Moulton Votes with House Democrats to Pass Four Bills to Bolster America's Public Safety

Press Release

Congressman Seth Moulton voted this week with House Democrats to deliver new federal resources to build safer communities in Massachusetts and across the country. This robust package of four bills provides law enforcement agencies with new tools to prevent crime and keep Americans safe -- while bolstering training, accountability, and justice.

These bills deliver deeply needed investments in local law enforcement to prevent crime, boost community violence prevention, strengthen police accountability and save lives. House Democrats are laser-focused on putting People Over Politics: building safer communities for all.

The Democratic House's public safety package consists of four bills:

Invest to Protect Act: funding small local police agencies through grants to retain and recruit officers, reduce the use of force and invest in strong accountability measures, including de-escalation training; improved response to substance use disorders; improved support for survivors of domestic violence; and promoting a duty of care.

VICTIM Act: bolstering law enforcement agencies' capacity to investigate and close cases of violent crime through new funding to:

hire and train detectives to investigate homicides, sexual assaults and other violent crime
ensure victim services are funded, staffed and trained to address the needs of survivors and family members
acquire and upgrade investigative technology to better process evidence

Break the Cycle of Violence Act: building on the American Rescue Plan's life-saving investments in effective, evidence-based community violence prevention solutions -- helping community organizations and local governments:

hire violence intervention and prevention specialists
offer intensive counseling, peer support and mediation services to survivors
provide culturally-responsive social services for [STATERS] at the highest risk for involvement in community violence

Mental Health Justice Act: saving lives by supporting the deployment of unarmed mental health professionals when responding to mental health crises in Massachusetts communities.

This legislation builds on President Biden and Congressional Democrats' ongoing work to build safer communities in Massachusetts and across the country.

Signed into law last year, Democrats' American Rescue Plan delivered $350 billion to support state and local governments through the pandemic -- helping Massachusetts communities keep officers on the job. The landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act -- the most significant gun violence prevention legislation to be enacted in nearly three decades -- is saving lives by getting deadly weapons out of dangerous hands.

House Democrats are leading the charge to transform the culture of American policing and save lives from racist violence. The House has twice passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to implement strong, unprecedented reforms: banning chokeholds, prohibiting no-knock warrants, ending qualified immunity, combating racial profiling and establishing nationwide standards to prevent and combat police misconduct.

While extreme MAGA Republicans obstruct these vital reforms, Democrats are fighting to enact this historic legislation into law.

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