Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced the installation of a commemorative plaque to honor the heroism of the Capitol police and other officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021:
“We must be honest with the American people about what happened during the horrific events of January 6th. That demands recognizing those brave officers who protected the U.S. Capitol from violent insurrectionists and defended our very democratic republic on that day. With this plaque, we take an important step forward to honor the sacrifices of these heroes, commit to remembering the work that day to secure the peaceful transfer of power, and ensure we never forget the truth about this attack on our democracy.”
(Photo by Olivia George/Washington Post)
In January, Merkley teamed up with North Carolina’s U.S. Senator Thom Tillis to secure unanimous passage of their bipartisan resolution that led to the installation of a plaque honoring the Capitol Police and other law enforcement forces that responded to the U.S. Capitol during the January 6th insurrection.
In March 2022, Congress passed a provision as part of Public Law 117–103, which required the display of a commemorative January 6 plaque. By law, the plaque was to be placed on the western side of the U.S. Capitol by March 2023. Thanks to Merkley and Tillis’ efforts, the Senate unanimously agreed to install the plaque on the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol, kickstarting the process of installing the plaque in a permanent, public display at the Capitol.
The full text of the simple resolution is available below and by clicking here:
Directing the Architect of the Capitol to prominently display, in a publicly accessible location in the Senate wing of the United States Capitol, a plaque honoring the members of law enforcement responding on January 6, 2021, until the plaque can be placed in its permanent location.
Whereas the United States owes its deepest gratitude to those officers of the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, as well as officers from other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and protective entities, who valiantly protected the United States Capitol, Members of Congress, and staff on January 6, 2021;
Whereas section 214 of division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (2 U.S.C. 2131 note prec.; 136 Stat. 527) directed that a plaque be placed on the western front of the United States Capitol to honor the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021; and
Whereas their heroism should never be forgotten: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Architect of the Capitol shall prominently display the plaque produced pursuant to section 214 of division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (2 U.S.C. 2131 note prec.; 136 Stat. 527) in a publicly accessible location in the Senate wing of the United States Capitol until such time as the plaque can be placed at a permanent location on the western front of the United States Capitol.
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