JUSTICE Act (Cong. Rec., June 17, 2020)

Summary

Page S3026 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for June 17, 2020. In remarks recognized as the majority leader's, Mr. McConnell says the Senate will take up Senator Scott's JUSTICE Act police reform bill after it is introduced, and he describes parts of it, including making lynching a Federal crime. The page also carries remarks about national parks, refuges and historic sites.

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“JUSTICE Act (Cong. Rec., June 17, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-06-17-crec-2020-06-17-pt1-pgs3026-3-efb884d11a/, SHA-256 4ade6c6b51780f7a639d558e6202204dcf30f60fc08395da7551ca84db120df1.

Full text

S3026 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 17, 2020
the likelihood of Russian aggression anger to push insane policies like enforcement from taking advantage of
against these friends and a repeat of defunding or disbanding all police or people in their custody and more.
their past oppression. nonsense claims like the assertion that This legislation is a substantial ef-
America will not abandon our allies. enforcing laws is inherently racist, the fort to help our Nation make major
Our credibility and national honor de- rest of the country has been busy unit- headway on substantial challenges. I
mand it. ing around some commonsense truths. am grateful to Senator SCOTT for his
I yield the floor. When Black Americans tell us they leadership. I appreciate the contribu-
f do not feel safe in their own commu- tions of Chairman LINDSEY GRAHAM,
nities, we need to listen. When Amer- Senators CAPITO, CORNYN, LANKFORD,
RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY ican citizens lack faith in our justice and SASSE.
LEADER system from start to finish, we need to The Democratic-led House of Rep-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- respond. When the equal protection of resentatives is, of course, out of town.
jority leader is recognized. the laws feel to some Americans like a They have had time to issue partisan
contingency of demographics and not a attacks from long distance but have
f
universal fact of life, we need to act. yet to take up any police reform legis-
REMEMBERING ELEANOR CAROL That is what this Senate Republican lation in the weeks since the deaths of
LEAVELL BARR majority is doing today. We are acting. Ms. Taylor and Mr. Floyd.
Sadly, the junior Senator from South The action is in the Senate. The lead-
Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
Carolina is no stranger to this subject ership is in the Senate. Now, over the
on behalf of the entire Kentucky dele-
himself. Senator SCOTT has led the con- past several days, some of our Senate
gation, all Kentuckians and the entire
struction of a strong proposal that will Democratic colleagues have under-
U.S. Congress, I must begin this morn-
increase transparency, grow account- taken to attack this new legislation
ing by expressing our deepest condo-
ability, and advance the cause of police before they have even read it and be-
lences to our colleague Representative
reform without lashing out at the fore it was even released—while it was
ANDY BARR and his family.
lion’s share of brave law enforcement still being compiled, as a matter of
His lovely wife Carol passed away
officers who serve bravely and well. fact. Let me make this perfectly clear.
suddenly and unexpectedly yesterday. Later today, he will introduce this Senate Republicans are interested in
She was only 39 years old. She leaves new legislation, and it will be the very making a law. We want to enact needed
behind her husband, their two beautiful next bill we consider here on the Sen- reforms. We want to make policing in
young daughters, Eleanor and Mary ate floor. We will be turning to this bill America better.
Clay, and an entire community that next week. Senator SCOTT’s JUSTICE We have just demonstrated on the
knew her, admired her, and valued her Act provides solutions that are as CARES Act and, once again, on the
many contributions. sober, as serious, and as significant as Great American Outdoors Act, that we
To meet Carol Barr was instantly to this watershed moment demands. can act together and achieve bipartisan
like her. Her warm personality filled Faced with the fact that policing is support. This is another one of those
the room and uplifted everybody. Her primarily a local and State, rather issues that needs to be addressed—
faith, her love of family, and her dedi- than a Federal, concern, our colleague needs to be addressed now and can only
cation to her community were totally has nevertheless found a variety of le- be addressed in the Senate if both sides
evident. Through her own career and vers that Congress can pull to advance are willing to work together.
her work with ANDY, she poured her and incentivize and insist on the Needless to say, if we are going to
time and talents into giving back to changes that we need to see. We need make law on this issue in the Senate,
her neighbors in the Sixth District. to encourage police departments across it will have to be a bipartisan effort. I
We are so very, very sorry for our America to implement practical re- hope and expect that there will be op-
colleague’s loss. All of our prayers go forms like ending choke holds, training portunities for amendments from both
out to ANDY, to their girls, and to the their officers to deescalate tense situa- sides. I hope we can step up, stand to-
entire Barr and Leavell families at this tions, and having prior disciplinary gether, and work in good faith to turn
tremendously difficult hour. records play a greater role in hiring. this impressive starting point into law
f His bill does that. for our country. We will have the
We need to increase accountability so chance next week, so let’s don’t waste
JUSTICE ACT that bad officers are easy to spot and it.
Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, good officers’ good names stay clear. f
on an entirely different matter, This bill does that. It will get more
Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. body cameras on the streets, help en- GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT
Over the last several months, our coun- sure they are used properly, and dis- Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
try has been shaken by the killings of seminate new best practices for dis- now, on another matter. Every year in
more Black Americans at the hands of cipline, suspension, or dismissal when Kentucky, nearly 350,000 people take to
law enforcement. The people of this necessary. We also need more trans- the great outdoors to go hunting—
country have called for change. parency so communities have greater more than a third of them on public
The United States of America is not visibility into local law enforcement. lands. Over half a million head to the
a fundamentally racist country. We are This bill does that too. We will require Commonwealth’s lakes and rivers to
the greatest Nation in world history full reporting to the FBI when a local fish, and 1.3 million enjoy the open
built on the promise of liberty and jus- officer has used force or discharged his space and the majesty of our wildlife
tice for all, but our founding promise or her weapon. looking for a glimpse of the Bluegrass’
was stained by the sins of slavery and In a subject that has tragically be- native species. And 120,000 Kentuckians
racial prejudice. Generations of Ameri- come a major focus for my hometown earn their living keeping these vibrant
cans have spent more than a century of Louisville, KY, we address no-knock traditions of outdoor recreation up and
working to remediate that stain. We warrants as well. We will require new running for everyone else. Public lands
fought a Civil War. Black Americans transparency and new reporting from are an important part of life across our
led a movement that won historic Su- State and local authorities so sur- State. From the Cumberland Gap to
preme Court wins and landmark Fed- rounding communities and the Federal the Land Between the Lakes, our
eral legislation. We have squeezed rac- Government can all better understand parks, our refuges, and historic sites
ist lies out of mainstream society and how, when, and why this practice is form the backbone of local economies

dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
relegated them to a pathetic fringe. used. and welcome millions of visitors from
But the events of the last few weeks These are just some of the major across the country and around the
have reminded this country that the parts of our colleague’s legislation. The world.
stain is not totally gone. We have a lot JUSTICE Act will also finally make If you ask any of my colleagues, you
more work to do. While the far left has lynching a Federal crime. It will close would hear similar stories about the
tried to exploit America’s pain and the consent loophole by forbidding law landmarks, wilderness, and history

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