[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 515 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 515

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress and 
             the States should act to end racial profiling.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 2004

Mr. Bell submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress and 
             the States should act to end racial profiling.

Whereas the vast majority of police officers and other law enforcement agents 
        nationwide discharge their duties and protect their communities in a 
        professional manner, without bias;
Whereas the use by some law enforcement agents of race, ethnicity, or national 
        origin in deciding which persons should be subject to traffic stops and 
        other discretionary law enforcement interventions (referred to in this 
        resolution as ``racial profiling'') is wrong;
Whereas statistical evidence from throughout the United States demonstrates that 
        racial profiling is a real and measurable phenomenon;
Whereas the vast majority of individuals subjected to such stops and 
        interventions based on race, ethnicity, or national origin are found to 
        be law-abiding;
Whereas racial profiling is, therefore, not an effective means to uncover 
        criminal activity;
Whereas racial profiling harms individuals subjected to it because the 
        individuals experience fear, anxiety, humiliation, anger, resentment, 
        and cynicism when unjustifiably treated as criminal suspects;
Whereas racial profiling damages the criminal justice system as a whole by 
        undermining public confidence and trust in the police, the courts, and 
        criminal law;
Whereas President Bush, in his first address to a joint session of Congress on 
        February 27, 2001, said that the practice of racial profiling is wrong 
        and pledged to end the practice; and
Whereas Attorney General John Ashcroft, as recently as July 25, 2002, made a 
        commitment to work with Congress to get a bill to the President's desk 
        that will make clear that racial profiling is wrong and should be banned 
        in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) Congress should enact legislation--
                    (A) to ban the practice of racial profiling; and
                    (B) to require Federal, State, and local law 
                enforcement to take steps to prevent the practice; and
            (2) every State should, following the lead already taken by 
        many States, require law enforcement agencies--
                    (A) to collect relevant data, including ethnicity, 
                regarding traffic stops;
                    (B) to have a written policy that strictly 
                prohibits racial profiling; and
                    (C) to create a grievance policy for those who 
                believe they have been subjected to racial profiling.
                                 <all>