Washington, D.C.—As discussions continue in the U.S. House of Representatives about the possibility of votes on a series of bills related to enhancing public safety and funding local police departments, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) today called on House leadership to include H.R. 7826, the Pathways to Policing Act, which is inspired by an innovative Minnesota program by the same name:

“I meet with Chiefs of Police and participate in ride-alongs with rank and file officers from our community regularly, and the number one concern I hear about is their inability to recruit and retain the best and the brightest to protect and serve our communities,” said Rep. Phillips. “This means that too many departments are understaffed, under-resourced, and unable to do their jobs effectively at a time where crime rates across the country are on the rise.”

“My bill, the Pathways to Policing Act, would address this serious public safety issue by providing resources necessary to recruit a diverse new generation of police officers, with an emphasis on individuals from nontraditional backgrounds and those living in the communities in which they’d serve. It has the support of organizations representing Chiefs of Police, Sheriffs, and rank-and-file officers both in Minnesota and nationwide, and as a commonsense, bipartisan solution inspired by an innovative homegrown program by the same name, it has yet to encounter any discernible opposition. For that reason, I call on leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to bring it to the floor for a vote in the coming weeks and show the American people we are serious about both public safety and justice for all.”

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