{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2022/9/rep-sewell-votes-for-major-public-safety-legislation", "Rep. Sewell Votes for Major Public Safety Legislation", "2022-09-22", "2022", "2022-09", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) voted to deliver new federal resources to break the cycle of violence and build safer communities in Alabama. This robust package of four bills\u2014which passed the House of Representatives today\u2014will support community-based non-violence programs, local law enforcement agencies, and especially rural police departments with new tools to reduce violent crime and keep Alabamians safe. The package also includes critical investments in mental health and provisions to bolster police training and accountability.\n\n\u201cMaking our communities safer for our children and families has always been a top priority of mine in Congress, and that\u2019s exactly what this legislation would do,\u201d said Rep. Sewell. \u201cTogether, these bills would ensure that our local community organizations, local law enforcement, and especially rural police departments have the tools they need to keep Alabamians safe. With House passage of these bills, we\u2019re one step closer to delivering deeply needed investments to prevent crime, boost community violence prevention, strengthen police accountability, and save lives.\u201d\n\nThe Democratic House\u2019s public safety package consists of four bills:\n\nBreak the Cycle of Violence Act: Building on the American Rescue Plan\u2019s life-saving investments in effective, evidence-based community violence prevention solutions \u2013 helping community organizations and local governments:\n\nHire violence intervention and prevention specialists\n\nOffer intensive counseling, peer support and mediation services to survivors\n\nProvide culturally-responsive social services for Alabamians at the highest risk for involvement in community violence\n\nInvest to Protect Act: Funding rural Alabama 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.\n\nVICTIM Act: Bolstering Alabama law enforcement agencies\u2019 capacity to investigate and close cases of violent crime through new funding to:\n\nHire and train detectives to investigate homicides, sexual assaults and other violent crime\n\nEnsure victim services are funded, staffed and trained to address the needs of survivors and family members\n\nAcquire and upgrade investigative technology to better process evidence\n\nMental Health Justice Act: Saving lives by supporting the deployment of unarmed mental health professionals when responding to mental health crises in Alabama communities.\n\nThis legislation builds on President Biden and Congressional Democrats\u2019 ongoing work to build safer communities in Alabama and across the country. Signed into law last year, Democrats\u2019 American Rescue Plan delivered $350 billion to support state and local governments through the pandemic \u2013 helping Alabama communities keep officers on the job. The landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act\u2014the most significant gun violence prevention legislation to be enacted in nearly three decades\u2014is saving lives by getting deadly weapons out of dangerous hands. With Sewell's support, the Democratic House has also voted to reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban and establish an AMBER Alert-style system to warn Alabama communities during active shootings.\n\nCongresswoman Sewell and 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 Republicans obstruct these vital reforms, Sewell and her Democratic colleagues will continue fighting to enact this historic legislation into law.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:08:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2022/9/rep-sewell-votes-for-major-public-safety-legislation"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.864389119669795, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}