[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H831-H832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SCIPIO A. JONES POST OFFICE PORTRAIT

  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3317) to permit the Scipio A. Jones Post Office in Little 
Rock, Arkansas, to accept and display a portrait of Scipio A. Jones, 
and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3317

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SCIPIO A. JONES POST OFFICE PORTRAIT.

       (a) In General.--The postmaster of the Scipio A. Jones Post 
     Office, located at 1700 Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas, 
     may accept and display, in the lobby of such Post Office, a 
     painting, by artist Wade Hampton, of a portrait of Scipio A. 
     Jones.
       (b) Costs; Gifts.--The United States Postal Service shall 
     not be responsible for any costs of carrying out subsection 
     (a), including the costs of displaying the painting. The 
     postmaster referred to in such subsection is authorized to 
     accept on behalf of the Government the painting and any 
     services necessary to display the painting.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Meadows) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on this matter.

[[Page H832]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of 
H.R. 3317, to permit the Scipio A. Jones Post Office in Little Rock, 
Arkansas, to accept and display a portrait of Scipio A. Jones.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative French Hill for introducing the 
measure to honor this civil rights icon.
  Scipio Jones was born in 1863 near Tulip, Arkansas. He would later 
argue two civil rights cases before the Arkansas Supreme Court.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3317, introduced 
by my good friend, Representative French Hill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Arkansas (Mr. Hill).
  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from North 
Carolina. I thank him particularly for his help in shepherding this 
bill through the committee.
  I am grateful, too, to our late, good friend Elijah Cummings for his 
support and the opportunity to thank him on the floor for his service 
in the House.
  Also, I thank my good friend from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) for her 
support of this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1919, American doughboys returning from the European 
front and its brutality were committed to benefiting from the 
opportunity and liberty they secured at great risk and sacrifice to 
themselves. Many took that commitment to autonomy and freedom home to 
small towns and communities and homesteads where their families and 
livelihoods remained.
  Just over 100 years ago, as September bled over into October in 1919, 
few eyes in this country were turned to a small agrarian community in 
northeast Arkansas. There, Black sharecroppers, spurred in part by the 
tales of opportunity and liberty spun by these returning brave veterans 
of the war to end all wars, dared to discuss fair pay for their crops.
  To this day, an accurate account of the tragic loss of life that took 
place during the Elaine massacre, when White mobs killed more than 100 
African Americans, remains widely unknown.
  But one of the heroic stories that emerged from the ashes of the 
Elaine massacre was that of Scipio Africanus Jones, one of the great 
lawyers in Arkansas history. Jones' skillful legal defense saved the 
lives of 12 unfairly charged sharecroppers from the Elaine massacre who 
were originally sentenced to death by an Arkansas State court.
  Jones' actions resulted in the landmark Supreme Court decision in 
Moore v. Dempsey, establishing that Federal courts could review 
criminal convictions in State courts under the Due Process Clause of 
the Fourteenth Amendment.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this legislation today that I have 
sponsored to honor his legacy, the Scipio A. Jones Post Office Portrait 
Act, is being considered on the House floor.
  Today's measure is a simple one. It authorizes a portrait of Scipio 
Jones to be displayed at the U.S. Post Office in Little Rock, Arkansas, 
that bears his name. It has the support of the entire Arkansas 
delegation.
  Scipio Jones' fight for civil rights and equality is an important 
part of Arkansas' history and something that we are deeply proud of in 
our State.
  The Elaine massacre had a profound impact on the soul of our State 
that can be felt a century later. However, history always teaches us 
that we can learn from our past. We have an opportunity, today, with 
this legislation, to write a new chapter on Arkansas history that 
recognizes the legacy of the tragedy, honors the victims, and seeks to 
heal longstanding wounds. I am delighted to draft and sponsor this bill 
that helps accomplish that goal.
  Our friend from North Carolina, the late Elijah Cummings, I am 
grateful for their help and the staff of the Committee on Oversight and 
Reform. I appreciate it for the quick markup, and I am grateful for the 
support.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge this measure's passage.
  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I urge the bill's passage, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the passage of H.R. 
3317, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3317.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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