Good morning, everyone. The justice and policing act establishes a bold transformative vision of policing in america. Never again should the world be subject to witnessing what we saw on the streets in minneapolis, the slow murder of an individual by a Police Officer. The world is witnessing the birth of a new movement in our country. This movement has spread to many nations around the world, with thousands marching to register their horror at hearing the cry, i cant breathe. People marching to demand transformative change that and Police Brutality, racial profiling, and the practice of denying americans the right to sue when they have been injured by an officer, that denies local jurisdictions the power to fire or prosecute offending officers. Black communities have sadly been marching for over 100 years against police abuse, but for the police to protect and serve our communities like they do elsewhere. In the 1950s, news cameras exposed the brutal horror of segregation. The news cameras exposed the brutal treatment of people who dared to challenge the system. News cameras exposed to the world that black people did not have the same constitutional protections, that freedom of speech and right to assemble were not extended to black americans. Later, the cell phone camera exposed the continuation of violence directed at africanamericans by the police, and exposed the reality that the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happyness is not guaranteed to all americans at all times. Now the movement for Police Accountability has become a rainbow movement. The power of this movement will help move congress to act, to pass legislation that not only holds Police Accountable and increases transparency, but assists Police Departments to change the culture. I know change is difficult, but i am certain that Police Officers, professionals who risk their lives every day are deeply concerned about their profession and do not want to work in an environment that requires their silence when they know there are fellow officers abusing the public. I am Certain Police officers would like to be free to intervene and stop an officer from using deadly force when it is not necessary. And i am Certain Police officers want to make sure they are trained in the best practices in policing. A profession where you have the power to kill should be a profession that requires highly trained officers that are accountable to the public. Embarking on a journey toward a new vision for policing in america is only possible because of the incredible leadership in the house of representatives. We now have over 200 cosponsors in the house and the senate. Speaker pelosi has said she wants to see a bold, transformative effort, and this is exactly what justice in policing will do. Join me in welcoming the most powerful woman in congress and the nation, madam Speaker Pelosi. Thank you. [applause] Speaker Pelosi thank you very much, karen bass, for your tremendous leadership. Under the leadership of karen bass, many of us had the privilege last year of going to ghana to observe the 400th anniversary of the first slaves going across the atlantic. There was no United States, but going across the atlantic, it was horrible. The kidnapping, the purchase of those slaves, the dungeons in which they were kept and if they survived that, to be on a slave ship, and if they survived that, to be sold into slavery, and everything that came from that. When we were in selma, in march, we saw at bryan stephensons museum one of his museums a heartbreaking display of little children saying, mama, mama, has anyone seen our mother . These children separated from their mothers. The cruelty of that. That is why when george floyd called out for his mother when he was subjected to that knee in the neck, it was the continuation of some horror that has existed in our country for a very long time. Mr. Hoyer, our established leader, mr. Clyburn, join karen bass, leader schumer, congresswoman harris, did i say senator . Senator harris, senator booker in emancipation hall, aptly named for those who built the capital of the United States, in their honor. We were there for eight minutes and 46 seconds, on our knees. My members will attest, it is a very long time. It is a very long time. I graciously led them in falling over when it was over so they could do the same thing. Here we are, the martyrdom of george floyd gave the American Experience a moment of national anguish as we grieve for the black americans killed by Police Brutality. Today, this moment of national anguish is being transformed into a movement of national action. As americans across the country peacefully protest to demand an end to injustice. Today, with the justice in policing act, congress is standing with those fighting for justice and taking action. Let us, my colleagues, go over some of those names of martyrdom george floyd, jackson davis, oscar grant, so sad, breonna taylor, ahmaud arbery, terrence prichard, philando castile, freddie gray, walter scott, tamir rice, michael brown, eric garner, trayvon martin, and many other names sean bell. Joshua johnson. Speaker pelosi thank you. We cannot settle for anything less than transformative, structural change, which is why the justice in policing act will remove barriers to prosecuting Police Misconduct and covering damages by addressing the quality immunity doctrine. It will demilitarize police by limiting the transfer of military weaponry to state and local Police Departments. It will combat Police Brutality by requiring body and dashboard cameras, banning chokeholds, no knock warrants, and end racial profiling. It will finally make lynching, mr. Hoyer, a federal hate crime, and i suppose chairwoman bass and our distinguished senators, harris, booker, and others for their work in helping to pass hr 35 this year. Police brutality is a heartbreaking reflection of an entrenched system of Racial Injustice in america. True justice can only be achieved with full, comprehensive action. That is what we are doing today. This is a first step. There is more to come. In the coming weeks, the house will hold hearings, mark up the bill. Once the house passes the justice in policing act, leader mcconnell will sit hopefully, he must swiftly take it up. The leader of the congress and the president must not stand in the way of justice. The congress and the country will not relent until this legislation is made into law. My colleague, mr. Clyburn, is always getting awards for liberty and justice for all that is what this is about. That is what our distinguished leader, mr. Schumer, talked about in emancipation hall. I am pleased to yield to the distinguished leader of the democratic senate, mr. Schumer. Senator schumer thank you, Speaker Pelosi, and i am proud to be joined by so many of my colleagues, leader hoyer, senators booker and harris, representatives bass, jeffries, clyburn, etc. For speaking this morning, and all the support we have from so many wonderful people behind us. Over the past week, hundreds of thousands of americans have engaged in Peaceful Demonstrations against Police Violence and systemic racism. This large, diverse group, so many of them young, gives us hope that americans are prepared to march and fight to make this a more Perfect Union once and for all. And so, today, we are taking the first of many steps, many necessary steps to respond to this National Pain with bold action. As my colleagues will explain, the justice in policing act proposes crucial reforms to combat racial violence and Excessive Force by Law Enforcement through strong accountability measures, increased data and transparency, and important modifications to Police Training and practices. This has never been done before at the federal level. In the senate, democrats are going to fight like hell to make this a reality. Americans who took to the streets this week have demanded change. With this legislation, democrats are heeding their calls. Now, we must collectively all americans raise our voices and call on leader mcconnell to put this reform bill on the floor of the senate before july to be debated and voted on. Now, some Senate Republicans have acknowledged egregious wrongs, but few have expressed the need for floor action. Too many have remained silent. Maybe they are hoping the issue goes away. I promise them, it will not. Democrats will not let this go away, and we will not rest until we achieve real reforms. Leader mcconnell, lets have the debate not just on tv and twitter, but on the floor of the United States senate. A divided nation cannot wait for healing, for solutions. The poison of racism affects more than our criminal Justice System. It runs much deeper than that. There are Racial Disparities in housing, health care, education, the economy, jobs, income, wealth, and covid has only placed a magnifying glass on them. It is our job, our job as representatives of an imPerfect Union, to right those wrongs. Bring the reality and promise of america into closer alignment, equal justice under law is one such promise. That is what this morning and the justice in policing act is all about, the centurieslong struggle to make those words actually true for black americans and every american. Senator hoyer congressman hoyer. Leader hoyer. Mr. Hoyer these are serious times. I have walked across the Edmund Pettus bridge bridge 15 times handinhand with my brother, john lewis. My grandchildren have been there. My daughters have been there. In selma, in 2015, president obama asked us this, what greater form of patriotism is there than the belief that america is not yet finished . That we are Strong Enough to be selfcritical, that each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that is in our power to remake this nation to more closely align with our highest ideals . That is what the Boston Tea Party was about a demonstration some britons would say a violation of law, to redress rights. We remain a nation of imperfections. Calling out to us to be addressed with the seriousness and determination to make good on the promise that all are created equal. All entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and the right to breathe. The right to have their lives matter. We have heard our people cry out, i cant breathe. We have heard our people speak out, black lives matter. Black lives matter. The protests we have seen in recent days are expression of rage born of despair. Today, democrats in the house and senate are saying, we see you. We hear you. We are acting. Thank you, karen bass, thank you Congressional Black Caucus, leader pelosi and leader schumer. The killing must stop. The carnage must end. That begins with transparency and accountability. Among other provisions, this bill will increase transparency and accountability of Law Enforcement nationwide by requiring state and local Law Enforcement agencies to collect and report data. Secondly, incentivizing the creation of independent investigation structures for Police Involved in deaths, and creating best practice recommendations based on the obama administrations 21st Century Policing task force. This legislation makes it clear that Police Departments are serving and are answerable to all of the residents in their communities, including african americans. I want to thank my colleagues who have been leading this effort in the house, chairwoman bass, chairman jeffries, and whip clyburn, and senator harris. We keep in our minds the words of our deep, departed colleague, elijah cummings. We are better than this. Now, it is my privilege to introduce a former mayor of a great city in our country, a representative of the state of new jersey, and a leader in this effort, senator cory booker. We are better than this. Senator booker we, in america, are one, precious same nation, but we have a wildly different set of experiences with the police. Where black americans live in fear of police interactions, disproportionately having our common ideals of fairness trampled. Where black americans disproportionately have our rights violated. Where black americans disproportionately and unjustifiably experienced violence at the hands of police. And where black americans, unarmed, are killed by police at grievous and wretched rates. In this moment in america, knowledge of this and acknowledgment of this is necessary, but it is not enough. Empathy, and sympathy, and words of caring for those who have died and suffered are necessary, but it is not enough. Having a nation that in all 50 states, millions of americans of all ages, religious and racial backgrounds are standing up in nonviolent protest, has made this moment possible, but it is not enough. We must change laws and systems of accountability. We must pass legislation that make our common values and our common ideals real in the law of our land. This bill focuses on accountability and transparency in policing, specifically the federal statute that governs Police Misconduct, section 242. It changes the difficult statutory standard of willfulness, making holding Police Accountable too difficult, and it changes that standard from being willful to being reckless disregard. It also establishes transparency, making Certification Requirements that now vary by location, where cities and towns do not share critical information with each other, making it far too easy for problematic officers to be fired in one town and easily hired in another. This bill closes a dangerous loophole by creating the First Ever National registry of policemens conduct to better record and track Police Abuses to give transparency to local citizens, helping to create the necessary accountability. I want to thank the leadership of Speaker Pelosi and leader schumer. I want to thank the head of the Congressional Black Caucus and all the members of the black caucus i want to thank my partner, kamala harris, for making a real piece of legislation sweeping and historic, and we must now deal with the work of making the law of the land, transforming the energy, the power, the empathy, and the love of this moment into actual changes in american federal law. I am honored to bring up my colleague, friend, my sister, and friend, senator kamala harris. Senator harris thank you, brother cory. Thank you to chairman nadler, chairman jeffries, and everyone for the work that so many of you have been doing for decades for decades. Shouting and writing legislation, and requiring that america take seriously this issue of policing, and take seriously the issue that when the people are marching in the streets, it is because they are fully aware of the history of this issue in america, and they have had enough. So i thank all the leaders here for what you do. We are here because black americans want to stop being killed. Just last week, we couldnt even pass an antilynching bill in the United States senate. When we look at where we are now with this piece of legislation, we have to understand that, yes, as a country we have seen great progress, but just last week in the year of our lord 2020, we could not get an antilynching bill passed in the United States senate. But we are here today with common sense solutions, at least at the federal level, to hold Police Accountable. But we know this is an issue that is not just at the federal level, it is at the state and local level, as well, but we are here today to say in our position as leaders in our federal government, that reform and change must happen and must happen now. And lets be clear, reforming policing is in the best interest of all americans. It is literally in the best interest of all americans. Because this is a basic matter of fairness, and as so many have said, justice. But to be clear, also, there is a broader issue that is not being addressed in the bill. And that is what we must do as a nation to truly achieve safe and Healthy Communities. Part of what has been upside down in policing policy in america is that we have confused having safe communities with hiring more cops on the streets. As though that is the way to achieve safe communities. When, in fact, the real way to achieve safe and Healthy Communities is to invest in those communities, in affordable housing, in the ability for homeownership, jobs, funding our public schools, giving people access to capital so they can grow those Small Businesses that are part of the leadership and the health of these communities. So ours is a bill that addresses a very specific matter under a larger umbrella of all that must be addressed. When we talk about the need for safety, and safe and health for communities in america, this, specifically, is a bill about accountability and consequence, for bad behaviors by those who have been affected by society and the people with the ability to wear a badge and carry a gun. And lets be clear, many in america right now already live in places with minimum police presence. Go to any middle or upper class suburb, and you will not see the kind of presence of police that you see in other neighborhoods. But you will also see in those communities that those families have jobs that allow them to pay the bills and keep a roof over their head. You will also see thriving schools. You will also see access to Affordable Health care and families that can afford access to health care. So what we are doing today is saying that we need to have consequence and accountability in america for policing, but we also know that this is not the way that we are going to achieve healthy and safe communities. It is but a part of a much bigger issue that we still must address. So in closing, i will just mention a few of the other points in the bill that are very important, and i say this as a former prosecutor, we need a national use of force standard. Right now, the question asked is to ask of the use of force, was it reasonable . As we all know, we can reason away just about anything. The appropriate and fair question to ask is, was it necessary . Part of what our bill will address is a national use of force standard, independent investigations, and again, as a prosecutor, i can say, no matter how wellintentioned they are, when they are confronted with prosecuting a Police Officer who served in their Community Every day, at the very least, there will be an appearance of conflict even if none is intended. If our Justice System is to be real, it must not only do justice, there must be an appearance of justice and confidence by the public that justice is being done in that place so independent investigations and the pattern and practice investigations. Under president obama, under general holder, these were robust. Where when there was a finding or accusation, that there was a pattern and practice within a Law Enforcement agency, the federal government would do investigations. Well, those, under the current administration, have practically been shut down. They need to be reinstated, but also what we are saying is to give it teeth in addition to what has been done in the past we will grow on that progress by giving the Civil Rights Division of the department of justice subpoena power, so when Police Departments do not comply with requests, they will be required to by responding to a subpoena. My final point is again that it is time for this, and im so heartened by all of the colleagues we have in the United States senate, like leader schumer, who has banded together and worked on this. There is more work to be done, but i applaud all of the leaders on the stage. Id like to bring up the majority whip, mr. Jim clyburn. Mr. Clyburn thank you, madam chair. Speaker pelosi, leader schumer, and all the other members who are here today. With liberty and justice for all. When i was a kid growing up, in a little town in South Carolina, we said the pledge every morning. And it ends with that phrase. Liberty and justice for all. A vision that we all knew in that little town was simply a vision. And when we were trying to put together a response, i said on a telephone call that this gives us a tremendous opportunity to restructure things in that vision. I was marked for that. I was attacked for wanting liberty and justice for all. By various media. We are here today in search of that vision. Liberty and justice for all. Now, youve heard what is going to be in this legislation. I want to say two things. First, to those who are writing it. Secondly, to those who are responsible for writing about it. Let me say this. With few exceptions, white people came to this country willingly. In search of a new world full of liberty and justice for all. With few exceptions, black people came to this country against their will, chained, shackled, they came to these shores enslaved. And stayed that way for 244 years. Think about how long that is. How many generations that is. It was a long time. Eight minutes and 46 seconds. A long time to be on one knee. But for 244 years, there were plenty of knees on the necks of blacks who came to this country. And so as we write this legislation and as we write about this legislation, please keep those two divergent sets of experiences in mind. We are still in search of a more Perfect Union. We will always be in search of a more Perfect Union. We must not allow any force in whatever office one may hold to turn the clock back on that pursuit. And with that, i am pleased to introduce and present the chair of judiciary, jerry nadler. Chair nadler thank you very much. I want to begin by thanking my dear friend, karen bass, the chair of the black caucus and chair of the crime subcommittee, along with senators booker and harris and our distinguished leadership for their tremendous partnership in producing this important legislation. It has been inspiring to work alongside all of them throughout this whole process. We have heard the terrifying words, i cant breathe, from george floyd, from eric garner, from the millions of americans in the states calling out for revenge, for change. Our hearts ache for the loss of george floyd, breonna taylor, eric garner, and the many other victims of Police Violence over the years. For every incident of Excessive Force that makes headlines, the ugly truth is that there are countless others that we never hear about. We value and respect the many brave and honorable Police Officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect us and our communities, but we cannot be blind to the structure of racism and injustice that pervades far too many of our Law Enforcement agencies. This is a systemic problem that requires a comprehensive solution. It has been an honor to work with the Congressional Black Caucus in lockstep and the other sponsors to craft the justice and policing act. A historic piece of legislation. This bold, transformative, and responsible legislation will finally ban chokeholds at the federal level and incentivized states to do the same, help to end racial profiling, get weapons of war off the streets, hold Police Accountable in a meaningful way, increase transparency, and require and encourage greater use of body cameras. All of this will also address issues on the front end, by ensuring that our Law Enforcement agencies adhere to the very highest standards in training, hiring, and deescalation strategies to address systemic racism and bias, to change the culture of Law Enforcement in america, and ultimately to save lives. It creates the firstever National Accreditation standard for the operation of Police Departments, and it creates Law Enforcement development and Training Programs to establish best practices based on president obamas task force in 21st Century Policing. We will also reinvest in our communities and empower them to shape the future of policing through grants to communitybased organizations for task forces on policing innovation. On wednesday this week, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the crisis of racial profiling, Police Brutality, and the lost trust between the Police Department and the communities they serve. I expect that what we learn will only strengthen the case for this legislation, which we hope to take up in the committee in the coming weeks. The streets are flooded with protesters across the nation and around the world right now. They are outraged. They observed moments of silences. They take a knee, they are tired of empty promises. They are demanding justice, and they are demanding action. And i say to them, we hear you, we are inspired by you, we are taking action with you, and together, we will change laws because of you and we will make a difference. I now have the great pleasure of introducing the chair of the democratic caucus. Representative, hakeem jeffries. Rep. Jeffries thank you, jerry, chairwoman bass, Speaker Pelosi, leader schumer, all of my colleagues in government, im appreciative of your leadership and of what this moment represents. Racism is a cancer that poisons our society. And today, we take a step toward addressing it by trying to eradicate the malignant tumor of Police Brutality. Far too often, disproportionately directed at unarmed, innocent, lawabiding africanamerican men and women. The chokehold, and other police tactics, such as a knee to the neck, which cuts off breathing and results in asphyxiation, is a procedure that is unnecessary, unacceptable, uncivilized, unconscionable, and unamerican. This legislation will make it unlawful under our nations civil rights laws. A significant number of Police Departments already prohibit the use of the chokehold and tactics such as a knee to the neck as a matter of policy. But it still continues to be deployed through this very moment. And that is why we need to address it, prohibit it, outlaw it, criminalize it as a matter of law. Like any profession, there are very good Police Officers, and there are bad ones. We embrace those Police Officers who are in the community to protect and serve. But violent Police Officers, brutal Police Officers, abusive Police Officers must be held accountable. The justice in policing act will reform the doctrine of qualified immunity. In order to make sure that victims of Police Brutality can vindicate their full rights under section 1983 in our nations civil rights laws. Unless there is accountability, there will never be change. Unless there is change, brutality will continue. And then, we will be trapped in a vicious cycle of anguish and despair. Lastly, africanamericans have been in this country since before there was a country. We arrived on these shores in 1619, in shackles, and as a result of our blood, sweat, tears, intellect, ingenuity, hard work, we helped to build this great country. And all weve ever wanted is to be treated equally. Not better, not worse, equally. Why has that been so difficult to achieve . Thats all weve ever wanted. Equal protection under the law. Liberty and justice for all. Treated with courtesy, professionalism, and respect by Law Enforcement. All weve ever wanted is to be treated equally. The justice in policing act represents a strong, necessary, bold step in that direction and i thank my colleagues for their leadership. I now yield to the distinguished chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, karen bass. Chairwoman bass thank you, mr. Chairman. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus. 50 years ago, there were 13 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and one of them, representative metcalf, he was the one that came up with policies related to police abuse almost 50 years ago. So it is in their history and their legacy that we stand today to continue on, and i just want to thank all of my colleagues here today, because we are not in session today, and you came in specifically for this. I just want to thank you for being here and standing in solidarity with this legislation. Let me say also that one of the beauties of this bill is that many members of the Congressional Black Caucus have legislation, individual bills that are part of a larger bill because theyve been working on it for so long. I just want to briefly mention their names and open it up for questions. Representative Sheila Jackson lee, hank johnson, representative clay, john lewis, representative butterfield and presley. With that, i would like to open it up for questions. Thank you, chairwoman bass. Because there are so many of you here today, i was wondering if you could, by a show of hands, demonstrate how many of you are confident that this legislation can actually crossed the finish line, that they can actually become law in this political environment . Chairwoman bass you want us to raise our hands . Does anyone have confidence in President Trump . Chairwoman bass can i just say that one of the things that gives us confidence is the fact that there are thousands of people around the country marching. There is a movement that has caught fire, that is multiracial, and that has also spread around the world, and we need to think about how the United States appears around the world when we go out and promote human life. The world is looking at us. That is going to help us over the finish line. Yes . A followup on that. The president tweeted about law and order. And that democrats have gone crazy. How do you respond to the president s tweet . Chairwoman bass really . Why . [laughter] oh, you are not going to, good. That is a narrative that the president and republicans are likely to bring around this legislation. So, how do you respond to that , and can you also on camera tell us why you are wearing the cloth and the significance of it . Chairwoman bass the significance of the cloth is the significance is african heritage, and for those of you without that heritage who are acting in solidarity. The origins and respecting our past. Im happy to respond to that, but if theres anybody else who would like to i think for us, especially when it comes to this legislation, we feel it is transformative, that it will transform the relationships that our communities have with the police, and i think that in terms of the law and order message that the president is spewing, there is nothing new about that message, and i do not believe it will be successful. Yes . [indiscernible] systemic racism in the criminal Justice System. Chairwoman bass would somebody else like to respond . Many of you have heard me go to the description of what makes this country great. And he wrote in democracy in america, that america is not great because it is more enlightened than any other nation, but rather, because it has always been able to repair its faults. Thats what makes this country great. And most rightthinking americans know that the greatness of this country is at stake. We have unveiled, for whatever reason, some faults that need to be repaired. Faults in our health care system. Faults in our judicial system. So let me say to mr. Cotton, pick up any history book of america. I would ask him to, please, just read the history of isaac woodard, a black man who came home from world war ii. On the bus from fort gordon, georgia trying to get to South Carolina. And he was stopped, taken off a bus in South Carolina by a Deputy Sheriff. He was in his uniform. And that Deputy Sheriff punched his eyes out. Is that institutional . In Law Enforcement . And that has been the Foundation Upon which Law Enforcement in many parts of this country has operated. Cotton is from arkansas. He ought to be ashamed of himself. I represent the heartland of america. Missouri is just north. Im lacy clay, from st. Louis, missouri. Missouri is just north of arkansas, and i would suggest to any local, state, or federal official sometimes, we have to follow the will and wishes of the American People. Ive seen millions in my state and around the country in small towns in missouri and throughout this nation who know there is injustice throughout this nation, that we have been treated unequally. I suggest senator cotton and others follow the lead of the people, the American People, and get on board with this effort. Thank you. Yes . I think republicans in both the house and senate said a compromise can be reached, but in order to do this, lawmakers need to be called back to the house. Speaker pelosi, would you like to address that one . Ive heard leader mccarthys comments. We are working. We are here on behalf of the American People, not just africanamericans, but the American People. Committees are working today. And i said im going to call the house back as soon as this legislation is ready to hit the floor. And we are going to vote on it. And im confident its going to pass the house. But sadly, i am not confident that a body that has not been able to pass the emmett till lynching bill will pass this bill. I hope so. And i hope the president doesnt adopt your premise. I hope he adopts a premise of justice for all. And if he does, america will be better. Yes . The Minneapolis City Council has sort of called to defund the police [indiscernible] is that something that has caucus support . Could that happen in a federal way . I cannot imagine been happening in a federal way. But i will tell you, part of that cry is a desire for there to be significant higher investment in communities. Looking at why police are needed, what happens, what are the root causes of the problems in communities and a lot of people feel what it comes to the defense budget, maybe that money could be used in different ways, and i think thats a similar issue. But the part about having a comprehensive investment in communities on behalf of the black caucus, let me just say that, obviously, we are focusing on this ill right now, but we do this bill right now, but we do have other legislation coming along the lines in the form of jobs and justice, which gets at a lot of issues in the community. [indiscernible] that we are seeing on the ground. Speaker pelosi i think the congresswoman answered your question very clearly, but the fact is that we do have a great deal of legislation coming down the pipe that addresses some of the concerns of our communities across the country. One of them that i wish the senate would pass right away is the heroes act. In the heroes act, we support community, state, and local governments. We support the disparity in the coronavirus that attacks communities of color, and we would hope that the senate would not ignore that and would pass legislation, and we would hope that we would put more money into the pockets of people who really need that now. And so, we have that. And then following that, mr. Hoyer has on the schedule that before the fourth of july, hopefully, we will pass the Affordable Care act stabilization act which will provide fairness and access to Affordable Health care in our country, as well as the infrastructure legislation that will build america in a green way, providing jobs. That is what we said when we ran in 2012. We were going to lower the cost of health care by lowering the cost of prescription drugs and keeping the preexisting condition benefit. We were going to Lower Health Care costs, bigger paychecks, rebuilding the infrastructure in a greenway, with cleaner government and ending Voter Suppression and the rest. These are all kinds of ways that weve come at this. The fact that the distinguished chairwoman mentioned, as she has said and others have said, we want to work with our Police Departments. There are many who take pride in their work. And we want to be able to make sure that the focus is on them. But there are many things that call upon our Police Departments to deal with Mental Health issues, policing in schools and the rest, and we can rebalance some of our funding to address some of those issues more directly. But this isnt about that, and that should not be the story that leaves here. The story that leaves here, is as mr. Clyburn said, liberty and justice for all. Mr. Schumer has mentioned that, as well, and in emancipation hall, and mr. Hoyer mentioned it, our former president , mr. Obama has, too. As to what modesty or humility or patriotism says, we know we have to do better in certain respects. Lets focus on what lincoln said, public sentiment is everything. Without it, practically nothing. The public sentiment could not be clearer. We need to make some transformative change. Not incremental, transformative change. And as we do so, we will change policy as we do in this legislation, we will use all the tools at our disposal to make sure that we are moving toward a more Perfect Union with liberty and justice for all and have those debates at the local level as that is a local decision at a local level. But to do so, that doesnt say were going to pile more money on to further militarize the police. No, we are going to address Mental Health issues, education issues in our communities, as well. And i dont want anyone to get the impression that with some of the stuff were doing now, many of these people would be not productive members of society. They will, we just want to make it easier for them in the communities to be able to be treated equally. As mr. Jeffries mentioned. Our chairman of the Judiciary Committee spent his life on these issues. Thank you, mr. Nadler, for that. Everyone here knows what theyre talking about and what they are doing. And the safety of the American People is an oath that we take to protect and defend. That is our responsibility. We know that their safety is important. And to do so in a constitutional way and not in some sloganeered way that the president may put forth. We feel very confident about the path we are on, not only with this legislation, but what will come next. And we will do so listening. We hear you. We see you. Important ass are we go forward. It is an exciting time, this is a transformational piece of legislation, an important day. ,he martyrdom of george floyd and may he rest in peace, has made a change in the world. Lets not get into these questions that maybe from the small minds of some. We will get it written large. Things quickly, the bill does not provide any new money for policing, and there is a provision in the bill for grants to communities to have projects that began to reenvision what policing might be about in a particular neighborhood. Sentiment, public the polling for public sentiment is 80 in support of the peaceful protests where people recognize the challenges in our policing system. Thank you madam speaker, and to all of the leadership here. Here, but he not is our colleague. He has been the conscience of the congress, and what he probably would say is keep our eyes on the prize. Keep our eyes on the prize. Everybody in this country can do something that nobody else can do. We are the congress, and what we our rules,oday is there will be state and local governments that call the things in their areas, but there was a question at the beginning where we were asked to raise our hand about our belief in whether this could happen or not. I looked at some of my here, and and others when i started three years ago, i would not have believed we would have had paid family leave or sick time. Becauses called for it of covid19. His is the time this is the time. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Flying iny you see us from across the country, because we are doing our job. For all of the distractors out ,here, masters of distraction we are keeping our eyes on the prize. We are keeping our eyes on the prize, and we need that to be the story. State and local will do with state and local needs to do. Those folks, those young people, old people, black, white, native people if we really want to we are trying to rebuild the foundation. That is all. Keep our eyes on the prize. [applause] that, that is a great close. Ofwe address the question police views, we understand it impacts many communities not just the africanamerican community, the latino community, the asian community, the native american community, and we are justice inetting policing passed. Thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions copyright coming up live tuesday on our politico n cspan, playbook posts a conversation with new jersey governor phil murphy. At noon, we go to Houston Texas for the funeral of george floyd, who died in Police Custody in minnesota. At 2 00 p. M. , the Senate Finance Committee Examines unemployment during the covid19 pandemic. The Senate Returns at 10 00 to resume consideration of legislation to annually Fund National parks and land maintenance. , a hearing on federal government binding distribution strategies in response to covid19. Coming up, we look at policing during the covid19 pandemic and nationwide civil unrest with
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