{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://reichert.house.gov/press-release/reichert-applauds-senate-mark-national-blue-alert-act-2013", "Reichert Applauds Senate Mark-Up of National Blue Alert Act of 2013", "2013-09-20", "2013", "2013-09", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Dave Reichert", "R000578", "reichert.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Representative Dave Reichert (R-WA), Co-Chair of the House Law Enforcement Caucus\u00a0applauds yesterday\u2019s passage by the Senate Judiciary Committee of the National Blue Alert Act of 2013.\u00a0 The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the legislation by a vote of 15-3. Congressman Reichert was a cosponsor of the original House legislation which passed by an overwhelming majority in May 2013.\nAs a former Deputy and the Sheriff of King County, Washington, Rep. Reichert has too often felt the loss of a law enforcement brother or sister over his 33 year career. Creating the National Blue Alert system helps to protect not just the men and women of law enforcement, but their families and communities.\n\u201cCreating the National Blue Alert system is a necessary step towards preventing tragedy and keeping our communities and loved ones safe,\u201d said Reichert. \u00a0\u201cWhen a criminal murders a law enforcement officer, speedy apprehension is essential to protecting the public, preventing further loss of life and returning peace to communities.\u00a0 By creating a system to quickly disseminate crucial information, we empower ordinary citizens and public safety officers, increasing the speed of justice. I am pleased that the Senate has begun the process to pass this bill because it is a critical means of fulfilling our duty to keep American\u2019s safe.\u201d\nThe National Blue Alert Act of 2013 has the full support of multiple Law Enforcement organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriff\u2019s Association, the National Association of Police Organizations, the Sergeant\u2019s Benevolent Association, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.\u00a0 It directs the Attorney General to establish a national Blue Alert communications network within the Department of Justice to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is killed or injured in the line of duty. The act assigns an existing DOJ officer to act as the national coordinator responsible for creating voluntary guidelines to assist states in developing their Blue Alert plans. \u00a0While over 17 states have already developed Blue Alert systems, criminals do not respect borders, and to this end the Act encourages more states to establish such plans so they can quickly communicate and share information with each other and the public about potentially dangerous offenders on the run.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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": ["http://reichert.house.gov/press-release/reichert-applauds-senate-mark-national-blue-alert-act-2013"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9915418922901154, "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"}