Karen Bass

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Justice in Policing Act establishes a bold, transformative vision of policing in America. Never again should the world be subjected to witnessing what we saw in the streets in Minneapolis, the slow murder of an individual by a uniformed police officer. The world is witnessing the birth of a new movement in our country. This movement has now spread to many nations around the world, with thousands marching to register their horror and hearing the cry, ``I can't breathe,'' people marching to demand not just change, but transformative change that ends police brutality, that ends racial profiling and ends the practice of denying Americans the ability to sue when they have been injured, that denies local jurisdictions the power to fire and prosecute offending officers. Black communities have been, sadly, marching for over 100 years against police abuse and for the police to protect and serve our communities like they do elsewhere. In the 1950s, news cameras exposed the brutal horror of legalized racism in the form of segregation. The news cameras of the 1950s 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, that the right to assemble and protest were not rights extended to all African Americans. Seventy years later, it is the cell phone camera that has exposed the continuation of violence directed at African Americans by the police and exposed the reality that the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is not guaranteed to all African Americans at all times. Now, the movement for police accountability has become a rainbow movement, reflecting the wonderful diversity of our Nation and world. 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. Now, I know that change is hard, 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 that a fellow officer is 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 that police officers want to make sure that 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 who are accountable to the public. I am so proud to be here on this historic day, where, for the first time in I have no idea how many years, the House of Representatives will pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), the distinguished chair of the Democratic Caucus, and I ask unanimous consent that he may control that time.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman in California (Mr. Takano).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Haaland).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank my colleague on the other side of the aisle for the ideas that you were concerned about, and the fact that you recognized that part of your ideas we did incorporate in the manager's amendment. And so I do look forward to working with you in the future. I want to say to several of my other colleagues on the other side of the aisle: This is a process. We have had many conversations, many conversations leading up to this, and I am sure those conversations will continue. But I am really encouraged to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, number one, agree that what happened in Minneapolis was a horrific act of violence, and that the issue of police abuse is a real issue and that the issue of systemic racism is a real issue. I think it is important to note that because as these situations have happened before when people have been killed, even when they have been killed on video, they always seem to be up for debate. ``Well, maybe we don't really know what happened before the camera went on,'' or, ``Maybe somebody was a criminal.'' We are united on both sides of the aisle in recognizing that there is a problem in this country. There is a historic problem in this country. And I believe that we will eventually get there and move forward and have a bill. I am happy that we will be passing this bill today, but I don't see this as the end. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains on each side.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brendan F. Boyle).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from the great State of California (Ms. Barragan).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am so sorry that my colleague on the other side of the aisle is so confused and has so much trouble understanding. Perhaps it might help if he studied more history, U.S. history, to understand that why that knee was on George Floyd's neck was because of racism in this country. Perhaps my colleague on the other side of the aisle could go to Alabama to the Legacy Museum so that he could understand a little bit about U.S. history. Perhaps my colleague on the other side of the aisle could go to the National Memorial for Lynching and learn a little bit about his State of Georgia, where many of the lynchings were carried out by law enforcement officers. When he said that 100 percent of police chiefs were against this bill, it is just not true. I have met with police chiefs, and they support parts of the bill. The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Officers support this bill. The Fraternal Order of Police are not completely opposed to this bill. So, I would like to work with my colleague on the other side of the aisle to help him understand a little bit more of the history of the United States. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin).

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.