The Hill News

The devastating tragedy that occurred in Tucson, Arizona left many concerned about their safety at Congressional events. While I have continued to meet with my constituents and feel safe in our dealings, I have heard from some Tennesseans that they are concerned about their own security at official events. In fact, a recent poll commissioned by The Hill showed 91% of voters believe it is important to have security at these events. No one should be afraid to exercise his or her First Amendment rights, particularly members of the public.

At the same time, it is apparent to me that the public does not want another federal program to make them feel safer. Everywhere I go, I am hearing from folks that we need to reduce â€" not expand â€" the size of the federal government.

For this reason, I introduced a bill, H.R. 454, which will leave the responsibility for managing Congressional security in the hands of those who know our communities best: our local ! law enforcement. Instead of federalizing security, we will keep law enforcement responsibilities under local control and ensure it doesn’t become an unfunded mandate.

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