[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 76 (Monday, May 18, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H3297-H3301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE URGENCY OF NOW: ADDRESSING REFORM, ACCOUNTABILITY, EQUALITY, AND 
                               DIVERSITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I am glad to be joined by my colleague and 
friend, the gentlewoman from Illinois, Ms. Robin Kelly. Thank you, 
Congresswoman Kelly, for joining me in coanchoring this Special Order 
hour tonight. Thank you also to the members of the Congressional Black 
Caucus and to all those watching from home.
  Madam Speaker, last month, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man Baltimore 
man, died in police custody from a spinal cord injury. His death, ruled 
a homicide, has drawn ongoing national attention to the increasingly 
frayed relations between police and communities throughout the United 
States.
  Tonight we come together as a caucus to address the urgent need to 
reform our criminal justice system and promote police accountability 
and also to talk about many different issues of diversity in our 
Nation.
  Our Nation is at a crossroads. Failure to make meaningful reforms to 
our criminal justice system risks damaging relations between 
communities and police beyond repair. But real commonsense reforms that 
enhance transparency, advance public safety, eradicate discrimination, 
and instill trust can create a system that works for all Americans.
  Currently, our law enforcement system and criminal justice system 
aren't working for African Americans and other minorities. As a result, 
a meaningful dialogue between law enforcement and the communities they 
are charged with protecting remains illusive.
  Tonight we will speak to the urgent need to reform our criminal 
justice and police systems so that we can breathe new life into the 
American promise of full equality and justice for all.
  With that, Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois 
(Ms. Kelly).
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. I thank my friend from New Jersey for leading 
tonight's Special Order hour.
  Madam Speaker, once again, the Congressional Black Caucus has the 
opportunity to discuss some of the many important issues and challenges 
facing our Nation right now. I strongly believe that our conversation 
here tonight is a critical discussion for the record as we continue the 
work of making our communities and country better. The urgency of now, 
addressing reform, accountability, equality, and diversity, that is 
quite a title, but what does it all mean in the context of our full 
discussion?

                              {time}  1930

  America is celebrated for being a melting pot, but I like to say a 
tossed salad or a stew, because in a stew or salad you don't lose your 
identity, but you learn to live together in the same gravy or the same 
salad dressing. This Congress is, without a doubt, a true testament to 
the diverse people, personalities, and communities that make this great 
Nation so great.
  But in these dynamic times, how can we ensure that our laws and 
policies are fully embracing our melting pot or our stew of a nation? 
How can we ensure that we make this great Union even more perfect? It 
starts with holding ourselves accountable in just a myriad of respects 
on the economic front, with respect to our justice system, in 
appreciating our diversity and inclusion for all Americans. I look 
forward to a fruitful conversation on this and thank my coanchor, 
Representative Payne.
  I did want to acknowledge the Diversity Dinner that we had last week. 
These days we hear so much about the toxic partisan atmosphere in 
Congress, titles like ``How Congress Became So Partisan'' in The 
Washington Post to Nick Gass at Politico's piece, ``This Graphic Shows 
How America's Partisan Divide Grew.'' The reports of Congress' 
hyperpartisanship are abundant. The reports point to the loss of 
camaraderie and friendship amongst colleagues across the aisle. This 
perception undoubtedly contributes to our dismal 15 percent approval 
rating.
  Since my time as a State legislator in the Illinois statehouse, I 
have been hosting Diversity Dinners to grow friendships and nurture 
collegial working relations among legislators who may not otherwise 
interact. Tonight as we discuss equality and diversity, I want to 
reflect on what I see as encouraging in bridging differences and 
understanding in different communities.
  Last week I hosted, along with other Members, my second annual 
congressional Diversity Dinner. Forty Members of Congress from both 
parties, including Members from both Republican and Democratic 
leadership, showed up and enjoyed a meal with their colleagues. During 
the dinner, we weren't Democrats or Republicans; we were colleagues 
with some great stories to share. At this year's dinner, I saw a 
microcosm of our Nation, a crowd made up of Members from coast to coast 
with truly diverse backgrounds coming together to enjoy each other's 
company.
  If we can put aside our partisan blinders to break bread together, I 
am confident we can find ways to work together. That is what America 
wants and needs, and that type of leadership is the kind of leadership 
we deserve.
  Today we have an opportunity to celebrate diversity and show that 
bipartisanship can thrive in Congress. In recent months we have seen 
the trust between political parties, law enforcement, and communities 
across the Nation spike. Now is the time for us to come together to 
address the reforms needed to rebuild this trust. Let's show the 
American people that we are a diverse body that won't let party lines 
divide us or define us.
  Mr. PAYNE. I would like to thank the gentlewoman for her thoughtful 
comments.
  Madam Speaker, it is true, we have come to a point in this Nation 
where one side has gone to one corner and the other side has gone to 
another corner not to meet in the middle to solve issues and problems. 
There was a time when this great body would compromise. You didn't get 
everything you wanted, and I didn't get everything I wanted. So that 
means we compromised and came to a decision.
  The gentlewoman also makes a good point about working with Members on 
the other side of the aisle. The gentlewoman from Arizona, the Speaker 
pro tempore this evening, has become a great collaborator with myself 
on the Homeland Security Subcommittee which she chairs, and we have 
worked extensively together on legislation that we both support. We 
need more of that. We need more of that to happen. We need to take the 
time to hear each other, to listen, and to see where we don't agree on 
everything but there are common threads that we can build and bind 
together.
  So with that, I am proud to see her sitting in that chair. I get to 
sit next to her in committee, so it puts me closer to the Speaker's 
chair, and I feel privileged for that.
  Right now, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas, the Honorable 
Sheila Jackson Lee. She is one of the most thoughtful Members of the 
United States House of Representatives. She hails from Houston, Texas, 
and she always has great words of wisdom, thoughts, and ideas on the 
issues that we face in this great Nation.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I think by the spirit and the tone of 
this Special Order we can see that there is hope and a pathway for 
collaboration.
  Let me thank Mr. Payne, who has evidenced those collaborative efforts

[[Page H3298]]

through his leadership on homeland security and successful leadership, 
passing any number of legislative initiatives in a bipartisan manner. I 
also am delighted to join Congresswoman Robin Kelly. And she is right. 
She had a very successful Diversity Dinner last week, and I am sure it 
outdid the one the year before, and there was a lot of cross-
pollination, good feelings, and discussions about very important 
issues.
  We found that America is a diverse nation, and we are happy when we 
have the ability to understand each other's cultures or understand the 
background that each of us have come from. Our own neighborhoods make 
us different, our own faith modes are different, our family members' 
mode is different, where we went to school. Yet in this place, the 
American people ask us, as both Mr. Payne and Ms. Kelly are saying 
today, to walk a pathway of bipartisanship, but really towards success. 
So allow me just briefly to comment on one or two points regarding 
diversity.
  I would highlight that one of the areas is where I formerly served as 
a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. In years 
past, we have gathered around science, technology, engineering, and 
math, and we have gathered around transportation infrastructure. I hope 
in our words tonight that we will find a way to forge a way forward for 
transportation infrastructure, because every one of us needs not only 
good roads, highways, and dams, but we need good public transportation, 
as evidenced by the heinous and unacceptable tragedy last week with 
Amtrak.

  I might add that I am a space chauvinist, a NASA supporter. Many 
centers are around the Nation. It is a job creator, as is 
infrastructure, and I would hope that we would write a bill and have 
Republicans and Democrats support the value of human space exploration. 
What a pathway for bipartisanship. We haven't gone that way, Madam 
Speaker, but I am hoping that the words we offer tonight will see us do 
that.
  Let me focus on my last point and indicate that we have a moment, a 
significant moment in history. This is a great cause, and that cause is 
to find a pathway for criminal justice reform. Yesterday marked the 
61st anniversary of the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of 
Education, a decision that overruled the separate but equal doctrine of 
Plessy v. Ferguson and gave needed momentum for the fight for reform, 
equality, and diversity in our Nation's schools and, I would say, 
society at large.
  Many communities are waiting for that kind of evenhandedness in 
justice in the criminal justice system. This does not mean that we 
throw targets at our friends in law enforcement. It means that we find 
ways for there to be an acceptance that we all can stand improvement, 
correction, enhancement, educational opportunities, tactics, and 
training. There is no shame to any of that.
  As I stood with our officers and families who were on the grounds of 
the Capitol on May 15, as I joined them for the police memorial for 
those who had fallen in duty, there were faces from all backgrounds, 
and we were singularly noting the tragedy of lost officers. At the same 
time as we mourn those officers, we know that there are officers who 
will look to work with us as we move this criminal justice system 
along.
  I would just like to acknowledge that as we do so, we can find 
bipartisanship, because the cost of incarceration, for example, is 
almost prohibitive. Madam Speaker, $75 billion is spent on local, 
State, and Federal incarceration. We have the largest percentage, 2 
million people, incarcerated across America.
  We can do better, and part of that is expanding community-oriented 
policing, building trust, a bill that I introduced, H.R. 59, that would 
create a pathway for ensuring that communities feel that they are being 
protected but not feel differently that they are being, if you will, 
put in a certain category to be utilized as a basis for revenue raising 
in our communities.
  Then we heard FBI Director Comey, and I agree with him. The science 
of doing a better job is data and statistics. So I introduced the CADET 
bill, Collection and Analysis of Data to Educate and Train Law 
Enforcement Officers. What it simply means is give them the numbers, 
the statistics, to know how they can do a better job at planning, going 
forward, how they police. Let there be information for us to be able to 
design the right kind of policing tactics that work for law enforcement 
and for the community. It is right out of the FBI Director's playbook. 
He said that we are operating without data, without statistics, and, 
frankly, that is not what we should be doing.
  Tomorrow we will be holding a hearing on the issue of police 
accountability and gaining the facts in the Judiciary Committee, but 
there is much more for us to do. For example, what are the educational 
requirements? What are the various resources used for mental health? 
And psychological needs and training and nonviolent conflict resolution 
received by police forces, police officers, the feasibility and 
emphasis of making greater use of the technological devices, such as 
body cameras. But I want more technology, laptops. Many law enforcement 
have laptops. We might need to move to iPads to be able to give them 
quicker response times and quicker support systems, to be able to 
ensure that we have the right tools to work together.
  And yes, you cannot breathe life into the reform of a criminal 
justice system if you do not have a component dealing with our youth, 
so I have introduced, of course, the Juvenile Accountability Block 
Grant Reauthorization bill and the antibullying Bullying Prevention and 
Intervention Act to be able to address a sort of a cause and a release 
for our young people. Madam Speaker, I would offer to say that there is 
much work that we can do. We will be looking at the legislation that 
many people have passed.
  I want to conclude on this note, to simply acknowledge the ranking 
member, John Conyers, on the Judiciary Committee that wants to join 
together with me to embrace the legislative initiatives of our Members 
to get the right kind of omnibus bill going forward for the American 
public to see criminal justice reform. I want to thank my colleagues 
for allowing me these comments and, as well, the bipartisan approach 
that you have taken.
  Madam Speaker, yesterday marked the 61st anniversary of the landmark 
decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the decision that overruled 
the ``separate but equal doctrine'' of Plessey v. Ferguson and gave 
needed momentum to the fight for reform, equality, and diversity in our 
nation's schools and society at large.
  Although much progress has been made in narrowing the gap between the 
nation's founding ideals and the objective reality, recent events 
demonstrate that we still have a ways to go before the dream of the 
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is realized in the areas of criminal 
justice reform, economic opportunity, and workplace diversity.


                        CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

  Madam Speaker, the problems revealed by several of the more notorious 
incidents involving the use of lethal force against unarmed citizens 
that have captured the attention of the nation over the past several 
months require a national response because the problems identified are 
not isolated or limited to one region of the country.
  For example, the death of 43 year-old Eric Garner resulting from the 
application of a NYPD police chokehold occurred in the Northeast and 
the death of 18 year-old Michael Brown and the resulting events in 
Ferguson occurred in the border state of Missouri.
  The killing of 12 year-old Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police officer 
occurred in the Midwest and death of unarmed 26 year-old Jordan Baker 
by an off-duty Houston police officer occurred in Texas.
  In Phoenix, Arizona, Rumain Brisbon, an unarmed black father of four, 
was shot to death when a police officer allegedly mistook his bottle of 
pills for a gun.
  In Pasadena, California 19 year-old Kendrec McDade was chased and 
shot seven times by two police officers after a 911 caller falsely 
reported he had been robbed at gunpoint by two black men, neither of 
whom in fact was armed.
  And, of course, on April 4, the conscience of the nation was shocked 
by the horrifying killing of 50 year-old Walter Scott by a North 
Charleston police officer in the southern state of South Carolina.
  Madam Speaker, while the problem is national in scope, it appears to 
affect disproportionately and adversely a particular demographic group: 
African American males.
  Because all lives matter in our great nation, it is imperative that 
we in Congress act swiftly and decisively to focus much needed 
attention and resources on legislative proposals intended to address 
the problem of misuse of

[[Page H3299]]

lethal force by law enforcement and to rebuild the public trust and 
confidence needed to ensure that law enforcement receive and maintain 
the support of the communities they serve and protect.
  As Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, 
Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, I note that there are 
several promising legislative criminal justice reform initiatives that 
have been introduced and are worthy of consideration.
  Among them are H.R. 59, the ``Build TRUST in Municipal Law 
Enforcement Act of 2015'' (Rept. Jackson Lee); H.R. 1459, the Democracy 
Restoration Act of 2015 (Rep. Conyers); H.R. 1810, the ``Collection and 
Analysis of Data to Educate and Train Law Enforcement Officers'' 
(``CADET Act''); H.R. 920, the ``Smarter Sentencing Act of 2015'' 
(Rept. Labrador); and S. 675, the ``Record Expungement Designed to 
Enhance Employment Act of 2015'' (REDEEM Act) (Sens. Paul and Booker).
  Madam Speaker, earlier this year FBI Director James Comey delivered a 
remarkable speech at Georgetown University in which he laid out several 
hard truths about the administration of the criminal justice system and 
state of community policing in our country.
  One of the hardest truths discussed by Director Comey is the fact we 
have limited information and inadequate data regarding the scope and 
extent of the problems endemic in the criminal justice system.
  This lack of information hampers the ability of policymakers and 
administrators at the federal, state, and local level to identify and 
implement laws, policies, and practices to remedy identified problems.
  The Judiciary Committee should immediately conduct hearings to 
educate the Congress and the public on the nature and extent of 
deficiencies in the nation's criminal justice systems and the efficacy 
of proposed solutions.
  Specifically, hearings should be held to investigate practices and 
policies governing: 1. the use of lethal force by state and local 
police departments; 2. educational requirements, mental health and 
psychological evaluations, and training in non-violent conflict 
resolution received by veteran law enforcement officers and new 
recruits; and 3. the feasibility and efficacy of making greater use of 
technological devices such as body cameras.
  A fourth area to be explored is the state of the social science 
research in the academic study of criminal justice reform because there 
is much the Committee can learn by engaging leading experts in the 
field regarding the state of knowledge in their respective disciplines.
  Madam Speaker, reforming the criminal justice system so that it 
dispenses justice impartially and equally to all persons is one of the 
most important challenges facing this Congress.
  And it is a goal that can be achieved if we work together in a spirit 
of goodwill and bipartisan cooperation.
  There are few things we can do that will provide a greater service to 
our nation.


                     Jobs and Economic Opportunity

  Madam Speaker, the current unemployment rate for African Americans is 
9.6%, this is nearly twice of the 4.7% unemployment rate of white 
Americans.
  African American children between the age of 16 and 19 have an 
unemployment rate of 27.5% whereas the unemployment rate for white 
teenagers of the same age is 14.5%.
  The median African American (34,600) household income is nearly 
24,000 less than the median income for White Americans' household.
  African Americans are almost 3 times more likely to live in poverty 
than white Americans.
  Madam Speaker, although the unemployment rate has decreased over the 
past year, a significant race-gap still remains.


                          workplace diversity

  Workplace diversity is critical to an organization's success and 
competitiveness.
  Workplace Diversity allows for an increased adaptability, broader 
service range, a variety of viewpoints, and more effective execution.
  Madam Speaker, with an increasingly global economy, the workforce has 
become more diverse, and an organizations success depends on its 
ability to manage diversity.
  That is why, for example, introduced an amendment that was adopted by 
the House to H.R. 4899, the ``Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an 
America that Works Act of 2014,'' to include legislation establishing 
an Interior Department Office of Energy Employment and Training charged 
with working with minority-serving educational institutions and other 
to expand the numbers and diversity of persons from across the 
voluntary with the skills and qualifications needed to take advantage 
of the exciting and rewarding opportunities that American energy 
industry has to offer and to keep America the world leaders in emerging 
energy technologies.
  I also introduced H.R. 70, the ``Deficit Reduction, Job Creation, and 
Energy Security Act,'' that requires the Secretary to establish an 
office of Energy Employment and Training and an Office of Minority and 
Women Inclusion responsible for all matters of the Department of the 
Interior relating to diversity in management, employment, and business 
activities.
  I also introduced, and the House adopted, an amendment to H.R. 4923, 
``Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 
for FY 2015,'' that increased funding for the Office of Economic Impact 
and Diversity by $500,000 to provide grants to Minority Serving 
Institutions to expand STEM programs and opportunities.
  Mr. PAYNE. I really appreciate the always thoughtful and timely 
remarks by the gentlewoman from Texas.
  Madam Speaker, at this time I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Sessions), a gentleman who has served this House with distinction. He 
served with my father, and now I have the great opportunity to work 
with him.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New 
Jersey. In fact, he did refer to the relationship that I had with Don 
Payne, a young Congressman from New Jersey who, in fact, engaged me as 
a new Member in the Caribbean Caucus. During that period of time that I 
engaged with the Congressman's father, we tried to pay attention to the 
Caribbean, as some would say, a gateway to the United States of 
America, but a land of a number of islands of people who are not only 
most accommodating to the United States of America, but really 
thoughtful in ingenuity involved in the people of the Caribbean.

                              {time}  1945

  I found through the relationship that I had with then-Congressman 
Payne, as he was co-chairman of the Caribbean Caucus, I learned the 
things that he tried to teach me about not only people, but about a 
relationship with the United States of America.
  I do miss Don. I want to thank the gentleman for not only knowing 
that, but acknowledging that. I want to thank the gentleman for 
yielding time to me to file the rule.
  I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. PAYNE. I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas who, as I 
said, has had a distinguished career to this point and will continue to 
show great leadership in this House of Representatives, and I thank him 
for his friendship.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order 
tonight.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, we heard a common thread about diversity. 
At the bottom of the Statue of Liberty, there are words on it and it 
says: ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to 
breathe free.''
  That has allowed many diverse people come here and look for the 
freedom that this Nation can extend to you and prosper. We need to 
continue that great tradition.
  I hear a lot these days about the borders and eliminating pathways to 
come here, and that has not been our tradition, so I do not believe, at 
this point in time in this Nation's history, that we should talk that 
way, or else, we should remove those words from the bottom of Lady 
Liberty.
  Equality and diversity is the center of criminal justice concerns. 
The inequality force is distrust which erodes relationships between 
police and communities. Baltimore and other police-related tragedies 
over the past year speak to the broader challenges.
  Unfortunately, racial discrimination persists throughout our Nation, 
undercutting the gains of African Americans in their communities.
  As we work to reform our criminal justice system, we must also work 
in support of equality in all context. This is the only way to fully 
meet the needs of our communities.
  As a caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus is committed to ensuring 
that the increasing diversity of the Nation is reflected in American 
business. To that end, we will make sure that American businesses 
receive the government contracts and tax preferences and taking 
concrete steps to improve diversity in efforts at all levels.

[[Page H3300]]

  Diversity in the workforce means diversity in all sectors, including 
technology industries where there is a lack of African Americans. We 
need to engage the tech center in increasing African American 
representation and inclusion in the industry.
  The American promise that we all are created equal must guide our 
efforts at all levels, from policing in our communities, to expanding 
opportunities for minorities in the workforce.
  Madam Speaker, there has to be balance in everything. We see the 
issues that towns such as Ferguson and Baltimore and Long Island, New 
York, have suffered with the tragedies of losing people in those 
communities, but we also know that police organizations have a 
difficult job, and they are trained to protect and serve. We must make 
sure that that is the goal, to protect and serve.
  Unfortunately, at times, we find circumstances or situations where 
they are in a position where they are not protecting and serving, but 
more like an occupying force. That is not what we need from our law 
enforcement officers.
  We need for them to engage in the community and understand what is 
going on in that community and have a good enough relationship that, 
when and if there is a circumstance where they need information, that 
the community feels comfortable enough to go to them with the 
information they need in order to serve the issue.
  There is good and bad in everyone, Madam Speaker. There are good 
public servants and bad public servants; there are good teachers and 
bad teachers; there are good speakers and bad speakers, poor speakers, 
but, when it comes to law enforcement, we need to have them serve the 
community.
  I stand here to say I thank them for the difficult task that they 
have every single day, to go into the community, and their families say 
good-bye to them and hope they return from that shift that evening. I 
don't take it lightly.
  There is enough responsibility on all sides, from law enforcement and 
from the community, that has a responsibility to law enforcement, but 
we need to continue to strive to make this a more perfect union.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly).
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Thank you, Congressman Payne. I did want to 
say to Madam Speaker, I appreciate you participating in the Diversity 
Dinners last week. I can't have Congressman Payne have a one-up on me, 
so thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
  As we continue our conversation on accountability, equality, and 
diversity, I would like to offer some statistics on our economy 50 
years ago and today with respect to the African American community and 
women.
  In 1965, African American jobseekers could be denied employment based 
on the color of their skin; and, when they could find jobs, they were 
disproportionately paid less than White males in the same position. In 
fact, in 1965, the Black unemployment rate was 8.1 percent, almost 
twice the national unemployment rate which stood at 4.5 percent.
  Fifty years later, we have made great strides, and our Nation's 
workforce is more diverse than ever, but we have much more work to do. 
Today, at 10.4 percent, the Black unemployment rate is still almost 
double the national unemployment rate of 5.6 percent. While it is 
significantly smaller, there is still a racial wage gap.

  The median African American household has less than two-thirds the 
income of the average White median household. In the past year, we have 
seen the greatest economic growth in decades. More and more women have 
been able to enter the workforce, reducing the employment rate among 
women to a 6-year low.
  Unfortunately, Black women have yet to reap the benefits of the 
economic rebound. In fact, while the overall unemployment rate for 
women declined, the Black female unemployment rate has increased over 
the past 2 months. According to a recent analysis by the National 
Women's Law Center, the Black women's unemployment rate is more than 
twice the unemployment rate of White women.
  Despite having comparable levels of education, Black women have had 
the highest unemployment rate of any other group. A possible factor in 
the stubborn unemployment rate for Black women is that we are 
disproportionately employed in the public sector, which is experiencing 
a much slower recovery than the private sector.
  NWLC said the stagnant job situation for Black women is a ``red 
flag'' in the employment landscape and urged lawmakers to act to 
promote a stronger, more widely shared recovery. I couldn't agree more.
  We need to invest more in job training and retraining programs that 
help Black women adapt to the changing workforce and prepare for the 
careers of tomorrow. We must work to promote diversity in hiring and 
encourage employers to model their workforces on the communities in 
which they operate.
  As we look for ways to help increase diversity in the workplace and 
help women succeed, we must be mindful of the unique challenges Black 
women face and develop targeted policies that help level the playing 
field for all women.
  These facts I have just covered point to the systemic problems. We 
need to address them today. It should be our mission today to see to it 
that in 50 years, when lawmakers stand here, they will proudly be 
touting the progress our Nation has made because all Americans are paid 
equally and no is discriminated against in the workplace.
  As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, I am 
working to address our Nation's health equity gap by exploring 
legislative and policy initiatives to reduce minority health 
disparities and promote better health outcomes for all Americans.
  With respect to the African American community, the health disparity 
gap is particularly wide as Blacks have high rates of many adverse 
health conditions. Across the medical spectrum--from cancer to 
diabetes, from hypertension to stroke--Blacks are overrepresented and 
often undertreated.
  A major barrier to African Americans getting the medical care they 
need is the lack of African American doctors in their communities. 
Studies show that African Americans are more comfortable seeking 
treatment from doctors who look like them and are much more likely to 
adhere to courses of treatment prescribed by Black doctors; yet, while 
African Americans comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population, we 
represent only 4 percent of the physician workforce, according to the 
Association of American Medical Colleges' 2014 diversity in the 
physician workforce report.
  The infamous Tuskegee study fostered an enduring legacy of mistrust 
of the medical establishment in the African American community that 
makes diversity in medicine vital to closing the health disparities 
gap.
  In order to achieve health equity, we must work to create a physician 
workforce that reflects our Nation. One key way to do that is to 
encourage more African Americans to pursue education and training in 
science, technology, engineering, and math. Congress must do more to 
support investments in STEM education and to create avenues of access 
for African American students to enter the STEM fields.
  In my district, I launched the Second Congressional District STEM 
Academy to expose students to STEM fields in hopes of encouraging them 
to pursue STEM-related careers.
  Also, a STEM workforce made up of diverse ranks is crucial to future 
innovation. To help in that mission, folks across the country and in 
Silicon Valley have taken note. I know Facebook has sought to change 
the face of innovation through efforts like their Facebook Academy and 
Facebook University, which target high school and college students from 
underrepresented groups.
  Similar to my STEM Academy, it is good to see them making an effort 
to build a pipeline and introduce women and people of color to jobs in 
STEM--which, of course, could be IT, engineering--and hopefully, more 
young people decide to become doctors, and they can work in African 
American communities or underserved communities.
  A medical student population that reflects our country's population 
will create a pipeline of diverse doctors to our communities which 
will, in turn, put all Americans on track to live a healthier life.

[[Page H3301]]

  I turn back to my colleague from New Jersey, Congressman Donald 
Payne.
  Mr. PAYNE. Thank you, Ms. Kelly. We appreciate your comments.
  In closing, I would like to thank you for cohosting the Special Order 
on criminal justice reform, accountability, and diversity. It is 
through these Special Orders that we are able to speak directly to our 
constituents about the valuable work the Congressional Black Caucus 
does to reduce injustice and promote equality for all African American 
communities.
  Our criminal justice and police systems are in a state of crisis. Too 
often, under these systems, Black lives are treated as though they 
don't matter. We saw this last month, when Baltimore's Freddie Gray 
died in police custody from a brutal spine injury. Such tragedies erode 
trust between our communities and the police.
  This problem is compounded by a wide range of factors, from 
disturbing gaps in incarceration rates to racial disparities in 
sentencing. We need a system that holds criminals accountable and 
protects law enforcement while, at the same time, ensuring the safety 
and equal treatment of all communities.
  This includes implementing police body cameras in order to promote 
transparency and accountability while deterring wrongdoing.

                              {time}  2000

  At the same time, we need to make sure that law enforcement officers 
don't resort to discriminatory policing practices.
  It is undeniable that racial profiling remains an ongoing crisis in 
our Nation. There is a clear and growing need to ensure a robust and 
comprehensive Federal commitment to ending racial profiling by law 
enforcement agencies. The End Racial Profiling Act, which I proudly 
support, would do just that. It was constructed after a law in New 
Jersey, authored by my uncle, Assemblyman William Payne. It was the 
first racial profiling law passed in the United States, a law of which 
I am very proud. I took that idea and brought it Federal.
  Of course, real accountability means that we will, at times, need 
independent investigations of police-related deaths. We are glad to 
see, finally, Attorney General Lynch launch an investigation into the 
Baltimore Police Department, with the stated goal of assisting police 
departments across the country in developing their practices. In less 
than 1 month on the job, Attorney General Lynch is already making a 
difference, and we thank her for that.
  As we reflect on the dire need for the reform of our criminal justice 
system, we need to advance the cause of equality in all contexts. This 
means expanding diversity in the workforce, in health, and in all 
aspects of life--from the mailroom to the boardroom, from the 
manufacturing industry to the technology sector. Many of these 
challenges we face today are great, but as a caucus, we remain 
committed to solving them.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today along 
with my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus, in support of 
today's Special Order Hour: ``The Urgency of Now: Addressing Reform, 
Accountability, Equality and Diversity.'' As the conscience of the 
Congress since 1971, these issues are of paramount importance to the 
Congressional Black Caucus in the 114th Congress.
  There is a crisis in America--one that centers on criminal justice 
reform and law enforcement accountability. Just over a month ago, 
Freddie Gray lost his life at the hands of the police in a city plagued 
by a weak economy, high levels of crime, and a lack of good-paying 
jobs. While Baltimore is a city with a unique set of issues, its 
problems are common to many of America's inner cities. The pressure to 
address, not only the police accountability and criminal justice 
issues, but the context in which those issues arise, grows 
exponentially with each new tragedy.
  As we watch American cities battered, bruised and burned during 
demonstrative outcries against injustice, I am reminded of the words of 
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ``We are now faced with the fact that 
tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In 
this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ``is'' such a thing 
as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a 
time for vigorous and positive action.'' These words are just as true 
today as they were when Dr. King delivered them at the 1963 March on 
Washington.
  Far too often, unarmed African American men die at the hands at 
police officers with little or no accountability. This reinforces the 
painful narrative that black life is not valued in this country. It is 
sad, yet very telling, that Americans celebrated when state officials 
announced that criminal charges were being brought against the 
Baltimore police involved in Freddie Gray's death. For too long, 
African-American communities nationwide felt as if no one could hear 
its cry. But the cries are not just the result of pain caused by police 
brutality. They are the result of a nation divided: one that grants 
access to quality healthcare to some, while denying it for others; one 
that provides economic security for a privileged few, while denying 
opportunities to the poor and the middle class; one that seeks justice 
for the unwarranted taking of a human life; while ignoring the rising 
death toll of American youth at the hands of police officers.
  We cannot view the situations in Baltimore and Ferguson as limited 
incidents; instead, we have to look at the toxic environments that 
birthed these situations of unrest. If we do not comprehensively 
address the systemic issues that plague cities like Baltimore, 
relations between the people and its government will only grow worse. 
It is time that we honor the sacred truth of this nation--that all men 
are created equal, and demand equal justice. As we strive to become a 
more perfected union, it is imperative that the commitments of the 
American system be applied to African-Americans, just as it is to every 
other American. Madam Speaker, the urgency of addressing these issues 
has reached its pinnacle. Congress must act. We must act swiftly, and 
we must act now.
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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