Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted for four public safety bills: the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, H.R. 4118; the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act of 2022, H.R. 5768; the Invest to Protect Act, H.R. 6448; and the Mental Health Justice Act of 2022, H.R. 8542.  These bills will ensure police departments across the U.S. have the necessary resources to train and retain police officers, provide support and justice for crime victims, improve public safety responses to mental illness, and invest in violence prevention programs.

“Public safety is the first responsibility of government, and it is critical that lawmakers do what we can to provide the resources necessary to keep our communities safe,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “These bills provide important investments for local police departments so that officers have the proper tools to prevent crime and ensure public safety.  I was glad to vote for these bills to support and strengthen our law enforcement.”

The Break the Cycle of Violence Act, H.R. 4118, provides $5 billion in grants to community-based organizations and local governments to support social services to patients recovering from violent injuries, as well as targeted social services for individuals at highest risk for involvement in community violence, and crisis management initiatives.  Congresswoman Fletcher co-sponsored this bill.

The VICTIM Act of 2022, H.R. 5768, establishes a grant program at the Department of Justice to hire, train, and retain detectives and victim services personnel to investigate shootings and provide support for victims and their families.

The Invest to Protect Act, H.R. 6448, creates a grant program to help small law enforcement agencies fund training, recruitment, retention, and mental health support for police officers.

The Mental Health Justice Act of 2022, H.R. 8542, establishes a grant program to hire and train mental health experts to assist police officers responding to emergency 9-1-1 calls.  Congresswoman Fletcher co-sponsored this bill.

In March, Congresswoman Fletcher secured $975,000 in federal funding to support the employment of nine full-time crime victim advocates in the Houston Police Department.  These important advocates provide a trauma-informed response for victims of violent crimes by responding to critical incidents and violent crime scenes at the request of responding officers.