One
of few last-minute bills passed by otherwise do-nothing Congress
Though
generally the 112nd Congress will go down in history as one of the worst
sessions in the history of the Congress, RI Senator Sheldon Whitehouse did
manage to get a couple of bills enacted and sent to President Obama for his
certain signature.
In
an earlier article, I reported that Whitehouse’s bill to expand research into
especially deadly forms of cancer passed. Now, Whitehouse can add another
common-sense bill to his list of achievements.
His “Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act” passed both the House and Senate just as the 112nd Congress was wrapping up. This bill makes it easier for state and local law enforcement to quickly get help from the US Department of Justice in cases of mass killings or attempted mass killings by cutting the sometimes complex red tape and chain of command issues.
Federal
law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, ICE or Secret Service can now be more
easily called in when needed.
According to Senator Whitehouse, “This bill will
give these agencies clear authority to continue to provide this assistance to
the state and local law enforcement officials who have primary responsibility
to solve these terrible crimes and protect our communities.” Whitehouse noted that even though the FBI and other federal agencies on request often provide assistance to state and local law enforcement in response to violent crimes, the absence of explicit statutory authorization can create unnecessary delays and risks allowing agents responding to these violent crimes to be held liable.
