JACKSON — The Mississippi House on Tuesday started debating but did not vote on a bill that would triple the penalties for committing violence against law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency responders.
“It seems many of them have a target on their back,” said Judiciary B Committee Chairman Andy Gipson, R-Braxton. “We’re not going to tolerate it.”
House Bill 645 is called the “Back the Badge Act of 2017.”
Several black lawmakers — including Rep. Rufus Straughter, D-Belzoni — said it ignores the problem of law enforcement officers hurting or killing unarmed African-Americans.
“When I look at how young African-American men have been killed running away … why not bring a bill out here to protect them?,” Straughter asked Gipson.
Straughter asked Gipson whether he believes that “black lives matter.” Gipson, who is a Baptist pastor, responded that all lives matter and used a phrase from a hymn about Jesus loving little children “red and yellow, black and white.” Pressed again by Straughter on the question of whether black lives matter, Gipson said ‘yes.’
Rep. Chris Bell, D-Jackson, who is also a Legislative Black Caucus member, tried to amend the bill to require 10 percent pay raises for law enforcement officers and firefighters. One of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Alex Monsour, R-Vicksburg, asked if Bell knew how much the raises would cost. Bell said he did not.
Monsour asked leaders to decide whether Bell’s proposal would violate House rules by changing the breadth of the bill. Because of that, the bill was set aside without a vote. But, it could be brought back up for a vote before a Thursday deadline.
The Senate on Jan. 26 passed a similar measure, Senate Bill 2469, which is called the “Blue, Red and Med Lives Matter Act.” It says any crime committed against emergency personnel because of their status as police officers, firefighters or emergency medical technicians would be a hate crime. State law currently doubles penalties for targeting people because of race, ethnicity, religion or gender. The Senate bill has been sent to the House and is expected to be debated in a committee before a Feb. 28 deadline.
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