Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate Sen. Tim Scott On Police Reform 20240712

Mcconnell in front of the entire press corps myself the Leadership Team on the republican side had a very open conversation about the fact that voting for this motion to proceed is voting for an open process. He said and i agreed that this be open. I have asked we have amendments. The leader said yes. So on the other other side who believe some way somehow this process does not include an actual open process where you have a chance over several days in the sight of the public to talk about and offer an amendment, that is wrong. If you want a process where you have an opportunity to persuade those in this body and the American People about the values of yournd amendment this motiono proceed is a motion you should vote for. More important than persuading the American People that this is a motion to proceed that you should vote for if you really want to get into Police Reform we need a vehicle to get there. The justice act is that vehicle. Speaker pelosi herself and im not often quoting Speaker Pelosi om even paraphrasing Speaker Pelosi about something that she and i might agree on but i agree here that it would be important for us to have a congress which requires this body to pass legislation that goes to conference with the house. The only way we pass legislation in this body is for there to be a Bipartisan Coalition of republicans and democrats working together because the majority in the senate is not 50 out of 100. From a legislative purpose the majority of the senate is 60 votes. We require 60 votes for us to even start the process of saying two little boys and girls and communities of color around this country, we see you. We hear you. I grew up and an Impoverished Community in a household mired in poverty. I understand how it feels to leave your home and get in the car and be afraid of being stopped. I get that. Ive spoken about that too many times already but what i will say is that this body has a chance to say to those kids, we see you and we hear your concerns. A motion to proceed is simply a procedural motion that simply sayst lets debate the underlyg bill. Lets have a conversation in front of all of the American People about the importance of doing Police Reform the right way. If you dont trust republicans and you dont trust democrats you can watch the process play out right here which is the worlds greatest delivered in oddi, right here. You can watch it play out. But if we miss that golden opportunity, if we miss the opportunity to debate the underlying issues, all you wind up with is talking points and campaigns. You see, some believe that one side would rather campaign on side would rather campaign on that i would rather campaign on Police Reform. The sole police issues. I believe that both sides of the aisle, vast majority of people who are willing to come to the table to have a serious debate on the underlying issues that have brought combustion into this chamber and solve it. Sen. Tim scott not have it explode. All of us are here now. All of us do not have to tackle the issues like i did when i was 16 and 17 and 18 and 25 and 26 and 30. We have the ability to say to that young man, and to that young lady. We didnt just hear you, we acted on it. And by doing so, i believe madam president , we can make a difference in the lives of americans that we actually save. There have been some criticism. About arts justice from our friends on the inside. One of the criticisms was that the justice act does not require new recording measures on the use of force. What . I sat inn my office speechless. Because madame president , our legislation absolutely positively unequivocally requires more information. In these house bill, has a 10 Percent Penalty. Our legislation has a 20 Percent Penalty twice. I heard that our legislation does not ban no knock warrants. This is critically important because in louisville, kentucky, the conversation on no knock warrants took a drastic turn the wrong direction. The led to the killing of breanna taylor. On the house bill, their bill bands no knock warrants. But when you opened the legislation and redid the pages what it does is it bands the no knock warrants for federal agents. Louisville kentucky. This is not federal agents. So the complaint and the concerns about what actually situations in places like louisville, kentucky isnt answered by the hospital. This is a chance for these two bodies and i be honest, our legislation 12 get the data around those no knock warrants so that we can actually directing the resources and the decisions in the right way. We are taking a more deliberative process. Lets debate that. Lets come to an agreement. Next, i heard the justice act would not and shall cold in their legislation. And actually theres actually bands it. Well, lets take a closer look madame president. Thats false. With strict penalty spacing local police department, they go after two holds by holding off a grant dollars for local agencies and state agencies. Ourge legislation does the exact same thing. We go after local departments and state agencies by withdrawing some grant dollars. Butir theres this about the ban on socalled only implies two federal agencies. Thats really important. Why . Because of your watching at home, you hear a ban on toehold but you dont necessarily have toel correlation in the information to reach the conclusion that there only talking about federal agents. Why is that . Important. Because garner was on an incident with a federal agent. So the conversation around banning chuckles for federal ages, let me say differently. For 700,000 of the 800,000 Law Enforcement officers, the man would not apply. That is really Important Information to share with the American People. Why is this so, its pesky little thing sometimes. But it is a fact. The constitution does not allow government to make the local Law Enforcement but they can and cannot do. So than the inducement of resources on the federald level. Ten democratic. Senators. Initial them all the same. Lets get on the floor and amend the bill. See what happens. Because if you cannot ban it, and by the way, our legislation says the same thing. We instructed the ag to figure out how to ban it on federal officers. And we reduced money take money away the penalty the most departments who have not fanned joe folds. In the president s executive order says that the certification process must include being certified by a governing agency doesnt look favorably on toehold. So whether youre in the house, no better republican senator the white house, we will closing in on same outcome. Heres what may be just as important as the distinctions that i hope i cleared up. On the differences that are not necessarily on the important issues what they said this morning. That was not what we were doing. Theyre selling something, is important pretty you sell by manipulating or by motivating. I want to be clear that our legislation says what it says, not what others say it doesnt say. So why am i so passionate about this issue. Beyond my reason for as a person of color beyond my issues and being here in the senate beyond the fact that im the one who grew up in poverty. Beyond that point, mi legislation, Senate Republican legislation in the house legislation, there is so much Common Ground that we canen work from. To lose this moment, for the kids and the young adults watching this process would be terrible. The me give you a couple of examples of what a mean things that that wemm have in common. Both sides agree on more deescalation training and the duty to intervene training. Both sides agree on the inning show calls. Both sides agree of the insight lynching legislative and by the way, myself and senator grassley and the germans in this Judiciary Committee Committee Works with harrison and booker to get past, twice in this chamber. Installed in the house before its all over here. Twice, another area of agreement. Both sides agree in the importance of more minority hiring. In Law Enforcement. Both sides agree but more body worn cameras are a good thing. We actually go further than having penalties for not having your body cameras on pretty both sides agree. Both sides agree the creation of a National Criminal Justice Commission which by the way, was number one recommendation of president obamas 21st Century Policing task force. So why, why cant both sides agree on a motion to proceed. If there is as much commonality in the underlying legislation, if we are all watching the same pictures that weve all found disgusting, unbelievable, why cant we agree to tackle the issues and substance them way sore on the floor of the worlds greatest deliberative body. That is what we are supposed to do here. We debate the issues. I want all of america to see us debating this issue. Thank you madame president pretty. None past few months have been among the most wrenching and tumultuous in recent memory. The deaths that happened as well as a covid19 pandemic have forcedlo our country to reckon with not only decades long failure to perform our Police Departments and prevent unwarranted brutality against black americans but also the centuries long