants who knowingly assault a law enforcement officer causing serious bodily injury. In order to qualify for federal prosecution, the victim must either be a federal law enforcement officer, or, if a state or local officer, there must be a nexus to interstate commerce. A prosecution may only be pursued if the Attorney General certifies the State does not have jurisdiction, the State has requested that the Federal Government assume jurisdiction, the verdict or sentence obtained pursuant to State charges left demonstratively unvindicated the Federal interest in protecting the public safety, or a prosecution by the United States is in the public interest and necessary to secure substantial justice. (Passed by the House on 5/16/18) 1

2 3. Do you Support the Social Security Fairness Act? After listening to the concerns of many law enforcement officers across the Sixth Congressional district, I have learned that one of the most significant obstacles that officers face is the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), a policy that reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who also have pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. The WEP generally affects state and local employees that receive public sector pension retirement benefits, such as police, firemen, and school teachers. The WEP was originally meant to prevent pensioners from also receiving Social Security benefits related to years in which they did not pay into Social Security; however in practice it has disproportionately reduced Social Security benefits derived from years worked in other, non-pension jobs. Put another way, the WEP has meant some retirees have not received the Social Security benefits to which they were entitled after paying into the system during second careers in the private sector. That is why I cosponsored H.R. 1205, the Social Security Fairness Act of This legislation would reform the WEP by replace the provision with a separate formula that takes into account life earnings and work history. 4. Do you support H.R. 413, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act? Since learning of this legislation for the first time in this questionnaire, I have not taken an official position on this issue but I would I welcome the opportunity to discuss this concern further with members of the law enforcement community. 5. Would you support H.R. 1789, the State and Local Law Enforcement Discipline Accountability and Due Process Act? I am not aware of the current introduction of this specific piece of legislation in the U.S. House of Representative. However, I continue to support due process rights for all individuals, groups, and organizations. I would certainly be inclined to support a bill of rights for law enforcement officers. 6. Do you support Defined Benefit pension plans for state and local government employees? This issue should be left to the local communities and state legislatures to determine what the best course of action is for its work force. 2

3 7. Will you work to ensure proper funding for COPS and Byrne JAG grant programs? Each year, I continuously submit appropriations requests to the House Appreciations Committee, Subcommittee on Judiciary to request stronger funding for Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program. As you know, this grant helps to impact the criminal justice system, from law enforcement to prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, program planning, evaluation, technology improvement, and crime victim and witness initiatives. In addition, I also continuously request stronger funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant. This grant program helps to hire community policing professionals, develop and test innovative policing strategies, and provide training and technical assistance to community members, local government leaders, and all levels of law enforcement. Furthermore, I continue to request the House Appropriations Committee to maintain funding at the appropriate level for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program. As you well know, bulletproof vests remain one of the primary vital forms of defense for our law enforcement officers. I am also proud to continue to submit grant support letters on behalf of law enforcement agencies in the Sixth Congressional District of Kentucky, which many have been recipients of these critical grants used to enhance the safety of the public and its officers. 8. Will you consult with state and national law enforcement leaders concerning any law enforcement or criminal justice legislative issues? I will continue to seek the counsel and legislative advice from local and state law enforcement leaders. In fact, at the request of certain local law enforcement agencies within the Sixth Congressional District, I have successfully introduced legislative amendments on the House Floor that will increase funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). I continue to work with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to designate several counties in the Sixth District as HIDTA counties in order to receive critical funding to fight Kentucky s opioid crisis. As you know, this program coordinates federal, state, and local drug task forces to disrupt or dismantle drug trafficking organizations. It also engages and provides support to state and federal prosecutors to convict individuals associated with these drug trafficking organizations. I am also pleased to say that due to the advice of the Director of the Kentucky State Police Crime Lab, I cosponsored and Congress passed H.R. 510, Rapid DNA Act of 2017, which was signed into law by the President on August 18, This legislation will allow the new Rapid DNA instruments to operate outside of a state crime lab. That means that they will be 3

4 able to be used in facilities such as jails. Specifically, this legislation would allow a jailer to take an oral swab of an arrestee, run it through the instrument, and verify his identity the same as a fingerprint. It will then also compare the DNA profile to unsolved cases in the national databases, all within 90 minutes, rather than days or even months. If it hits to a crime scene sample, the local police are notified that a potential suspect is currently in jail and provides additional evidence that would aide in the police investigation such as sexual assault cases, and reduce the backlog on processing rape kits. In addition, many local law enforcement agencies, to include the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), have brought to my attention the vital importance maintaining access to Federal equipment assistance programs. This is why I cosponsored H.R. 426, the Protecting Lives Using Surplus Equipment Act of This legislation would restore all Federal equipment assistance programs to State and local law enforcement agencies, which were restricted by President Obama s Executive Order: Specifically, this legislation would invalidate any regulation, rule, guidance, recommendation, or policy issued after May 15, 2015, that limits the sale or donation of excess federal property to state and local law enforcement agencies unless enacted by Congress. 9. Extended Comments: Benefits I believe are important in attracting and retaining qualified law enforcement professions? Within the past few years, our nation has experienced tremendous turmoil which has led to some groups and individuals deliberately targeting law enforcement officers. This social phenomenon is very disturbing and continues to tragically take the lives of the innocent men and women who serve on the Thin Blue Line. Many young hopefuls whose dreams were once to serve in law enforcement has shared their concerns with me that they believe that the danger is too great and that law enforcement officials are under too much stress and scrutiny by the public and the media to pursue a career in law enforcement. Hearing these concerns, I voted in favor of and the House passed H.R. 115, The Thin Blue Line. This legislation would amend the federal criminal code to expand the list of statutory aggravating factors in death penalty determinations to also include killing or targeting a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder. I also voted in favor of and the House passed H.R. 5698, Protect and Serve Act of This legislation would create a new statute in title 18, United States Code, to allow for federal prosecution of defendants who knowingly assault a law enforcement officer causing serious bodily injury. It is critically important that our current and future officers know that their service to their communities are valued and that a grateful nation will continue to support those who stand on the front lines to help keep our communities safe every day. 4

5 Additional Legislation Supported By Congressman Barr To Recognize and to Protect Law Enforcement Officers Protecting Emergency Responders Cosponsored, voted in favor of and the House passed H.R. 613, Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act of This legislation would direct the Bureau of Prisons to make secure firearms storage areas accessible to employees at all of its facilities so that the correctional officers can care carry firearms to and from work for selfdefense purposes. These secure firearms storage area will be located outside of the main prison so that inmates would not have access to the locked and secured storage area. (Passed by the House on 5/15/18) House passed H.R. 1428, American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of This legislation would amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include a provision allowing jurisdictions receiving COPS funding to use those fund for prioritizing the hiring and training of veterans. (Passed by Congress and President signed into law on 8/18/17) Voted in favor of and the House passed H.R. 1892, Honoring Hometown Heroes Act. This legislation would authorize the governors of states, territories, and U.S. possessions, and the Mayor of the District of Columbia to proclaim that the American flag be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder who dies while serving in the line of duty. (Passed by Congress and signed into law by the President on 2/9/18) Voted in favor of and the House passed H.R. 1039, Probation Officer Protection Act of This legislation would authorize a probation officer to man an arrest without a warrant if there is probable cause to believe the individual forcibly assaulted or obstructed a probation officer engaged in the performance of official duties. (Passed by the House on 5/19/17) House passed S. 583, the American Law Enforcement Hero s Act of This legislation prioritizes the Department of Justice COPS grant applications of law enforcement agencies who use that funding to hire veterans. (Passed by Congress and signed into law by the President on 6/2/17) Voted in favor of and the House passed H.R. 4854, Justice Served Act of This legislation would amend the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program in Section 2 of the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of Specifically, this bill would authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to also make grants to eligible states or local governments to increase prosecutors capacities to address the backlog of violent crime cases involving suspects identified through DNA evidence. In addition, each fiscal year, DOJ would be required to allocate between five and seven percent of the funds distributed under the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program for this purpose so long as there are sufficient grant applications and the disbursements do not impact the availability of other funds required to be awarded in Section 2. (Passed by the House on 5/16/18) 5