[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 206 (Thursday, December 19, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H12287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               JUST MERCY

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, we have much to be thankful for in this 
great and grand Nation.
  We are thankful for our Constitution that allows us to define what is 
right and wrong.
  I am thankful for all of the Americans who will be with their 
families, all of those who are documented and undocumented individuals 
in this country who have come for relief and refuge.
  I am thankful for the Members of Congress who uphold this 
Constitution.
  And I am also thankful for the opportunity to salute Bryan Stevenson, 
who has just turned his book, ``Just Mercy,'' into a movie.
  I look forward to working to reform the juvenile justice system, to 
adding my bills banning the box, banning solitary confinement, and 
alternative sentencing for our children.
  Our children should be receiving restorative justice; and like Bryan 
Stevenson, I believe there is a future if we invest in the future of 
our young people.
  So I intend to introduce, when we come back from this time in our 
districts, an omnibus, large juvenile justice reform bill that takes 
into consideration our teachers, our law enforcement, our social 
workers, our young people, our faith community, and Bryan Stevenson's 
advanced and innovative concept that delivers just mercy.
  Happy holidays. Merry Christmas. Happy Kwanza to everyone in the 
United States of America for this wonderful holiday season.

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