Today, following Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s vote to defend public safety and support first responders with the resources they need to keep Jersey families safe, local law enforcement and area mayors applauded his stance.

According to mayors, cities, and police chiefs, this legislation would threaten public safety, which is why it is opposed by the NJ State PBA which represents 33,000 police officers in New Jersey; the National Fraternal Order of Police — representing more than 325,000 federal, state and local law enforcement officers — and by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, whose members include more than a thousand Republican and Democratic city mayors.

“The New Jersey Police Benevolent Association applauds Congressman Gottheimer’s strong vote on H.R. 3003 in support of local law enforcement and making sure they have the tools they need to keep our communities safe from lone wolf terrorists and increased threats,” said Marc Kovar, Executive Vice President of the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association. “At a time when local budgets and police forces across New Jersey are being stretched thinner by the day, withholding resources from local police departments and taking power from the cops on the street only serves to make our first responders and communities less safe.”

“Towns across New Jersey are already facing increasing public safety expenses as we confront the rise of lone-wolf terrorism and the epidemic of opioid addiction; we can’t shoulder costs in the unfunded mandate that passed the House,” said Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera. “I thank Congressman Gottheimer for standing strong for public safety and first responders who are already stretched too thin with his vote against this dangerous measure.”

“We need a strong and smart approach to immigration reform; that means securing our borders, strengthening e-verify for job hires, reforming a broken system and keeping dangerous individuals off our streets. But cops and local mayors across northern North Jersey made clear to me that punishing local law enforcement without increasing resources is not the answer,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer. “I voted in favor of ‘Kate’s Law’ to strengthen the penalties for criminals who reenter our nation illegally after being deported because that’s simply unacceptable. We should only allow people in this country who deserve to be here. It’s common sense to take every step possible to protect New Jersey families, and that’s exactly what our experts in law enforcement want to do. H.R. 3003 demands our cops do more with less. I refuse to vote for any bill that doesn’t have the backs of those that put their lives on the line to protect New Jersey.”