Congressional Update from Congressman Andy Barr

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio Addresses Congress

This week, His Excellency Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, delivered an address to a joint session of the United States Congress, reinforcing the strong commitment to peace and prosperity shared by our countries. While U.S/Japan relations were the topic of the address it is worth noting the partnership between Kentucky and Japan with Scott County being the home of Toyota's largest manufacturing facility in the world. This relationship highlights the importance of international cooperation and the benefits it brings to our local communities.

$1.7 Million Secured for Nicholas County EMS Facility 

Nicholas County Fiscal Court received $1,769,000 in federal funding to construct a new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) facility in Carlisle. I advocated for and secured this funding through the Fiscal Year 2024 Community Project Funding process. This state-of-the-art facility will allow the county to recruit and retain talented EMS employees and help further their mission to make Nicholas County safer. I am proud to return Nicholas Countians’ hard-earned tax dollars back to their community.

Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act

My bill, The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act amends the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program. This program provides cash benefits to federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who are killed or permanently and totally disabled as the result of personal injuries sustained in the line of duty. While this program has long provided death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers, there are still former officers that have died as a result of their service in the line of duty who have been denied this benefit.

I named this legislation in honor of Chief of Police Herbert D. Proffitt of the Tompkinsville Kentucky Police Department who was shot and killed in his driveway by a man who he had arrested a decade prior. Even though the murder occurred in direct retaliation to Chief Proffitt’s work serving in the line of duty, his family did not qualify for the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program because he had retired just a few years prior.

Read my exclusive with the Daily caller here.

Sincerely,

Congressman Andy Barr