,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gfdc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #af1 #bjbj,mrs4
 ,lesko 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,hice of     
,georgia1 ,mr4 ,fulcher1 ,mr4 ,biggs1   
,mr4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,norman1 ,mr4        
,duncan1 ,mr4 ,des,jarlais1 ,mr4        
,davidson of ,ohio1 ,mr4 ,roy1 ,mr4     
,cloud1 ,mr4 ,wright1 ,mr4 ,marshall1   
,mr4 ,yoho1 ,mr4 ,budd1 ,mr4 ,gosar1    
,mr4 ,gibbs1 ,mr4 ,steube1 and ,mr4     
,guest7 introduced the following bill2  
which was referred to the ,committee on 
the ,judiciary1 and in addition to the  
,committees on ,oversight and ,reform1  
and ,armed ,services1 for a period to be
 subsequently determined by the         
,speaker1 in each case for consideration
 of such provisions as fall within the  
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to set forth the policy of  
the ,united ,states regarding vandalism1
 and for other purposes4  #a4 ,purpose  
,the purpose of this ,act is as follows3
 7#a7 ,the first duty of government is  

to ensure domestic tranquility and      
defend the life1 property1 and rights of
 its citizens4 ,recently1 there has been
 a sustained assault on the life and    
property of civilians1 law enforcement  
officers1 government property1 and      
revered ,american monuments such as the 
,lincoln ,memorial4 ,many of the        
rioters1 arsonists1 and extremists who  
have carried out and supported these    
acts have explicitly identified         
themselves with ideologies--such as     
,marxism--that call for the destruction 
of the ,united ,states system of        
government4  7#b7 ,anarchists and       
extremists have sought to advance a     
fringe ideology that paints the ,united 
,states of ,america as fundamentally    
unjust and have sought to impose that   
ideology on ,americans through violence 
and mob intimidation4 ,they have led    
riots in the streets1 burned police     
vehicles1 killed and assaulted          
government officers as well as business 
owners defending their property1 and    

even seized an area within one city     
where law and order gave way to anarchy4
 ,during the unrest1 innocent citizens  
also have been harmed and killed4  7#c7 
,these criminal acts are frequently     
planned and supported by agitators who  
have traveled across ,state lines to    
promote their own violent agenda4 ,these
 radicals shamelessly attack the        
legitimacy of our institutions and the  
very rule of law itself4  7#d7 ,key     
targets in the violent extremists'      
campaign against our country are public 
monuments1 memorials1 and statues4      
,their selection of targets reveals a   
deep ignorance of our history1 and is   
indicative of a desire to               
indiscriminately destroy anything that  
honors our past and to erase from the   
public mind any suggestion that our past
 may be worth honoring1 cherishing1     
remembering1 or understanding4 ,for     
example1 vandals toppled a statue of    
,president ,ulysses ,s4 ,grant in ,san  
,francisco4 ,to them1 it made no        

difference that ,president ,grant led   
the ,union ,army to victory over the    
,confederacy in the ,civil ,war1        
enforced ,reconstruction1 fought the ,ku
 ,klux ,klan1 and advocated for the     
,fifteenth ,amendment1 which guaranteed 
freed slaves the right to vote4 ,in     
,charlotte1 ,north ,carolina1 the names 
of #ejg veterans memorialized on a      
,world ,war ,,ii monument were painted  
over with a symbol of communism4 ,in    
,boston1 a memorial commemorating an    
,african-,american regiment that fought 
in the ,civil ,war was defaced with     
graffiti4 ,in ,madison1 ,wisconsin1     
rioters knocked over the statue of an   
abolitionist immigrant who fought for   
the ,union during the ,civil ,war4      
,christian figures are now in the       
crosshairs1 too4 ,recently1 an          
influential activist for one movement   
that has been prominent in setting the  
agenda for demonstrations in recent     
weeks declared that many existing       
religious depictions of ,jesus and the  

,holy ,family should be purged from our 
places of worship4  7#e7 ,individuals   
and organizations have the right to     
peacefully advocate for either the      
removal or the construction of any      
monument4 ,but no individual or group   
has the right to damage1 deface1 or     
remove any monument by use of force4    
7#f7 ,in the midst of these attacks1    
many ,state and local governments appear
 to have lost the ability to distinguish
 between the lawful exercise of rights  
to free speech and assembly and         
unvarnished vandalism4 ,they have       
surrendered to mob rule1 imperiling     
community safety1 allowing for the      
wholesale violation of our laws1 and    
privileging the violent impulses of the 
mob over the rights of law-abiding      
citizens4 ,worse1 they apparently have  
lost the will or the desire to stand up 
to the radical fringe and defend the    
fundamental truth that ,america is good1
 her people are virtuous1 and that      
justice prevails in this country to a   

far greater extent than anywhere else in
 the world4 ,some particularly misguided
 public officials even appear to have   
accepted the idea that violence can be  
virtuous and have prevented their police
 from enforcing the law and protecting  
public monuments1 memorials1 and statues
 from the mob's ropes and graffiti4  #b4
 ,policy  7a7 ,it is the policy of the  
,united ,states to prosecute to the     
fullest extent permitted under ,federal 
law1 and as appropriate1 any person or  
any entity that destroys1 damages1      
vandalizes1 or desecrates a monument1   
memorial1 or statue within the ,united  
,states or otherwise vandalizes         
government property4 ,the desire of the 
,congress to protect ,federal property  
is clearly reflected in section #acfa of
 title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 which
 authorizes a penalty of up to #aj      
years' imprisonment for the willful     
injury of ,federal property4 ,more      
recently1 under the ,veterans' ,memorial
 ,preservation and ,recognition ,act of 

#bjjc1 section #acfi of title #ah1      
,united ,states ,code1 the ,congress    
punished with the same penalties the    
destruction of ,federal and in some     
cases ,state-maintained monuments that  
honor military veterans4 ,other criminal
 statutes1 such as the ,travel ,act1    
section #aieb of title #ah1 ,united     
,states ,code1 permit prosecutions of   
arson damaging monuments1 memorials1 and
 statues on ,state grounds in some      
cases4 ,civil statutes like the ,public 
,system ,resource ,protection ,act1     
section #ajjgbb of title #ed1 ,united   
,states ,code1 also hold those who      
destroy certain ,federal property       
accountable for their offenses4 ,the    
,federal ,government will not tolerate  
violations of these and other laws4  7b7
 ,it is the policy of the ,united       
,states to prosecute to the fullest     
extent permitted under ,federal law1 and
 as appropriate1 any person or any      
entity that participates in efforts to  
incite violence or other illegal        

activity in connection with the riots   
and acts of vandalism described in      
section #a4 ,numerous ,federal laws1    
including section #baja of title #ah1   
,united ,states ,code1 prohibit the     
violence that has typified the past few 
weeks in some cities4 ,other statutes   
punish those who participate in or      
assist the agitators who have           
coordinated these lawless acts4 ,such   
laws include section #cga of title #ah1 
,united ,states ,code1 which            
criminalizes certain conspiracies to    
violate ,federal law1 section #b of     
title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 which 
punishes those who aid or abet the      
commission of ,federal crimes1 and      
section #bcci;,a of title #ah1 ,united  
,states ,code1 which prohibits as       
material support to terrorism efforts to
 support a defined set of ,federal      
crimes4 ,those who have joined in recent
 violent acts around the ,united ,states
 will be held accountable4  7c7 ,it is  
the policy of the ,united ,states to    

prosecute to the fullest extent         
permitted under ,federal law1 and as    
appropriate1 any person or any entity   
that damages1 defaces1 or destroys      
religious property1 including by        
attacking1 removing1 or defacing        
depictions of ,jesus or other religious 
figures or religious art work4 ,federal 
laws prohibit1 under certain            
circumstances1 damage or defacement of  
religious property1 including the       
,church ,arson ,prevention ,act of      
#aiif1 section #bdg of title #ah1       
,united ,states ,code1 and section #cga 
of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code4    
,the ,federal ,government will not      
tolerate violations of these laws       
designed to protect the free exercise of
 religion4  7d7 ,it is the policy of the
 ,united ,states1 as appropriate and    
consistent with applicable law1 to      
withhold ,federal support tied to public
 spaces from ,state and local           
governments that have failed to protect 
public monuments1 memorials1 and statues

 from destruction or vandalism4 ,these  
jurisdictions' recent abandonment of    
their law enforcement responsibilities  
with respect to public monuments1       
memorials1 and statues casts doubt on   
their willingness to protect other      
public spaces and maintain the peace    
within them4 ,these jurisdictions are   
not appropriate candidates for limited  
,federal funds that support public      
spaces4  7e7 ,it is the policy of the   
,united ,states1 as appropriate and     
consistent with applicable law1 to      
withhold ,federal support from ,state   
and local law enforcement agencies that 
have failed to protect public monuments1
 memorials1 and statues from destruction
 or vandalism4 ,unwillingness to enforce
 ,state and local laws in the face of   
attacks on our history1 whether because 
of sympathy for the extremists behind   
this violence or some other improper    
reason1 casts doubt on the management of
 these law enforcement agencies4 ,these 
law enforcement agencies are not        

appropriate candidates for limited      
,federal funds that support ,state and  
local police4  #c4 ,enforcing laws      
prohibiting the desecration of public   
monuments1 the vandalism of government  
property1 and recent acts of violence   
7a7 ,in general ,the ,attorney ,general 
shall prioritize within the ,department 
of ,justice the investigation and       
prosecution of matters described in     
subsections 7a71 7b71 and 7c7 of section
 #b4 ,the ,attorney ,general shall take 
all appropriate enforcement action      
against individuals and organizations   
found to have violated ,federal law     
through these investigations4  7b7      
,coordination with ,states and          
localities ,the ,attorney ,general      
shall1 as appropriate and consistent    
with applicable law1 work with ,state   
and local law enforcement authorities   
and ,federal agencies to ensure the     
,federal ,government appropriately      
provides information and assistance to  
,state and local law enforcement        

authorities in connection with their    
investigations or prosecutions for the  
desecration of monuments1 memorials1 and
 statues1 regardless of whether such    
structures are situated on ,federal     
property4  #d4 ,limiting ,federal grants
 for jurisdictions and law enforcement  
agencies that permit the desecration of 
monuments1 memorials1 or statues ,the   
heads of all executive departments and  
agencies shall examine their respective 
grant programs and apply the policies   
established by subsections 7d7 and 7e7  
of section #b to all such programs to   
the extent that such application is both
 appropriate and consistent with        
applicable law4  #e4 ,providing         
assistance for the protection of        
,federal monuments1 memorials1 statues1 
and property ,upon the request of the   
,secretary of the ,interior1 the        
,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 or   
the ,administrator of ,general          
,services1 the ,secretary of ,defense1  
the ,attorney ,general1 and the         

,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall 
provide1 as appropriate and consistent  
with applicable law1 personnel to assist
 with the protection of ,federal        
monuments1 memorials1 statues1 or       
property4 ,this section shall terminate 
#f months from the date of this ,act    
unless extended by ,congress4  #f4      
,general provisions  7a7 ,rule of       
construction ,nothing in this ,act shall
 be construed to impair or otherwise    
affect-- 7#a7 the authority granted by  
law to an executive department or       
agency1 or the head thereof2 or  7#b7   
the functions of the ,director of the   
,office of ,management and ,budget      
relating to budgetary1 administrative1  
or legislative proposals4  7b7          
,consistency with existing law ,this    
,act shall be implemented consistent    
with applicable law and subject to the  
availability of appropriations4  7c7 ,no
 rights created ,this ,act is not       
intended to1 and does not1 create any   
right or benefit1 substantive or        

procedural1 enforceable at law or in    
equity by any party against the ,united 
,states1 its departments1 agencies1 or  
entities1 its officers1 employees1 or   
agents1 or any other person4  7d7       
,prosecutorial discretion ,this ,act is 
not intended to1 and does not1 affect   
the prosecutorial discretion of the     
,department of ,justice with respect to 
individual cases4