Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

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 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 crosspollination. 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 others 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 havent 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 Nations 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 communityoriented 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 Directors 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 mem-