[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4092 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4092

 To prevent law enforcement agencies from stopping people on highways 
                    because of their race or color.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 17, 1996

  Mr. Foglietta (for himself, Mrs. Clayton, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Fattah, 
Mrs. Meek of Florida, Mr. Dellums, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Owens, Mr. Towns, 
  Mr. Hilliard, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Frost, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Barrett of 
 Wisconsin, Mr. Evans, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Johnston of Florida, Mr. 
   Torres, Ms. Waters, Ms. Norton, Ms. McKinney, Mr. Ford, Ms. Eddie 
  Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Watt of North Carolina, Ms. Brown of 
 Florida, and Mr. Jackson of Illinois) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prevent law enforcement agencies from stopping people on highways 
                    because of their race or color.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Freedom of the Highways Act of 
1996''.

SEC. 2. PREVENTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STOPS BASED ON RACE OR COLOR.

    (a) Unlawful Conduct.--It shall be unlawful for any law enforcement 
agency or officer, acting under color of authority, to stop any person 
driving or riding in an automobile because of the race or color of that 
person.
    (b) Civil Action.--Any person or class of persons aggrieved by a 
violation of subsection (a) may, in a civil action, obtain appropriate 
relief. In such a civil action, a showing that a pattern exists in a 
particular region of disparate stopping of persons on highways based on 
race or color is sufficient to constitute prima facie evidence of a 
violation of such subsection in that region.
                                 <all>