Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages S3113-S3114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE JUSTICE ACT
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, while the House continues to be absent,
the Senate continues to be open for business. While taking smart
precautions, Senators have stood with all the other essential workers
who are continuing to man essential posts. So as our Nation continues
to work through medical, economic, and social challenges of historic
proportions, the Senate has been able to lead on serious action to help
our Nation heal.
The killings of Black Americans, such as Breonna Taylor and George
Floyd, have rightly accelerated the national conversation on policing
and racial justice. Large majorities of Americans support new steps
that would help the vast majority of good, decent, and brave law
enforcement officers re-earn the trust of Black Americans for their
vital institutions.
We need to be a country where communities of color feel confident
that the police are there to safeguard their rights to equal justice
and equal protection under law and not to infringe on those rights.
To that end, while the Constitution means many of the specifics of
police reform are primarily State and local issues, there is an
enormous appetite in the Senate to incentivize change and move toward
greater progress using Federal policy.
The junior Senator from South Carolina has led the development of a
strong new proposal. The JUSTICE Act is informed by data, by the facts,
by stories from across America, and, sadly, by his own lived
experience. It enjoys the support of 46 cosponsors already.
The legislation Senator Scott has put forward identifies productive
ways that Congress can encourage and incentivize smart police reform
efforts in communities all across our country.
Recognizing the urgent need for greater accountability, it supports
expanded use of body cameras and expanded review and disciplinary
measures to back them up.
Recognizing the need for more transparency, it steps up efforts to
establish the records of police activities and requires full Federal
reporting of all incidents involving the discharge of a service weapon.
The bill takes immediate action to help end departments' reliance on
choke holds and to facilitate enhanced training for deescalation. It
includes further steps to protect the physical safety of people in
custody and to finally--finally make lynching a Federal
[[Page S3114]]
crime. It lays out new requirements for departments to explain their
policies on how, when, and why no-knock warrants are used. On behalf of
the many people looking for answers in my hometown of Louisville, I am,
unfortunately, especially interested in that provision.
In recent weeks, the Democratic leader and many of our colleagues on
the other side of the aisle have insisted--insisted--over and over and
over again that they wanted to consider legislation on this subject
prior to the Fourth of July. My friend the Democratic leader repeatedly
expressed how eager--eager he was to consider these issues here on the
Senate floor, but now we read this: ``Senate Democrats are agonizing
over what to do about Senate Republicans' police reform proposal.''
What is there to agonize over?
And we read this: ``[The] Senate Democratic leader . . . faces a
tough call on whether to let a Republican-backed police reform bill
advance on the Senate floor.''
``Agonizing''? ``Tough call''? It seems to me that proceeding to
consider Senator Scott's legislation, proceeding to take up the subject
on the Senate floor, would only be an agonizing prospect if Members
were more interested in making a point than in actually making a law.
For anyone who actually wants to legislate, it shouldn't be a
difficult call to vote to begin considering Senator Scott's
legislation. It will be exactly the vote which this moment demands.
Last week, I understand the Speaker of the House herself said: ``We'd
like to end up in conference'' on police reform legislation. The only
way to do that would be if the Senate passed a bill. Even the Speaker
does not seem to understand why Senate Democrats would block this
Chamber from even considering the JUSTICE Act.
Senator Scott and Senate Republicans are interested in making a law.
The President and the administration want to make a law, and even the
Democratic House leadership apparently would be happy to see a
conference committee. So maybe the only group left in Washington who
are reportedly agonizing over whether to block discussion of police
reform or to let it proceed seem to be our Senate Democratic
colleagues.
I hope that whatever strange political calculations are making this
difficult for our friends across the aisle will yield to common sense
and to the American people's hunger for progress. We are going to find
out when we vote later this week.
____________________
