House Passes Five of Rep. Gabe Vasquez’s Critical, Bipartisan Public Safety Bills

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the House’s final week of session until November, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), voted to pass five of his bipartisan public safety bills through the House. The bills take on a range of issues from combatting fentanyl overdoses and substance abuse, stopping scams targeting seniors in Tribal communities, to improving law enforcement officer safety and helping first responders during emergencies. 

“Throughout this Congress, I have worked with Democrats and Republicans to introduce legislation to keep our communities safe and support public safety officers. It is great to get these five critical bills through the House to boost public safety,” said Vasquez. “I urge the Senate to send these bills to the President’s desk as soon as possible, and I’ll continue working to protect our officers and get illegal drugs off of our streets.”

These bills include:

• The GUARD Act will expand the eligible uses of the Department of Justice grant funding to allow state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to strengthen their ability to investigate and prosecute financial crimes targeting our seniors. This legislation is supported by the National Police Association and AARP. 
• Tyler’s Law will require the Health and Human Services to issue guidance to hospitals on implementing fentanyl testing in emergency rooms when a patient is experiencing an overdose. This bill was introduced to prevent fentanyl overdoses in the U.S. after Tyler Shamash, a Los Angeles teenager, died from fentanyl poisoning a day after doctors failed to test for the drug when he was admitted to the emergency room, and is supported by the American College of Emergency Physicians and Emergency Nurses Association. 
• The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act will improve border security operations, classify fentanyl as a Schedule I drug, and categorize Xylazine as a Schedule III illicit substance to ensure our New Mexico agriculture community still has access to necessary substances. New Mexico veterinarians, farmers, and ranchers rely on Xylazine to care for their animals and protect their livelihood, and this legislation is supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association. 
• The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will require the Department of Transportation to issue a rule ensuring that all new passenger vehicles have equipment that can access as part of their standard equipment, which is critical for rural communities that rely on emergency weather alerts. This legislation is supported by the National Association of Broadcasters, National Emergency Management Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, and AARP.
• The National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act will establish a program within the Department of Interior to enhance community outreach, public education, and officer safety programming of the National Law Enforcement Museum through grants to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. This bill is supported by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police, and multiple law enforcement organizations.

Rep. Vasquez has consistently worked across the aisle to support New Mexico’s law enforcement officers and public safety:

• Introducing bipartisan legislation to counter criminal drone activity and protect youth from cartels.
• Cosponsoring the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act to expand the use of COPS grants to improve recruitment, retention, and training efforts for small to medium sized police departments.
• Championing bipartisan efforts in support of additional investment and the immediate release of Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program funding to support law enforcement agencies. 
• Leading the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Reauthorization Act to provide federal resources to local law enforcement to crack down on drug trafficking and speaking out against the current Administration’s proposal to cut funding to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program – which combats drug trafficking in critical high-trafficking regions of the United States – by 35%.

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