WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., has introduced a bipartisan resolution honoring the officers who defended the Capitol during last week's hourslong riot.
The lawmaker from Little Rock worked with U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., to prepare the tribute this week.
More than 50 members of the U.S. Capitol and District of Columbia police departments were injured before order was restored, the resolution notes.
U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick died after a confrontation with members of the pro-Trump mob; a homicide investigation is underway.
Another Capitol Police officer, Howard Liebengood, later committed suicide.
Democrats blamed President Donald Trump for the lethal uprising, saying he encouraged supporters to disregard the Electoral College outcome and to pressure Congress to disobey the U.S. Constitution, called on them to march on the Capitol and then stood back and watched as they attacked the legislative branch.
A gallows and a noose had been erected near the Capitol. Protesters carried flags marked "Treason." Some Trump supporters chanted "Hang Mike Pence," after the vice president failed to challenge valid Democratic electors.
Wednesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Trump "bears responsibility" for the "attack on Congress by mob rioters."
The 45th president, who has denied wrongdoing, was impeached by the House on Wednesday, charged with inciting insurrection. The vote was opposed by Hill and the other three members of the Arkansas House delegation, as well as McCarthy and all but 10 members of the House Republican caucus.
Hill's resolution acknowledges "the bravery and self-sacrifice by officers of the United States Capitol Police and other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies during the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol."
The assault, timed to coincide with a joint session of Congress, "gravely threaten[ed] the physical wellbeing of the Vice President, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate along with hundreds of civilians located within and on the grounds of the Capitol Complex and the security of the Capitol Complex itself," the resolution notes.
Vastly outnumbered, law enforcement officials "directly engaged the attackers, who were armed with explosives, metal pipes, chemical irritants, and other weapons," the resolution states.
Due to the defenders' "swift and courageous actions," the entire membership of the House and Senate escaped injury, it notes.
The resolution highlights the loss of Sicknick and Liebengood, honoring their "example of service and devotion to duty." It also commends "the examples of bravery and service-above-self demonstrated by officers of the United States Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, and the multiple Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and protective entities that joined alongside of them."
Since Tuesday, at least 12 Democrats and 38 Republicans have agreed to sign on as co-sponsors, including Republican U.S. Reps. Steve Womack of, R- Rogers, and Rick Crawford of, R-Jonesboro.
In an interview, Hill said he worked with Perlmutter to craft a bipartisan resolution, calling the Colorado Democrat "one of my close friends in Congress."
"We were horrified by the brutality confronted by the Capitol Police, the D.C. police, and other law enforcement last week, and we wanted to honor their blood, sweat and toil in the defense of the Capitol," Hill said.
The lawmakers sought to thank their defenders "for putting their lives on the line," he said.
In a written statement, Perlmutter praised them for their "extraordinary bravery and heroism."
In the wake of the attack, Hill and Perlmutter aren't the only ones crafting tributes.
A bill, filed by U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., would also recognize Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who is credited with confronting insurrectionists and diverting them from a vulnerable Senate entranceway. Crist's legislation calls for Goodman to be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.