[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 20, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H6742-H6749]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EMMETT TILL UNSOLVED CIVIL RIGHTS CRIME ACT OF 2007
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 923) to establish an Unsolved Crimes Section in the
Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and an Unsolved
Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office in the Civil Rights Unit of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 923
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 ``Emmett Till Unsolved Civil
Rights Crime Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that all authorities with
jurisdiction, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and other entities within the Department of Justice, should--
(1) expeditiously investigate unsolved civil rights
murders, due to the amount of time that has passed since the
murders and the age of potential witnesses; and
(2) provide all the resources necessary to ensure timely
and thorough investigations in the cases involved.
SEC. 3. DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE CRIMINAL SECTION OF THE CIVIL
RIGHTS DIVISION.
(a) In General.--The Attorney General shall designate a
Deputy Chief in the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights
Division of the Department of Justice.
(b) Responsibility.--
(1) In general.--The Deputy Chief shall be responsible for
coordinating the investigation and prosecution of violations
of criminal civil rights statutes that occurred not later
than December 31, 1969, and resulted in a death.
(2) Coordination.--In investigating a complaint under
paragraph (1), the Deputy Chief may coordinate investigative
activities with State and local law enforcement officials.
(c) Study and Report.--
(1) Study.--The Attorney General shall annually conduct a
study of the cases under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Chief
or under the jurisdiction of the Supervisory Special Agent
and, in conducting the study, shall determine--
(A) the number of open investigations within the Department
for violations of criminal civil rights statutes that
occurred not later than December 31, 1969;
(B) the number of new cases opened pursuant to this Act
since the previous year's study;
(C) the number of unsealed Federal cases charged within the
study period, including the case names, the jurisdiction in
which the charges were brought, and the date the charges were
filed;
(D) the number of cases referred by the Department to a
State or local law enforcement agency or prosecutor within
the study period, the number of such cases that resulted in
State charges being filed, the jurisdiction in which such
charges were filed, the date the charges were filed, and if a
jurisdiction declines to prosecute or participate in an
investigation of a case so referred, the fact it did so;
(E) the number of cases within the study period that were
closed without Federal prosecution, the case names of
unsealed Federal cases, the dates the cases were closed, and
the relevant federal statutes;
(F) the number of attorneys who worked, in whole or in
part, on any case described in subsection (b)(1); and
(G) the applications submitted for grants under section 5,
the award of such grants, and the purposes for which the
grant amount were expended.
(2) Report.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, and each year
[[Page H6743]]
thereafter, the Attorney General shall prepare and submit to
Congress a report containing the results of the study
conducted under paragraph (1).
SEC. 4. SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS UNIT OF
THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION.
(a) In General.--The Attorney General shall designate a
Supervisory Special Agent in the Civil Rights Unit of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation of the Department of Justice.
(b) Responsibility.--
(1) In general.--The Supervisory Special Agent shall be
responsible for investigating violations of criminal civil
rights statutes that occurred not later than December 31,
1969, and resulted in a death.
(2) Coordination.--In investigating a complaint under
paragraph (1), the Supervisory Special Agent may coordinate
the investigative activities with State and local law
enforcement officials.
SEC. 5. GRANTS TO STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
(a) In General.--The Attorney General may award grants to
State or local law enforcement agencies for expenses
associated with the investigation and prosecution by them of
criminal offenses, involving civil rights, that occurred not
later than December 31, 1969, and resulted in a death.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years
2008 through 2017 to carry out this section.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated,
in addition to any other amounts otherwise authorized to be
appropriated for this purpose, to the Attorney General
$10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2017
for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting violations
of criminal civil rights statutes that occurred not later
than December 31, 1969, and resulted in a death. These funds
shall be allocated by the Attorney General to the Deputy
Chief of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division
and the Supervisory Special Agent of the Civil Rights Unit of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation in order to advance the
purposes set forth in this Act.
(b) Community Relations Service of the Department of
Justice.--In addition to any amounts authorized to be
appropriated under title XI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
(42 U.S.C. 2000h et seq.), there are authorized to be
appropriated to the Community Relations Service of the
Department of Justice $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2008 and
each subsequent fiscal year, to enable the Service (in
carrying out the functions described in title X of such Act
(42 U.S.C. 2000g et seq.)) to provide technical assistance by
bringing together law enforcement agencies and communities in
the investigation of violations of criminal civil rights
statutes, in cases described in section 4(b).
SEC. 7. DEFINITION OF ``CRIMINAL CIVIL RIGHTS STATUTES''.
In this Act, the term ``criminal civil rights statutes''
means--
(1) section 241 of title 18, United States Code (relating
to conspiracy against rights);
(2) section 242 of title 18, United States Code (relating
to deprivation of rights under color of law);
(3) section 245 of title 18, United States Code (relating
to federally protected activities);
(4) sections 1581 and 1584 of title 18, United States Code
(relating to involuntary servitude and peonage);
(5) section 901 of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3631);
and
(6) any other Federal law that--
(A) was in effect on or before December 31, 1969; and
(B) the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division of
the Department of Justice enforced, before the date of
enactment of this Act.
SEC. 8. SUNSET.
Sections 2 through 6 of this Act shall cease to have effect
at the end of fiscal year 2017.
SEC. 9. AUTHORITY OF INSPECTORS GENERAL.
Title XXXVII of the Crime Control Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
5779 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 3703. AUTHORITY OF INSPECTORS GENERAL.
``(a) In General.--An Inspector General appointed under
section 3 or 8G of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5
U.S.C. App.) may authorize staff to assist the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children--
``(1) by conducting reviews of inactive case files to
develop recommendations for further investigations; and
``(2) by engaging in similar activities.
``(b) Limitations.--
``(1) Priority.--An Inspector General may not permit staff
to engage in activities described in subsection (a) if such
activities will interfere with the duties of the Inspector
General under the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C.
App.).
``(2) Funding.--No additional funds are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers).
Mr. CONYERS. I thank my chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime.
Mr. Speaker, today is a very important day. What we're doing is
recalling a difficult period in American history to understand the
combined climate at that time that coexisted with fear and violence
during the civil rights era. And so we have the Emmett Till Unsolved
Civil Rights Crime Act.
The first thing I want to do is try to recapture, for the moment, all
those who were not in the Judiciary Committee the day of the testimony,
because it moved both Republicans and Democrats and visitors when we
had Myrlie Evers, the widow of Medgar Evers, who was himself a victim
of the violence that marked the civil rights era, talking to us about
Emmett Till and how this youngster's life was taken.
And it was one of those moments in judiciary history that we were all
electrified by the ability of our witnesses to recapture this moment in
our history.
{time} 1030
It was a remarkable hearing. I commend the gentleman from Virginia
(Mr. Scott) and others, including the ranking member of the Judiciary
Committee, Lamar Smith, and also I lift up the name of Steve King of
Iowa. Everybody was moved by this determination that at this point in
American history we are now moving forward at a pace that may not
always be recognized, faster than we think. And the reason I say that
is that we are now going back into history to make the corrections that
law enforcement could have and should have made at that earlier time.
So it is to me a very powerful determination of the Committee on the
Judiciary to bring H.R. 923 to the floor for the expedited action that
is required this morning.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 923, the Emmett Till
Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007. I am a cosponsor of H.R. 923,
which has broad bipartisan support.
At the full committee markup of this legislation last week, members
from both sides of the aisle, as Chairman Conyers just mentioned, and
from all backgrounds and experiences joined together to ensure the
swift prosecution of civil rights-era crimes, which were oftentimes
ignored.
It is appropriate that the House consider this legislation today, Mr.
Speaker. Last week marked the 44th anniversary of the murder of civil
rights leader Medgar Evers. Before his death, Medgar Evers was a
primary, although unofficial, investigator of the Emmett Till murder.
The committee was privileged to hear from his widow, Mrs. Myrlie Evers
William. She movingly testified that the conviction of Medgar's killer
in 1994, 31 years after his murder, gave a sense of hope to those who
experienced this bleak time in our Nation's history.
Last week also marked an enormous victory in the fight to bring
justice to unsolved civil rights-era murders. A Mississippi jury
convicted former Klansman James Ford Seale for his role in the 1964
kidnapping and murder of 19-year-olds Charlie Eddie Moore and Henry
Hezekiah Dee.
Unfortunately, time is running out for other unsolved civil rights-
era murders. To date, the FBI has identified nearly 100 outstanding
cases that still need to be solved. Many of these crimes are 30 to 40
years old. Evidence has been lost or destroyed, witnesses and
defendants have died, and memories have dimmed. We must act swiftly to
help bring long overdue justice to the victims, their families, and the
communities that these brutal crimes affected.
H.R. 923 directs the Attorney General to designate a deputy chief
within the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to
coordinate the investigation and prosecution of unsolved civil rights-
era murders. The bill also directs the Attorney General to designate a
supervisory special agent within the Civil Rights Unit of the FBI to
further investigate these outstanding cases.
Finally, the bill provides much-needed resources to the Department of
Justice, the FBI, and State and local law enforcement officials to
prosecute these same cases.
Mr. Speaker, I want to especially thank Chairman Conyers and
Representatives Nadler, Franks, Scott,
[[Page H6744]]
and Forbes, members of the Judiciary Committee, for their commitment to
this legislation.
I hope my colleagues will support this much-needed bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Forbes), the ranking member of the Crime Subcommittee,
and I ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control that time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to
the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), and I ask unanimous consent
that he be allowed to control that time on this side.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
Scott), and I yield him such time as he may consume.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 923, the Emmett Till Unsolved
Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007. This important bill enjoys wide
bipartisan and bicameral support. The bill will assist Federal, State,
and local governments with the important task of solving unsolved civil
rights-era crimes.
Mr. Speaker, at the recent joint hearing held by the Subcommittee on
Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security and the Subcommittee on
Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, we heard from six
excellent witnesses. The most moving of these were Mrs. Myrlie Evers
Williams and Mrs. Rita Schwerner Bender, both of whose husbands the Ku
Klux Klan assassinated because of the import civil rights work they
were doing. The Klan assassinated Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963, and
Michael Schwerner on June 21, 1964. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Lewis) has asked us to take up this act now because it coincides with
the anniversary of these two important events. In both cases it took
government authorities decades before the killers were convicted of
these brutal murders.
Unfortunately, these cases were not isolated incidents. There are
dozens of cases, probably hundreds, like these, some of which have
never been acknowledged, investigated, or prosecuted. Indeed, we don't
even know how many people were murdered during the 1950s and 1960s,
because retaliation was so common that many families did not dare
report that their loved ones had been murdered. The FBI has identified
more than 100 cold cases that should be investigated and, when
possible, charges should be brought against the accused killers.
I support H.R. 923 because it will hold the Department of Justice and
the FBI accountable for following through on these investigations and
prosecutions. The act requires the Attorney General to appoint a
specific high-ranking employee in each agency to be accountable for
this work. The act also requires the Department of Justice to report to
Congress annually on the progress it has made towards solving these
cases, and the first such report is due 6 months after the bill becomes
law.
Lastly, the bill authorizes funds to the Department of Justice, the
FBI, and when appropriate, State and local enforcement agencies, to
investigate and prosecute these cases.
The FBI has already made a start in investigating these cases when it
kicked off the Cold Cases Campaign in February of 2006 and expanded on
this campaign in February 2007 when it solicited assistance from major
civil rights organizations. However, there is still much more work that
needs to be done, and Federal resources are necessary to do it. H.R.
923 will provide these necessary resources.
I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Hulshof).
(Mr. HULSHOF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. HULSHOF. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding me the time
this morning.
Mr. Speaker, in 1963, while confined in the Birmingham city jail, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a letter to eight Alabama clergymen
regarding his recent demonstrations. In that letter, Dr. King
eloquently wrote: ``Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere.'' Dr. King's words ring true today in this debate on H.R.
923, the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act. We can no longer
stand by and allow those civil rights cold cases to collect dust on our
shelves. As a Nation, we owe it to the victims and their families and
the country generally to provide them with long overdue justice.
Before I begin, I see waiting in the wings my good friend and
colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis). His diligence and
perseverance on this legislation has been instrumental in getting us
here today.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for considering this bill.
It is truly an honor to stand in league with my friend from Georgia
as we began this bill, actually, this trek in the last session of
Congress, and certainly he is a giant in the civil rights legislation
and it is a privilege for me, Mr. Lewis, to stand with you on this
bill.
I also want to thank Alvin Sykes, who is the president of the Emmett
Till Justice Campaign, and also former Senator Jim Talent from
Missouri. Had it not been for them, I don't think we would be standing
here today. Mr. Sykes was inspirational in opening the Emmett Till
case, for whom this legislation is named. He came to Senator Talent two
years ago with the idea that ultimately spawned this legislation.
I think in the short time of this calendar year, a couple of months
ago we commemorated as a Nation the 150-year anniversary of the Dred
Scott decision. As the gentleman from Michigan eloquently stated a
moment ago, there have been chapters in our country's history that are
not proud chapters, and yet we cannot turn past those chapters in the
book of history, but instead must focus and right wrongs.
For those of you who don't know the story of Emmett Till, Emmett was
a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago who spent his summer
vacation with relatives in Mississippi. One afternoon, young Emmett
spotted a Caucasian woman and allegedly whistled. For this indiscretion
he was kidnapped from his house, brutally beaten, and thrown into a
river with weights around his neck. And although Emmett's murderers
were quickly arrested and placed on trial, the jury acquitted them and
they walked out of the courtroom as free men. What makes this story
even more tragic is that about a year later, one of the murderers
confessed to his guilty conduct, without remorse no less, in an
interview in Look magazine.
As an original cosponsor of this bill, I rise today to express my
strong support for this legislation as I hope it will help bring
closure to countless families who continue to suffer from injustices
perpetrated so long ago. As has been noted, this legislation will
establish an Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office within
the FBI to investigate these pre-1970 cases in conjunction with, that
is, in conjunction with, State and local authorities. H.R. 923 will
also create an Unsolved Crime Section to prosecute these cold cases.
In my previous life as a prosecutor, I tried some three dozen or so
murder cases. And with any trial, particularly murder trials, time is
of the essence. And that is especially true with cold cases that this
legislation addresses. Over the past nearly 20 years, we have had 29
unsolved civil rights murder cases that have been reopened, reexamined.
Thankfully, 22 convictions have resulted. We have seen justice brought
to the families of Henry Dee and Charlie Moore, who were only 19 when
they were murdered. What were their infractions that caused this
horrific end to their lives? Henry and Charlie were believed to have
knowledge about African Americans importing firearms into the country.
And for this James Ford Seale and a group of fellow Klansmen kidnapped
Henry and Charlie, took them into the woods, brutally beat them, and
drove them into Parker's Landing in Mississippi. Henry was tied to an
engine block and thrown into the Mississippi River, still alive.
Charlie had to sit there and watch his friend drown,
[[Page H6745]]
knowing that his fate would be no different. Their bodies were found
several months later, Henry still tied to the engine block, Charlie to
a pile of iron weights.
After more than 40 years, James Ford Seale was finally held
accountable for his actions, convicted just last week for his role in
the murders. A fellow Klansman was given immunity in exchange for
testifying about Seale's role in the murders.
The Nation has witnessed the conviction of Edgar Ray Killen for his
part in the murders of civil rights activists Andrew Goodman, Michael
Schwerner, and James Cheney. Ironically, tomorrow, June 21, actually
marks the anniversary of those murders.
We have recently seen authorities reexamine the murders of Johnnie
Mae Chappell in Florida and Jimmie Lee Jackson in Alabama and
hopefully, hopefully, with the enactment of H.R. 923, many more.
Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall once said: ``Justice too long
delayed is justice denied.'' I urge all my colleagues to support this
legislation so we can continue to help heal the Nation, rectify the
inequities of the past, and provide justice to those who have been
seemingly forgotten.
{time} 1045
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, in recognizing the gentleman from Georgia,
John Lewis, I can't help but observe that the difference between this
crime, the Emmett Till crime of 52 years ago, and today is that
passionately held beliefs about justice and fairness could cost you
your life. There are only a few people left in America today who put
their lives on the line knowingly in this struggle for justice, and the
one in this body, the 110th Congress, is none other than John Lewis of
Georgia, and I yield him as much time as he may consume.
Mr. LEWIS OF Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend,
the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, (Mr. Conyers) for those kind
words.
Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights
Crime Act is being considered today before the full House of
Representatives.
I would like to thank the lead cosponsor of this bill, my good
friend, Representative Kenny Hulshof from Missouri, and my good friends
in the United States Senate, Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, and
Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont for their distinguished support in
this effort.
Again, I must thank Chairman Conyers for all of his help and for all
of his support in bringing this bill before us today. Also,
Subcommittee Chairs Scott and Nadler for coordinating a powerful
hearing on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, the time has come for the sake of history, for the sake
of justice, for the sake of closure, the 110th Congress must pass this
legislation.
On August 28, 1955, almost 52 years ago, a 14-year-old boy from
Chicago, a young African American boy, was visiting his uncle in Money,
Mississippi. He was pulled from his bed in the darkness of night. He
was beaten until he could hardly be recognized. He was shot in the
head, and his body was dumped in the Tallahatchie River, all because
somebody said he had been fresh with a white woman.
Several years later, an intelligent and dignified NACP leader named
Medgar Evers was gunned down in front of his home in Mississippi in
June of 1963. Some historians said it was the injustice of these
unsolved two murders that began the mass movement in the American South
that we call the modern-day civil rights movement.
Who can forget the NAACP leader and his wife, Harry and Harriette
Moore, who were killed by a bomb on Christmas night as they celebrated
their 25th wedding anniversary in 1951 in Florida? Who can forget the
two black couples lynched about 60 miles east of Atlanta in 1946, or
the death of Lemuel Penn, a lieutenant colonel in the United States
Army Reserve from Washington, D.C., who was a veteran trying to get
home from Fort Benning, Georgia for a little rest. He was killed in
1964 as members of the KKK drove by him on a highway.
Who can forget Viola Liuzzo, shot down in Alabama in 1965, from the
hometown of our chairman, Chairman Conyers from Detroit, trying to
bring nonviolent activists back to their home after the Selma-to-
Montgomery march?
There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these crimes that were
never brought to justice. There are murderers who have walked free for
decades while the families of victims cry out for justice. Passing this
bill is the least we can do. And we must do something to right these
wrongs.
I will never forget the three civil rights workers, three young men I
knew, Andy Goodman, James Chaney and Mickey Schwerner. They came to
Mississippi with a simple mission, to register as many black voters as
possible. They were stopped, arrested, taken to jail. Later that night,
June 21, 1964, they were taken from jail by the sheriff and his deputy,
turned over to the Klan, where they were beaten, shot and killed. They
didn't die in Vietnam. They didn't die in Eastern Europe. They died
right here in the United States. They died in Philadelphia,
Mississippi.
Viola Liuzzo didn't die on a road or some street in Baghdad, she died
right there in Alabama on Highway 80. Lemuel Penn, Medgar Evers, Emmett
Till and countless others didn't die in the Middle East; they died
right here in our own country fighting for simple justice.
Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation, we have a mission, we have a
mandate. The blood of hundreds of innocent men and women is calling out
to us. Then, no one came to their aid. But today we can help make it
right. Let us move to close this dark chapter in our history. Let us
try to wash away the stains on our democracy. So I call on all of my
colleagues to pass this legislation and pass it today.
Mr. Speaker, I submit the following letters of support for H.R. 923,
the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act.
Lawyers' Committee for
Civil Rights Under Law,
Washington, DC, June 18, 2007.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Madam Speaker: I am writing on behalf of the Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to express our strong
support for H.R. 923/S. 535, the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil
Rights Crime Act. The bill, sponsored by Congressman John
Lewis of Georgia, will give the U.S. Department of Justice
the funding and tools necessary to investigate and prosecute
civil rights era murders.
Ever since our founding by President John F. Kennedy in
1963, the Lawyers' Committee has sought to attain equal
justice under law for all Americans, and the Unsolved Civil
Rights Crime Act is an important step in continuing that
mission.
We are hopeful that the House of Representatives will pass
the bill this week, as June 21 represents an incredibly
symbolic day in the history of the civil rights movement. On
that date in 1964, KKK member Edgar Ray Killen assembled a
mob to hunt down three civil rights workers in Mississippi.
The victims' names were James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and
Michael Schwerner. Those young men sacrificed their lives in
pursuit of equal rights for all Americans, yet their killer
roamed free for decades until a court finally convicted him
on June 21, 2005.
We urge Congress to mark this important anniversary by
passing H.R. 923.
The bill assigns offices within the Justice Department the
specific responsibility of investigating and prosecuting
civil rights murders before 1970. Then, civil rights murder
cases that went to trial often ended in hung juries. However,
today, different attitudes and improved race relations could
result in color-blind justice, and technological advancements
could allow prosecutors to present more persuasive evidence
at trial.
To this end, H.R. 923 will provide the Justice Department
with $11.5 million in funds to carry out their duties, a sum
publicly supported by a D.O.J. representative at a recent
House subcommittee hearing.
At that same hearing, Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of
slain civil rights worker Medgar Evers, spoke in support of
the bill. Her husband was assassinated in 1963, and three
decades later, a jury convicted 74 year-old Byron de la
Beckwith of the murder, proof that justice knows no time
limitations.
Although the Lawyers' Committee and Americans-at-large are
thankful that the Evers family and others have received some
level of closure, we know that countless American families
are still waiting to see justice served. Just last week, a
federal jury convicted James Ford Seale of two counts of
kidnapping in relation to the 1964 murders of two African-
American teenagers. Passage of the Emmett Till Unsolved
Crimes Act will help the Justice Department investigate and
prosecute cases similar to the Killen, Seale, and De la
Beckwith trials.
With your support of this measure, aging murderers who have
subverted our legal system for decades could finally face a
court of law. The long-grieving families of numerous victims
could hope to see closure. Perhaps
[[Page H6746]]
most importantly, this bill could assist the United States
government in upholding justice, no matter how long overdue.
Again, we urge you to mark this important anniversary by
scheduling a floor vote on H.R. 923/S. 535 this week. Please
feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding
this request.
Sincerely,
John G. Brittain,
Chief Counsel.
____
Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights,
Washington, DC, June 4, 2007.
Hon. John Lewis,
Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Christopher J. Dodd,
Russell Senate Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Kenny C. Hulshof,
Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Patrick J. Leahy,
Russell Senate Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Colleagues: On behalf of the Leadership Conference on
Civil Rights (LCCR), the nation's oldest, largest, and most
diverse civil and human rights coalition, with nearly 200
member organizations, we urge you to cosponsor and support
the bipartisan Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act
(S. 535/H.R. 923). LCCR believes that it is imperative to put
resources behind investigating and prosecuting those
individuals involved with committing the unsolved civil
rights era crimes.
The historic conviction of Edgar Ray Killen, for the 1964
deaths of three Mississippi Civil Rights workers, Andrew
Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, demonstrates
how it is imperative that our nation bring murderers to
justice, even if several decades have passed since these
heinous crimes were committed. However, time is running out
because the witnesses to these crimes are elderly.
S. 535/H.R. 923 will create two new offices to investigate
and prosecute unsolved civil rights era murders. The Unsolved
Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office, a new FBI office
headed by a Chief Investigator, will aggressively investigate
pre-1970 murder cases in coordination with state and local
law enforcement. The second office will be the Unsolved
Crimes Section in the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ, which
will focus specifically on prosecuting these cases. If a
crime other than murder is discovered during the course of an
inquiry, it will be referred to the appropriate law
enforcement officials.
The bill authorizes $11.5 million in annual appropriations:
$5 million for the Unsolved Crimes Section, $5 million for
the Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office and $1.5
million for Community Relations Service of the Department of
Justice to work with local communities in identifying these
cases.
We hope that you co-sponsor and support the Emmet Till
Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act (S. 535/H.R. 923), which will
bring to justice individuals who committed heinous crimes
against civil rights activists and individual African
Americans.
Sincerely,
Wade Henderson,
President & CEO.
Nancy Zirkin,
Vice President/Director of Public Policy.
____
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People,
Washington, DC, June 5, 2007.
Re H.R. 923, the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act.
Hon. John Lewis,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Kenny Hulshof,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressmen Lewis and Hulshof: On behalf of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP), our nation's oldest, largest and most widely-
recognized/grassroots civil rights organization, I would like
to thank you for your sponsorship of and leadership behind
H.R. 923 the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act. It
is imperative to bring murderers of early civil rights
activists to justice, to show the victims' families, as well
as the Nation, that their sacrifices continue to outrage our
Nation. The United States' government needs to commit the
resources necessary to see that these heinous crimes intended
to intimidate are resolved.
Witnesses and evidence to these crimes are aging and time
is of the essence. As proven by the historic 2005 conviction
of Edgar Ray Killen for the 1964 deaths of three Civil Rights
workers, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner,
and the 1994 conviction of Byron De La Beckwith of the murder
of Medgar Evers, more than 40 years earlier, there is no time
limit on justice.
As you know, this bill creates two new offices within the
Department of Justice whose sole purpose is to investigate
these crimes. The Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Investigative
Office, a new FBI office headed by a Chief Investigator, will
aggressively investigate pre-1970 cases in coordination with
state and local law enforcement officials that resulted in
death and remain unsolved. This office will do everything
possible to make certain those who have committed these
murders are brought to justice. The Unsolved Crimes Section,
a new office within the Civil Rights Division of the
Department of Justice, will focus specifically on prosecuting
these cases. If a crime other than murder is discovered
during the course of an inquiry it will be referred to the
appropriate law enforcement officials. Lastly, the bill
authorizes $11.5 million in annual appropriations: $5 million
for the Unsolved Crimes Section, $5 million for the Unsolved
Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office and $1.5 million for
Community Relations Service of the Department of Justice to
work with local communities in identifying these cases.
In order for our Nation to fully begin to move beyond these
heinous orimes, the federal government needs to resolve these
cases. Thank you again for your leadership on this bill; the
NAACP deeply appreciates all you are doing on this issue.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or
comments on the NAACP position, or if there is any way that I
can be helpful to you as we move ahead with this legislation.
Sincerely,
Hilary O. Shelton,
Director.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it is both humbling and an honor to speak on this bill
after the distinguished gentleman, Congressman Lewis, has just spoken.
And I join my colleagues in strong support of H.R. 923, the Emmett Till
Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act OF 2007, and also compliment Chairman
Conyers for his leadership and work on bringing this bill forward.
It is important that Congress adopt this legislation as quickly as
possible; 30 to 40 years have passed since many of these murders were
committed.
Under normal circumstances, trying a murder case is difficult and
costly. Add to that the loss or destruction of evidence, witnesses who
have died or are unavailable, and numerous procedural hurdles, it only
increases the difficulty and cost of prosecuting these crimes. But law
enforcement officers and prosecutors are continuing to pursue these
cases, and we applaud their efforts.
In 2006, the FBI directed all 56 of its field offices to comb through
their own cold case files and assess how many could be prosecuted. The
FBI identified roughly 100 such cases. Many cases are confined to a
handful of field offices that must complete rigorous in-depth
investigations before it's too late.
H.R. 923 directs the Attorney General to designate a deputy chief
within the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to
coordinate the investigation and prosecution of unsolved civil rights-
era murders. The bill also directs the Attorney General to designate a
supervisory special agent within the Civil Rights Unit of the FBI to
investigate these outstanding cases.
Mr. Speaker, most of these cases, if viable, will lack the requisite
Federal nexus for prosecution by the Department of Justice. Yet, the
Department and the FBI are able to provide valuable assistance to State
prosecutors in their investigations. The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil
Rights Crime Act provides additional resources to fully assess these
cases and bring the offenders to justice.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan has 7 minutes.
The gentleman from Virginia controls 13 minutes.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased now to yield to the articulate
gentlelady from Texas, Sheila Jackson-Lee, a distinguished member of
the committee, as much time as she may consume.
(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise
and extend her remarks.)
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, allow me to take a moment of
personal privilege to acknowledge the chairman of the full Judiciary
Committee. It has only been a little over 6 months, or almost 6 months,
that Mr. Conyers has taken the realm of this august body. And I think
if history is to be accurate, to recount the volcanic change that has
come about on the life-changing legislative initiatives that have been
able to be moved out of this committee, we recognize that hate should
not be applauded, but it should be made illegal.
[[Page H6747]]
We have confronted the issues dealing with the creativity of America,
addressing the questions of patent reform. We are looking closely at
the idea of how do we find a balance on the issue of immigration. We
are listening, we are learning, we are sympathetic. We are, in fact,
what the Judiciary Committee, one of the oldest committees, was really
intended to do: to listen to the grievances of people and be able to
find relief.
Let me thank the ranking member of the subcommittee, the ranking
member of the full committee, for they have partnered on a number of
initiatives, and we have found, sometimes, common ground. Today I rise
on that very shining example of a common ground.
Allow me to thank Congressman Hulshof of Missouri for his passion and
his commitment, and Mr. Sykes, who was a witness and who humbly said he
was simply a public servant, someone who thought this idea was long in
coming.
And so why we are here today is to talk about what many of you
perceive as a television program called Cold Cases. I wish it was as
simple as that. On that program, you do see the impact on families, but
it is, in fact, a television program. Today, we speak of lives, lives
long left on the dusty road of unsolved crimes, lives that are broken,
torn, full of tears, looking for just a semblance of justice and hope
in America. Maybe they were thinking of the words of Winston Churchill
when he spoke to President Roosevelt in the dark ways of World War II,
``Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.'' That is what this
bill does today; it gives the tools to America's prosecutors to pick up
the broken pieces of the civil rights movement.
In 1989, we put together a memorial for those who had lost their
lives in the civil rights era. They lost their lives not because they
were criminals, not because they were caught in an unfortunate
accident, but they lost their lives because they were on the
battlefield for justice. They were murdered because they were active in
the civil rights movement. They were killed by organized hate groups as
acts of terror aimed at intimidating blacks and civil rights activists
of many different colors and religious backgrounds. Their death, like
the death of Emmett Till, helped to galvanize the movement by
demonstrating the brutality faced by African Americans in the South. It
is an era of terror which all of us have come to stand against, proudly
so, which makes you very proud to stand here as an American, frankly,
the greatest country in the world. For we have traveled a blood-stained
road, but yet as we've traveled it, there have been those who have
tried to go back and be able to bring us forward, united, arm in arm
together, sweeping across America talking about the injustices of the
past, but looking forward to the future for our children.
And so this bill is in tribute to the likes of Rita Bender, a witness
who was brought before this committee. It was in recognition of the
lives that we have heard of, Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney, buried deep
in a mud pile. It was a testimony to John Lewis, who sits among us as
an icon of conscience, who will tell you that in those muddy fields of
Mississippi and Alabama, there are still skeletons that have yet been
found. For many were killed, unnamed, and the relatives were too
frightened to ever come forward. Maybe now, because this bill has a
section in it on community relations, and I am hoping that as we
provide oversight on this bill, we will increase those dollars from
$1.5 million to $2 million or $2.5 million, because one of the
witnesses said they could not have prosecuted the case had it not been
for the persistence and the heart and determination of the family
members, having lived under the shadow of this sin for so long.
This bill does create a deputy chief in the Criminal Division of the
Civil Rights Division. Many of us would have preferred a division, some
separate fixture standing with the responsibility to have the hammer,
if you will, of rightness. But we support this legislation, and we hope
that as our chairman has been diligent and vigilant, as he looks
forward, that we will ensure that that deputy chief does the right
thing and provides a vigorous advocacy and prosecution of those
unsolved crimes.
{time} 1100
Let me, Mr. Speaker, just recount very briefly the moving testimony
that was given of the witnesses. Let me home in, if I could, on Myrlie
Evers Williams. Why? Because it is part of my psyche to have seen
Medgar Evers folding down on his front yard as he was murdered going
into his home to see his wife and his children.
Can you imagine the horror of waiting for daddy to come home, waiting
for your husband to come home, the dinner on the table, the radio
playing, the children making the kinds of pleasant noises that children
make? Her husband was a warrior, but a gentle man, a man of peace, a
man who was willing to sacrifice his own future so that he might bring
justice to some.
Let me, Mr. Speaker, as I close, simply ask my colleagues to remember
this past and go to the future as I ask for support for this
legislation.
I thank you, John Lewis, and I thank you, John Conyers.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong of H.R. 923, the ``Emmett Till Unsolved
Civil Rights Crimes Act of 2007.'' This legislation, which I am proud
to co-sponsor and strongly support, is intended to complete some of the
Nation's most important unfinished business. And that is to solve some
of the most depraved acts of violence against persons belonging to a
racial group that was vulnerable, politically powerless, and innocent,
and against those persons who risked life and limb to help them secure
the rights promised in the Declaration of Independence and made real in
the Constitution.
The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act of 2007 is long
overdue. I thank our colleague, John Lewis of Georgia, who is widely
recognized as the moral conscience of the House for sponsoring this
legislation and I thank Chairmen Conyers, Scott, and Nadler for their
work in shepherding it through the legislative process.
Mr. Speaker, in 1989, the Civil Rights Memorial was dedicated in
Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the modern Civil Rights
Movement. The Memorial honors the lives and memories of 40 martyrs who
were slain during the movement from 1954 to 1968, including Emmett
Till. But we know that many more people lost their lives to racial
violence during that era. In fact, at the time the Memorial was
dedicated, the killers of 13 of the 40 martyrs whose names are
inscribed on the Memorial had not been prosecuted or convicted. In 10
of the 40 deaths, defendants were either acquitted by all-white juries
or served only token prison sentences. We also know there are many
cases that still cry out for justice. These unsolved crimes represent a
continuing stain on our Nation's honor and mock its commitment to equal
justice under law. The legislation before us is intended to help us
remove that stain once and for all.
The 40 victims selected for inclusion in the Civil Rights Memorial
fit at least one of three criteria: (1) they were murdered because they
were active in the civil rights movement; (2) they were killed by
organized hate groups as acts of terror aimed at intimidating blacks
and civil rights activists; or, (3) their deaths, like the death of
Emmett Till, helped to galvanize the movement by demonstrating the
brutality faced by African Americans in the South. The 40 persons who
fit the selection criteria ranged in age from 11 to 66. Seven were
white, and 33 were black. They were students, farmers, ministers, truck
drivers, a homemaker and a Nobel laureate.
But Mr. Speaker, there are many, many other victims besides the 40
who are remembered on the Memorial. The Southern Poverty Law Center
reports that its research uncovered approximately 75 other people who
died violently between 1952 and 1968 under circumstances suggesting
that they were victims of racial violence. For most of them the reason
their names were not added to the Memorial is because not enough was
known about the details surrounding their deaths. Sadly, the reason so
little is known about these cases is because they were never fully
investigated or, in some cases, law enforcement officials were involved
in the killings or subsequent cover-ups. And because the killings of
African Americans were often covered up or never seriously
investigated, there is little reason to doubt that many slayings were
never even recorded by the authorities.
The reason justice had not been served was the callous indifference,
and often the criminal collusion, of many white law enforcement
officials in the segregated South. There simply was no justice for
African Americans during the civil rights era. The whole criminal
justice system--from the police, to the prosecutors, to the juries, and
to the judges--was perverted by racial bigotry. African Americans were
routinely beaten, bombed and shot with impunity. Sometimes, the killers
picked their victims on a whim. Sometimes, they targeted them for their
activism. In other cases, prominent white citizens were involved and no
consequences flowed. Herbert Lee of Liberty, Mississippi, for example,
was shot in the head by a state legislator in broad daylight in 1961.
[[Page H6748]]
It is, of course, fitting and proper that H.R. 923 bears the name of
Emmett Till, whose slaying in 1955 and his mother's decision to have an
open casket at his funeral stirred the Nation's conscience and
galvanized a generation of Americans to join the fight for equality.
Sadly, hundreds of them were killed in that struggle, and many of the
killers, like those of Emmett himself, were never successfully
prosecuted.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to learn that the Department of
Justice strongly supports this legislation. It should. No government
agency has done more through the years to protect and defend the civil
rights of African Americans and other victims of injustice. I hope the
DOJ's embrace of this legislation represents a rededication to its
historic role of ensuring equal justice under law for all, even the
poor, powerless, and vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the heart of this legislation is sections 3 and 4.
Section 3 establishes a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Section of the
Civil Rights Division. Section 3 requires the Attorney General to
designate a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights
division who will be responsible for coordinating the investigation and
prosecution of violations of criminal civil rights statutes that
occurred before December 31, 1969, and ended in death.
Section 3 also requires a study and report to Congress about the
number of cases opened, the number of Federal prosecutions commenced,
the number of cases of State and local prosecutions where the DOJ
assisted, the number of cases that have been closed, and the number of
open pending cases. The report shall be made not later than 6 months
after the enactment of the Act.
Section 4 of the bill establishes a parallel component in the Civil
Rights Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be headed by a
Supervisory Special Agent designated by the Attorney General. This
Supervisory Special Agent in the Civil Rights Unit is responsible for
investigating violations of criminal civil rights statutes that
occurred not later than December 31, 1969, and resulted in death. The
Supervisory Special Agent should, where appropriate, coordinate
investigations with State and local law enforcement officials.
Mr. Speaker, although I strongly support H.R. 923, I believe the bill
would be even stronger if it incorporated three small but important
amendments. First, I would recommend an amendment containing
Congressional findings of fact that help explain to the nation and the
world why the Congress was compelled to enact this vitally important
legislation. We are enacting this legislation not because of who the
perpetrators of these unsolved criminal violations of civil rights
statutes are, but who we are, and who their victims were.
Mr. Speaker, over the past half century, the United States has made
tremendous progress in overcoming the badges and vestiges of slavery.
But this progress has been purchased at great cost. From Reconstruction
through the modern Civil Rights Movement, heinous and depraved acts of
violence were committed against persons belonging to a racial group
that was innocent, vulnerable, and politically powerless, and also
against those persons who risked life and limb to help them secure the
rights promised in the Declaration of Independence and made real in the
Constitution. Many of these crimes remain unsolved and no one has ever
been held accountable.
Examples of unsolved cases include the 1968 ``Orangeburg Massacre''
at South Carolina State University where state police shot and killed
three student protesters; the 1967 shooting death of Carrie Brumfield,
whose body was found on a rural Louisiana road; the 1957 murder of
Willie Joe Sanford, whose body was fished out of a creek in
Hawkinsville, GA; the 1946 killing of a black couple, including
a pregnant woman, who was pulled out of a car in Monroe, GA, and
dragged down a wagon trail before being shot in front of 200 people.
These unsolved crimes represent a continuing stain on our Nation's
honor and mock its commitment to equal justice under the law. Solving
these cases is part of the unfinished work of America. President
Kennedy said it so well 44 years ago, when he addressed the Nation on
June 11, 1963: ``this Nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts,
will not be fully free until all its citizens are free.''
A second amendment I would recommend is the establishment of a
specially created section within the Civil Rights Division with
dedicated resources, personnel, and budgetary authority to investigate
and prosecute notorious and neglected pre-1970 criminal violations of
the civil rights statutes.
I believe that in designating the Deputy Chief required by this
legislation, the Attorney General must also be required to delegate to
the Deputy Chief authority over the necessary personnel and budgetary
resources. The high hope of H.R. 923 is that it may help bring justice
to those whom justice has been delayed for more than two generations.
The Deputy Chief, therefore, has an awesome responsibility. If we are
to expect positive results, it is incumbent upon us to provide the
Deputy Chief the resources and authority needed to be successful. As
Winston Churchill said to President Roosevelt during the dark days of
1940: ``Give us the tools and we will finish the job!''
I am pleased, however, that the bill authorizes annual appropriations
of $10 million for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2017 for the
purpose of investigating and prosecuting pre-1970 criminal violations
of the civil rights statutes that resulted in a death. Similarly, I am
pleased that the bill authorizes annual appropriations of $1,500,000 to
the Community Relations Service of the Department of Justice to provide
technical assistance by bringing together law enforcement agencies and
communities in the investigation of criminal violations of civil rights
statutes.
My third amendment I would recommend is to increase the amount of
this annual appropriation by $500,000 to $2 million and to make this
funding source available to assist the families of victims in coping
with the loss of a loved one through counseling and other support
services, financial and otherwise. Such assistance must be available to
the victim's families because in many cases the testimony of a family
member may be indispensable to government investigators and
prosecutors. I am particularly mindful that the witnesses testifying
before the Judiciary Committee hearing affirmed their belief that the
government's ability successfully to investigate and solve criminal
civil rights violations would be greatly enhanced were assistance and
support available to the victims' families.
Mr. Speaker, 44 years ago, Medgar Evers was murdered in Jackson,
Mississippi; justice would not be done in his case for more than twenty
years. But that day was foretold because the evening before the death
of Medgar Evers, on June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy addressed
the Nation from the Oval Office on the state of race relations and
civil rights in America. In his historic speech to the nation President
Kennedy said:
We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as
old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American
Constitution.
One hundred years of delay have passed since President
Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons,
are not fully free. They are not yet freed from the bonds of
injustice. They are not yet freed from social and economic
oppression. And this Nation, for all its hopes and all its
boasts, will not be fully free until all its citizens are
free.
H.R. 923 is intended to help bring justice to those whom justice has
been delayed for more than two generations. In doing so, this
legislation will help this Nation fulfill its hopes and justify its
boast that in America all persons live in freedom.
Mr. Speaker. I strongly support this historic legislation and urge
all Members to join me in voting for its passage.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren).
(Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California asked and was given permission
to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, this is an
important bill. The fact that it is on suspension ought not to suggest
that it is not an important bill. This bill is another in a number of
bills that helps us heal some tremendous wounds in this country that go
to the very essence of this country.
The Civil War, which caused more bloodshed than any other war that
this Nation has been engaged in, is viewed as the tremendous act of
expiation with the effort of this Nation to resolve, in its own mind,
what it meant by every man and woman being equal.
That began the process that was followed through in a remarkable
period of time during the last century called the civil rights
revolution. But that revolution has not ended. There are still things
that need to be done.
One of the terrible stains left on this Nation is the lack of justice
done for those who suffered at the hands of people who believed this
country would never recognize the rights of all; those who thought they
could act with impunity to threaten, to terrorize, to murder other
human beings merely because of the color of their skin.
I call this bill the ``last chance bill,'' the ``now or never bill.''
If we don't do this now, we will never have the chance to do it again,
because those individuals who were involved in these crimes may not be
around, and the family members of those who were victims of these
crimes may not be around. We give ourselves a 10-year period of time in
which we make a real effort to try and bring those to justice who
should have been brought to justice a long time ago.
[[Page H6749]]
In the process, we say to all Americans, We understand the injustice
that was done. We will make sure it is never repeated again. We will
work to make this country a better place now and in the future.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Gohmert).
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank our subcommittee chairman, and I
thank our full committee chairman and subcommittee ranking member as
well.
Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill. As it has been said, there
exists in America an open sore that is yet to be remedied. I note that
sometimes people see an amount of money that is being spent and say
that is too much money. But in this case, there is an injustice that
cries out for healing and for addressing.
When one American, regardless of race, creed, color, gender,
religion, national origin, when one is struck down, then all of us are
struck down. We need to address this. Now, I am not one of those who
believes that we need to run forward and apologize for the sins of
others that we didn't commit. But in this case, this bill addresses an
injustice.
We have the power. We have the wherewithal and the ability to address
this wrongdoing and this injustice. If we were not to take action, then
this body would owe an apology, and I do not want to see that become
necessary.
There are times that we hear moving testimony, and our heart is
moved. But we know for the greater good of the country we must do
something else. This is one of those cases in which we heard testimony
that was very moving, and the heart is aligned with the head. This
requires action. I appreciate the leadership moving this forward so
that this injustice, this open sore, can finally be addressed.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, this bill, partnered by the gentleman from
Georgia, a Democrat, and the gentleman from Missouri, a Republican,
shows what we can do when we just pause and take a breath from the
partisanship, the finger pointing, the negative attacks by the press
and even some Members of our own body against this great body and join
together to move this country forward.
I want to thank all of the individuals who worked on this bill,
especially the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
At this time I would like to yield to the chairman of the Judiciary
Committee
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member, Mr.
Forbes. I think this is an important step forward. I have been amazed
by the congeniality and the cooperation that has been extended to me by
all of the members of the House Judiciary Committee.
Things come around. This is a historic moment. It has been expressed
with great articulateness by Members on your side of the aisle, Mr.
Forbes, as well as mine. But the witnesses on that day in Judiciary,
and Myrlie Evers Williams stands out more than anyone else, were so
amazing that I want everyone to go back and read the testimony that
just electrified us all.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, the chairman should have the last word on
this, and so he has.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Snyder). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 923, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
____________________