Senate bill would boost Capitol Police budget, maybe rationale for new HQ

Senate Democrats on Monday released a $5.9 billion fiscal 2022 draft Legislative Branch appropriations bill that would boost the U.S. Capitol Police force, as well as direct the Architect of the Capitol to study options for replacing the department’s headquarters on the Senate side of the Capitol complex.

The Senate bill would give the Capitol Police $606.6 million, a $91 million increase over fiscal 2021 and a few million more than the House version. The House’s $4.8 billion version, which does not include Senate-specific spending and passed the chamber in July, would give the Capitol Police $603.9 million and has several accountability measures not addressed in the Senate’s bill.

The Senate bill would provide the department, which has lost between 100 and 200 officers since the start of 2021, enough money to hire up to 212 officers. Officers have been forced to work overtime, and vacation time has become scarce.

The Senate’s explanatory statement acknowledges staffing shortages at the Capitol Police and the department’s interest in “utilizing contracted security guards to meet limited mission requirements.” The committee wants a report on how the department would use those contracted security guards and the costs associated with it.

“This bill is essential to keeping our democracy and the legislative branch of government functioning, safe, and accessible to all Americans,” Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee chairman, said in a statement. “Since the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, the Capitol Police have been under an intense workload, and this bill ensures they have the resources and staffing to safeguard the Capitol complex.”