House Advances New Dem-Endorsed Legislation to Respond to the January 6th Insurrection
This week, the House advanced two New Dem-Endorsed bills to better prepare our country, protect our democracy, and respond to domestic terrorism following the January 6th insurrection.
First, the House passed the bipartisan H.R. 3233, the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act. This bill would establish a 9/11-style independent commission to investigate what happened on and leading up to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The House-passed bill is based in part on the New Democrat Coalition (NDC) endorsed H.R. 1178, Commission on Domestic Terrorism Act, co-led by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11).
The House also passed H.R. 3237, the Emergency Security Supplemental to Respond to January 6th Appropriations Act, to better prepare the Capitol complex from future potential threats. Included in the bill is $8.6 million for body cameras for Capitol Police officers whose job duties include interacting with the public, which is based on New Dem-endorsed H.R. 284, by Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-09), to require uniformed, on-duty U.S. Capitol Police officers to utilize body-worn cameras in line with recommendations of the 1-6 Task Force.
“What happened on January 6 threatened our democracy and was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. We must take every action to prevent that from ever happening again,” said NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01). “The Coalition is a strong supporter of both these measures to help our country prevent and better prepare for any future threat of domestic terrorism.”
“Without adequately confronting what occurred on January 6th and holding those involved accountable, we will never be able to heal and move forward as a nation. This commission will help us do that,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11). “I’ve fought for establishing this commission to examine the insurrection since it occurred. Along with Rep. Speier and the backing of the New Democrat Coalition, I led the charge on a number of necessary provisions that ultimately were included in the final version, so I’m very glad to see it pass the House with bipartisan support. The opposition to this commission we’ve seen from some members is exactly why we need it. It is important to note that this attack was only one example of the crisis of domestic extremism our country is experiencing. I hope the commission leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice and efforts to spur broader national action.”
“Body-worn cameras make interactions between police officers and the public safer—and if Capitol Police would have been utilizing them on January 6th, we would have a much clearer picture of the events of that day,” said Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-09). “I'm grateful for the support of my fellow New Democrats on this effort to equip our Capitol Police officers with body cameras to better protect the officers, staff, lawmakers and visitors to the Capitol Complex.”
Last month, following active internal Member discussions over the last few months within the Coalition, the NDC endorsed a slate of bills in response to the events of January 6th and to prevent future acts of domestic terrorism. These legislative priorities, many of which are bipartisan, honor the heroic actions of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), other law enforcement, and the reporters on Capitol Hill; condemn the violent bigotry displayed during the insurrection; establish new standards and protocols to ensure the security of the U.S. Capitol and Members of Congress; and advance important policies to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. Read the full list.
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