[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 102 (Wednesday, September 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1398-E1399]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE APPOINTMENT OF BILL LANN LEE AS ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR 
                              CIVIL RIGHTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud to the recess 
appointment of Bill Lann Lee as assistant Attorney General for Civil 
Rights. Bill Lann Lee is a true civil rights crusader, and his 
appointment reflects the Clinton-Gore administration's unflinching 
commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans by 
rigorously enforcing our nation's civil rights legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Lee's personal experiences with discrimination as an 
Asian-American have driven him to fight passionately for the last 
quarter century to secure the civil rights of all Americans. Bill Lann 
Lee's deep and personal commitment to civil rights and his outstanding 
record of service make him an exemplary choice for this critical 
position. In Bill Lann Lee all Americans can rest assured that they 
have a true civil rights crusader looking out for their civil rights, 
forcefully advocating fair affirmative action policies for all those 
discriminated against. The appointment of Bill Lann Lee as Assistant 
Attorney General for Civil Rights brings to this critical position a 
proven civil rights leader with a deep and personal commitment to 
protecting the rights of all Americans.
  Bill Lann Lee's personal drive in civil rights advocacy was fueled by 
the experiences of his father, a proud but poor Chinese immigrant. Bill 
Lann Lee grew up knowing his father fought for freedom abroad in World 
War II even though he was denied dignity and freedom here at home 
because of his ethnicity. Inspired by that kind of unshakeable 
patriotism, Bill Lann Lee set out to establish a legal career in which 
he could fight to protect all Americans from the kind of discrimination 
his father experienced. Today he says, ``Whenever I work on cases for 
women, for minorities, for individuals who need help, I sincerely feel 
that they are people like my father.'' Bill Lann Lee's desire to 
protect everyone from discrimination is a personal one, and it is this 
kind of commitment that makes him an outstanding choice for Assistant 
Attorney General for Civil Rights.
  Mr. Speaker, Bill Lann Lee brings a strong work ethic and record of 
service to his new position. He who grew up near Harlem's 125th street, 
and spent hours sorting piles of dirty clothes in his family laundry. 
He experienced racism because of his Asian-American background, but he 
had the courage and determination to work beyond that bias and excel in 
the classroom. Because of his hard work, he had the opportunity to take 
advantage of a scholarship for minorities and attended Yale University, 
graduating Phi Beta Kappa.
  He went on to Columbia Law School, where he studied with Jack 
Greenberg, a veteran civil rights lawyer who succeeded Thurgood 
Marshall as director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Because 
of Bill Lann Lee's hard work, he received an excellent education and 
laid the foundation for an outstanding legal career at the forefront of 
Civil Rights advocacy. It is from this position that he has spent the 
last 25 years continuing to work hard to protect the civil rights of 
all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, for the past 25 years of his distinguished legal career, 
Bill Lann Lee has been an advocate for civil rights enforcement, 
leading the fight for health care accessibility, public transportation 
equity, fair employment and housing rights and school desegregation. He 
worked for the NAACP since 1974 and the Center for Law in the Public 
Interests since 1983 where he served for five years as supervising 
attorney for Civil Rights Litigation. Among his most noteworthy 
victories are a 1985 case that provided housing for Los Angeles area 
residents displaced by the Century Freeway; a 1987 case that broke down 
barriers to the hiring and promotion of women and minorities at Lucky 
Stores, a retail chain in California; and a 1991 case that led to the 
expansion of California's efforts to screen underprivileged children 
for lead poisoning.

[[Page E1399]]

  On December 15, 1997, Bill Lann Lee was appointed Acting Attorney 
General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice. In this 
position, he has worked to strengthen our nation's hate crime laws, 
make society accessible to Americans with disabilities, fight housing 
discrimination, and protect reproductive health care providers and 
combat modern day slavery. His accomplishments as Acting Assistant 
Attorney General have been remarkable, and that taken together with his 
previous accomplishments in the NAACP and the Center for Law in the 
Public Interests make him an excellent choice for Assistant Attorney 
General for Civil Rights.
  Mr. Speaker, Bill Lann Lee has established a remarkable record of 
service as Acting Assistant Attorney General, and it is most fitting 
that President Clinton made the recess appointment of Mr. Lee as 
Assistant Attorney General because of his deep commitment to protecting 
the civil rights of all Americans. Bill Lann Lee deserves to serve in 
this position, but more importantly, our country needs to have Bill 
Lann Lee in this post.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend President Clinton for appointing Bill Lann Lee 
to the post of Assistant Attorney General, and I applaud the 
appointment of the first Asian-American to America's top civil rights 
post.

                          ____________________