[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 95 (Thursday, June 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION THAT WILL ENSURE THAT FEDERAL MONEY GRANTED 
  TO STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IS USED FOR ITS INTENDED PURPOSE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. YVETTE D. CLARKE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2012

  Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce legislation 
that will ensure that federal money granted to state and local law 
enforcement is used for its intended purpose, and not in violation of 
our constitutional right to equal protection. As a member of the House 
Committee on Homeland Security, I am proud of the service we provide to 
the American people. Through the Department of Homeland Security, over 
$35 billion in federal funds have been granted to local and state 
governments for counterterrorism programs that have kept our homeland 
safe since 9/11.
  Unfortunately, not every dime of federally granted money has been 
used wisely. Troubling reports demonstrate that DHS grants have been 
used to fund biased training activities that are inaccurate, 
surveillance programs that target members of neighborhoods simply 
because of their religion, and other activities that are overbroad and 
compromise our security. Aside from being unconstitutional, these 
programs fail to narrowly target individuals that are actual security 
threats.
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation that 
secures our homeland, while maintaining the integrity of federal 
grants. This legislation will require that DHS counterterrorism grants 
are used to fund training programs developed by the Department of 
Homeland Security, or training programs that are pre-approved by the 
Department's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and its Privacy 
Office. Additionally, the bill will require that the Department's 
Inspector General regularly review DHS funded programs to ensure that 
they are not used to support civil rights violations, including racial, 
ethnic, and religious profiling.
  Mr. Speaker, we all know the often quoted statement from Ben 
Franklin, one of the authors of the Constitution, that ``anyone who 
trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security.'' 
Today, we need both security and liberty, and can ill-afford to 
sacrifice either. These two concepts--security and liberty--are 
national interests that work hand-in-hand; when one is dismissed, the 
other is inherently discarded. This legislation is as much about the 
liberty of a few, as it is about the security of this whole nation.
  I hope my colleagues join my effort to restore the integrity of 
taxpayers' dollars; let us provide the appropriate tools to law 
enforcement so that they may secure our homeland well; nevertheless, 
let us also protect the American people from unreasonable government 
treatment by enacting this legislation.

                          ____________________