[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 91 (Thursday, June 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1134-E1135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ON ITS 140TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 2010

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 1422, ``Honoring the Department of Justice on the occasion 
of its 140th anniversary,'' as introduced by our distinguished 
colleague from Wisconsin, Representative Sensenbrenner.
  Since its establishment in 1870, the Department of Justice has taken 
the lead in enforcing Federal laws, furnishing counsel in Federal 
cases, and providing interpretations of the laws under which other 
executive agencies act. The DOJ's mission has grown as well, meeting 
challenges that could hardly have been envisioned in 1870. It now has 
seven separate, specialized divisions, covering Antitrust, Civil, Civil 
Rights, Criminal matters, Environment and Natural Resources, National 
Security, and Tax, as well as agencies including the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, the Bureau of Prisons, the United States Marshals 
Service, the U.S. Central Bureau-International Criminal Police 
Organization, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Office of Justice 
Programs.
  DOJ's work is as important now as it ever has been. It is one of the 
leading agencies involved in the protection of our national security; 
its work has led to the disruption of multiple terrorist organizations 
in the last decade alone.
  The Department plays a key role in the protection of our citizens' 
intellectual property, helping protect their interest in work they pour 
their energies into. Since 2004, the Department of Justice has led the 
2 largest multinational law enforcement efforts ever directed at online 
piracy, involving simultaneous efforts in 12 countries, more than 200 
searches and arrests in more than 30 States, more than $100,000,000 in 
seized pirated works, and a total of 112 felony convictions to date.
  DOJ's Antitrust Division is responsible for protecting consumer 
interests from anti-competitive practices in all sectors of the 
economy. As industries move further and further towards consolidation--
in printing, in broadcasting, in the airline industry, and throughout 
our economy--DOJ has the responsibility to make sure that actions taken 
in the name of efficiency don't lead to the dangers of monopoly.
  Through its Office of Justice Programs, DOJ has partnered with state 
and local law enforcement agencies to provide guidance and funding for 
important initiatives. Violent Crime Impact Teams have arrested more 
than 14,100 gang members, drug dealers, felons in possession of 
firearms, and other violent criminals, including more than 2,800 
identified as the `worst of the worst' criminals. Operation FALCON 
(Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) is a series of nationwide 
fugitive apprehension operations coordinated by the Department of 
Justice, and has resulted in the collective capture of more than 55,896 
dangerous fugitive felons since its inception in 2005.

[[Page E1135]]

  For almost a century and a half, the Department of Justice has been a 
critically important part of the Federal government, and it has an 
equally important role to play in the next decades. I join 
Representative Sensenbrenner in honoring the Department on its 140th 
anniversary, and urge my colleagues to do so as well.

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