[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 26, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E195-E196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INTRODUCTION OF THE RACIAL PROFILING PREVENTION ACT

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 26, 2013

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill, the Racial 
Profile Prevention Act, to reestablish a federal grant program for 
states that desire to develop racial profiling laws, collect and 
maintain data on traffic

[[Page E196]]

stops, design programs to reduce racial profiling, and train law 
enforcement officers, which we were successful in getting included in 
the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A 
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005. Although that grant program was 
just a small piece of the large SAFETEA-LU bill, nearly half of the 
states participated in the program for multiple years. This experience 
speaks to the usefulness of the program to states. Racial profiling is 
a form of racial discrimination that was thrust back into the forefront 
of national concern by the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin, who died 
one year ago today.
  Racial profiling on roads built with federal funds is a violation of 
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, because it amounts to a 
government subsidy of discrimination. However, while racial profiling 
remains more widespread in our country than most other forms of 
discrimination, there is little experience in developing legislation in 
this sensitive area to address racial profiling while allowing for 
appropriate law enforcement. My bill would help states to better 
develop their racial profiling laws and help train law enforcement to 
avoid these problems.
  My bill imposes no mandates on states. Instead, it simply authorizes 
a grant program, but does not require states to participate. However, 
it provides resources that many states and localities clearly need if 
they are to curb racial profiling.

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