mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman very much .  i do appreciate the time .  i appreciate all the assistance in this bill .  the chairman has been wonderful in helping with this and making this a reality .  mr. chairman , i rise today in strong support of h.r. 1751 , the secure access to justice and court protection act of 2005 .  this bill prevents , protects , and punishes .  it prevents future attacks , it protects the entire courthouse family , and it punishes those who threaten the safety and security of our nation 's courthouses .  the time has come to restore some sanity and security , and it is the responsibility of the government to assure our citizens have a safe courtroom .  the legislation will work to prevent future attacks in our nation 's courthouses such as what happened at my former courthouse in east texas .  that tragic day in february , we lost a brave man , mark wilson , who stepped up to attempt to save the lives of innocent citizens at the courthouse and was killed the same day .  also , deputy sherman dollison was badly injured while he attempted to protect those at the courthouse .  with passage of the secure access to justice and court protection act , we are taking an important step toward prevention of similar events happening again .  this bill has garnered a lot of support across the country since its introduction in april , and i want to take a moment to thank some of those who have supported h.r. 1751 .  first of all , i thank judge cynthia kent , who hails from the rose city of tyler , texas .  judge kent is a talented judge and a good friend .  she testified before the crime , terrorism and homeland security subcommittee about the tragic events that took place right outside the courtroom she presides over .  she , too , knows personally about threats against her and her family .  her input and support have been extremely helpful in developing this legislation .  judge jane roth , former chairwoman of the judicial conference committee on security and facilities , also testified and was very helpful ; honorable paul mcnulty , who was then the u.s. attorney for the eastern district of virginia ; and also honorable john clark , who at that time was a u.s. marshal for the eastern district of virginia .  i would also like to thank judge joan lefkow for her testimony before the senate supporting the court security legislation .  i have spoken with her personally and again just in the last hour , and she is most gracious and also grateful for the overall bill .  she had also mentioned previously when i talked with her a concern about provisions regarding writs of habeas corpus procedure .  that has been pulled from the bill itself .  it is not part of the overall bill today .  we also know that her elderly mother and husband were tragically murdered by a disgruntled gentleman who was upset by a ruling she had made in a case .  this bill requires consultation and coordination of u.s. courts between u.s. marshals and the courts themselves .  it will open the lines of communication between the marshals and the courts and , therefore , help with the prevention , protection , and penalties in this bill .  those of us who have had threats against us as judges , but particularly against our families , understand all too well the importance of this bill .  i would also like to thank chairman sensenbrenner for shepherding this legislation as he has through his committee , through the rules and here to the floor .  it is an honor to serve with him on the judiciary committee that he chairs , and i thank the chairman for that continued support .  this legislation will protect immediate family members of federally funded public safety officers and judges at all levels .  it also provides enhanced penalties where the victims are u.s. judges , federal law enforcement officers , federally funded public safety officers , and includes now a provision to protect national guard troops when they are acting as public safety officers .  it increases the maximum punishment for crimes against victims , witnesses , jurors and informants .  this bill adds a new federal crime prohibiting recording a fictitious lien by covering officers and employees of the united states , including the federal judiciary and its employees .  it provides a 30-year mandatory minimum to life in prison , or the death penalty for killing a federally funded public safety officer .  of course , for the defendant to get the death penalty , a death must have resulted from their actions .  the bill includes killing members of the national guard , as i mentioned , and gives them added protection .  there has been some mention by the gentlewoman from texas regarding mandatory minimums , and it should be noted that we removed a number of mandatory minimums in this bill for things like simple assault and threats .  so the court has that consideration .  but when it comes to seriously threatening , killing , kidnapping , conspiring to do these things , there should be a mandatory minimum and there is .  the folks that we attempt to protect are on the front lines .  they need protection .  mr. chairman , i want to thank the rules committee chairman , the gentleman from california ( mr. dreier )  .  his bill was added to this , the david march provision , making a new federal criminal offense for flight to avoid prosecution for killing a peace officer .  it imposes 10 years in prison in addition to whatever the defendant receives .  so it stacks it .  this is not intended to usurp state authority but to assist the states where they need it and where they are unable .  this valuable piece of legislation is seeking to ensure the safety and security of america 's last bastion of civility , our nation 's courthouses .  i urge all members to vote yes .  