II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1162 

To ensure Federal law enforcement officers remain able to ensure their 

own safety, and the safety of their families, during a covered furlough. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 30, 2015 

Mr. TOOMEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To ensure Federal law enforcement officers remain able to 

ensure their own safety, and the safety of their families, 

during a covered furlough. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Law Enforce5 ment Self-Defense and Protection Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Too often, Federal law enforcement officers 

9 encounter potentially violent criminals, placing offi10 cers in danger of grave physical harm. 


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1 (2) In 2012 alone, 1,857 Federal law enforce2 ment officers were assaulted, with 206 sustaining se3 rious injuries. 

4 (3) From 2008 through 2011, an additional 

5 8,587 Federal law enforcement officers were as6 saulted. 

7 (4) Federal law enforcement officers remain a 

8 target even when they are off-duty. Over the past 3 

9 years, 27 law enforcement officers have been killed 

10 off-duty. 

11 (5) It is essential that law enforcement officers 

12 are able to defend themselves, so they can carry out 

13 their critical missions and ensure their own personal 

14 safety and the safety of their families whether on15 duty or off-duty. 

16 (6) These dangers to law enforcement officers 

17 continue to exist during a covered furlough. 

18 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this Act— 

20 (1) the term ‘‘agency’’ means each authority of 

21 the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the 

22 Government of the United States; 

23 (2) the term ‘‘covered Federal law enforcement 

24 officer’’ means any individual who— 

25 (A) is an employee of an agency; 


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1 (B) has the authority to make arrests or 

2 apprehensions for, or prosecute, violations of 

3 Federal law; and 

4 (C) on the day before the date on which 

5 the applicable covered furlough begins, is au6 thorized by the agency employing the individual 

7 to carry a firearm in the course of official du8 ties; 

9 (3) the term ‘‘covered furlough’’ means— 

10 (A) a planned event by an agency during 

11 which employees are involuntarily furloughed 

12 due to downsizing, reduced funding, lack of 

13 work, or any budget situation other than a 

14 lapse in appropriations; and 

15 (B) an event during which employees of an 

16 agency are involuntarily furloughed due to a 

17 lapse in appropriations; and 

18 (4) the term ‘‘firearm’’ has the meaning given 

19 that term in section 921 of title 18, United States 

20 Code. 

21 SEC. 4. PROTECTING FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFI22 CERS WHO ARE SUBJECTED TO A COVERED 

23 FURLOUGH. 

24 During a covered furlough, a covered Federal law en25 forcement officer shall have the same rights to carry a 


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1 firearm issued by the Federal Government as if the cov2 ered furlough was not in effect, including, if authorized 

3 on the day before the date on which the covered furlough 

4 begins, the right to carry a concealed firearm, if the sole 

5 reason the covered Federal law enforcement officer was 

6 placed on leave was due to the covered furlough. 

Æ 


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