Congressional Record, House — Pass Bipartisan Law Enforcement Reform (June 25, 2020)

Summary

Congressional Record, House, June 25, 2020, at H2424. Under the heading Pass Bipartisan Law Enforcement Reform, Mr. Byrne states that he has spoken out against racism before and calls for bipartisan law enforcement reform legislation that will go to the President and become law. Under the heading Calling for Department to Address Racism, Mr. Green of Texas speaks about H. Res. 992, which he says would provide a department of reconciliation, and states that the secretary of reconciliation will report to Congress twice a year. Mr. Norman then speaks under the heading Celebrating the Life of Frederick Del Buono.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Congressional Record, House — Pass Bipartisan Law Enforcement Reform (June 25, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-06-25-crec-2020-06-25-pt1-pgh2424-806ef9cb4a/, SHA-256 2279484b5f2f8312c412049f6a10347b03b8b7317aea78ac3701c397e238f4c6.

Full text

H2424 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 25, 2020
our entire country more just and safer I am proud of Chief Battiste and his H. Res. 992 addresses the change that
for Black Americans and every Amer- officers, but they aren’t the only pro- we need.
ican. fessionals performing their duties To my dear brother who just spoke, I
f under extraordinarily difficult cir- would have you sign on to H. Res. 992.
cumstances and with character. There It would provide a department of rec-
PASS BIPARTISAN LAW
are many, many law enforcement offi- onciliation. Yes, the Emancipation
ENFORCEMENT REFORM
cers around this country who are truly Proclamation was not a declaration of
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The public servants, and they deserve our reconciliation. It is time for us to rec-
Chair recognizes the gentleman from respect and our support. oncile.
Alabama (Mr. BYRNE) for 5 minutes. We, in this House, can disagree on We have survived slavery, but we
Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I have spo- the appropriate policies to pursue to didn’t reconcile. We have survived Jim
ken out against racism from this floor achieve justice and right the wrong of Crow’s laws and Bull Connor’s dogs,
before, but under the present regret- continuing inequality. But there is no but we didn’t reconcile. It is time to
table circumstances, I feel compelled disagreement that racism is wrong, is reconcile.
to do so again. morally repugnant. There is also no All the commissions are fine, and I
All of us are created in the image of disagreement that doing nothing in the support them, but a department that
God and are of equal and inestimable face of continuing racism isn’t accept- reports directly to the President of the
moral worth—all of us. There are no able. United States of America is in order.
exceptions. Both St. Peter and St. Paul We, in this House, need to work to- We need a secretary of reconciliation,
spoke out against prejudice. Our Dec- gether, not in parallel partisan efforts. someone who wakes up every morning
laration of Independence states plainly This House came together to pass the with his mission of reconciling by way
that we are all created equal. Our laws CARES Act earlier this year. Surely, of developing a strategy and imple-
require equality of treatment and op- we can come together to pass meaning- menting a strategy to eliminate racial
portunity. ful and bipartisan law enforcement re- segregation as it exists in many places
It is a fact that we betrayed this form legislation that will actually go still, but racism, more specifically, and
ideal when our country was founded to the President and become law. invidious discrimination.
when we tolerated slavery, an immoral I wish we would address more funding Every day, invidious discrimination
human practice, which in this country for community health centers so poor and racism will be addressed. This is
was carried out by Whites against people, and especially people of color, the means by which we can also get up-
Blacks. It took nearly 90 years after would have better access to primary dates on progress.
our founding to erase this blot when we care, which would help equalize health We can institutionalize a method-
passed the 13th Amendment. It also outcomes. I also wish we would take up ology by which we can realize true ra-
took a civil war, which cost 600,000 education choice legislation, like Edu- cial reform in this country, racial eq-
lives. cation Freedom Scholarships so that uity, as it were. This department would
Even then, we didn’t grant Black minority children have the same oppor- have as its mission to eliminate dis-
people true equality. For the next 100 tunities for a quality education as crimination against all the protected
years, they endured Jim Crow laws in their peers from families with the classes. The secretary of reconciliation
the South, de facto segregation in the means to pay for better schools. will report to Congress twice a year
rest of the country, violence, and in- We are capable of so much more in and explain the progress that is being
equality in everything from schools to this country, but only if we remember made, or lack thereof.
jobs. the one stated purpose of our Constitu- This department would be funded
They had to win equality for them- tion is to create a more perfect union. with a minimum of 10 percent, or the
selves by bravely marching, protesting, That is not a one-and-done thing; it is equivalent of 10 percent of what the
and using every peaceful method they a generation-after-generation thing. Defense Department’s budget is, a min-
could find in the civil rights move- It is time to unite in this body and do imum of 10 percent of the equivalent of
ment. They gradually won key court the hard work of this generation. Let’s the Defense Department’s budget. We
cases. And, finally, this House and the do it for the Lawrence Battistes out know that the Defense Department’s
Senate passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act there. Let’s do it for our children and budget will be funded; that means that
and, in 1965, the Voting Rights Act. grandchildren. And let’s do it because the department of reconciliation will
But laws don’t change hearts, and we that will reveal the content of our na- be funded.
are still walking the path toward rid- tional character, which is far more im- Those who do not recognize the winds
ding this Nation of the scourge of rac- portant than the color of our skin. of change, those who believe that we
ism. As I have watched COVID work its f can go back to bigotry as usual, you
will in my district, I have been dis- are mistaken. This resolution is a
traught to see the disproportionate ef- CALLING FOR DEPARTMENT TO
ADDRESS RACISM means by which we can send a message
fect on the health and lives of the one- to all Americans that we understand
third of my constituents who are The SPEAKER pro tempore. The that the time has come for change.
Black—on Black workers and business Chair recognizes the gentleman from Now is the time to bring about the
owners who suddenly, and through no Texas (Mr. GREEN) for 5 minutes. change by way of a department of rec-
fault of their own, lost their jobs and Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, onciliation.
their businesses, and on Black children and still I rise, and I rise because I love I close with this. We don’t have to
who lost months of their education, my country. listen, but I guarantee you we will feel
which they badly need. I rise because the winds of change are the effects of not listening. The winds
The chief of police in Mobile, the blowing across America. The winds of of change are blowing through this
urban center of my district, is Law- change are blowing through this House House of Representatives.
rence Battiste, a 27-year veteran of law of Representatives. There will be
enforcement and, yes, a Black man. We changes in this House, and these f
had a Sunday afternoon of protests a changes are taking place because we b 0915
few weeks ago, and I watched as he and are not respecting the will of the peo-
the officers under his direction carried ple. The people are speaking to us, and CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF
out their duties with professionalism we must listen. The winds of change FREDERICK DEL BUONO

SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE
and character. are blowing. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The
‘‘Character.’’ I use that word because We have an opportunity to do more Chair recognizes the gentleman from
it is so important right now and be- than talk about invidious discrimina- South Carolina (Mr. NORMAN) for 5
cause I have long admired Dr. King’s tion. We have an opportunity to do minutes.
statement that we shouldn’t be judged more than talk about racism. We have Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise
by the color of our skin but by the con- an opportunity to do something that today to celebrate the life of a true
tent of our character. can change the course of history. American, Frederick Del Buono, who

VerDate Sep 11 2014 13:24 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K25JN7.002 H25JNPT1

File and source

File: CREC_crec-2020-06-25_crec-2020-06-25-pt1-pgh2424.pdf
Size: 211,507 bytes
SHA-256: 2279484b5f2f8312c412049f6a10347b03b8b7317aea78ac3701c397e238f4c6
Our copy: CREC_crec-2020-06-25_crec-2020-06-25-pt1-pgh2424.pdf
Original: www.govinfo.gov