[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 10, 2019)] [House] [Page H5314] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] GUN VIOLENCE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY (Mr. CLAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3435, the Local Public Health and Safety Protection Act. Across this Nation, we are faced with an ugly, obscene, inescapable truth: gun violence is a public health emergency. My bill would, for the first time via Federal legislation, prohibit any State that wants to compete for grant funding from the Department of Justice from restricting the ability of a local government to enact tougher gun laws. My hope is that we can finally give local governments the freedom to protect innocent citizens and first responders while making our neighborhoods safer, regardless of what their State legislature thinks. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor and support this vital public safety legislation. ____________________