Members of the House of Representatives can now purchase bulletproof vests and hire private security using taxpayers’ money after a resolution passed by the House Administration Committee Tuesday.
House members can use government money to pay for a security detail while conducting business and also can buy bulletproof vests. The new resolution states the changes are “an ordinary and necessary reimbursable expense.” The security detail can even stand outside members offices but only during business hours.
The new resolution in the Members’ Congressional Handbook comes after House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise and four others, including two Capitol Police officers, were shot in Alexandria, Va., while practicing for the annual congressional baseball game in June. The announcement also comes after an alleged shooter killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14.
The House Administration Committee does not need approval of the entire body of Congress in order for its resolutions to be put in place.
Via BizPAC
