Bennie Thompson

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable public servant, Mr. Alexander C. Martin, Esq. A native of Port Gibson, Mississippi, Mr. Martin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Alcorn State University, in 1979, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1982. Since its establishment, in 1994, Mr. Martin has served as the District Attorney for the State of Mississippi's 22nd Circuit Court District. He is the first African American to serve as District Attorney for the state of Mississippi, since Reconstruction. Prior to his position as District Attorney, Mr. Martin served as an attorney for Southwest and Central Mississippi Legal Services. In addition, he spent six years as a prosecutor for Claiborne County as well as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Alcorn State University. In 2006, Mr. Martin received the Legal Award from the Claiborne County Chapter of the NAACP. Aside from his career, Mr. Martin has been heavily involved in his community. He currently serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church in Port Gibson. For seven years, he was an assistant scout master for Troop 100 of Boy Scouts of America, Andrew Jackson Council. Since 2005, Mr. Martin has been the public address announcer for football and basketball games at Port Gibson High School. He is also a former mock trial coach for Mississippi Bar Association and Magnolia Bar Association. Mr. Martin is a member of several professional organizations, including the Mississippi Bar Association, Magnolia Bar Association, Mississippi Prosecutors Association, National District Attorneys Association, Copiah County Bar Association and Claiborne County Bar Association. He also serves on the Mississippi Prosecutors Association Board of Directors, Mississippi Center for Legal Services Board of Directors and the Claiborne County Preservation Commission. Mr. Martin is married to Mrs. Karen Martin and is the proud father of four children: Joecephus, Alexander C. Martin II, Jamila and Jaron Anthony and five grandchildren: Miles, Anna Rose, Alexander III, August, and Elijah. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Alexander C. Martin, Esq.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable public servant, Mr. Alexander C. Martin, Esq. A native of Pott Gibson, Mississippi, Mr. Martin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Alcorn State University, in 1979, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1982. Since its establishment, in 1994, Mr. Martin has served as the District Attorney for the State of Mississippi's 22nd Circuit Court District. He is the first African American to serve as District Attorney for the state of Mississippi, since Reconstruction. Prior to his position as District Attorney, Mr. Martin served as an attorney for Southwest and Central Mississippi Legal Services. In addition, he spent six years as a prosecutor for Claiborne County as well as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Alcorn State University. In 2006, Mr. Martin received the Legal Award from the Claiborne County Chapter of the NAACP. Aside from his career, Mr. Martin has been heavily involved in his community. He currently serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church in Port Gibson. For seven years, he was an assistant scout master for Troop 100 of Boy Scouts of America, Andrew Jackson Council. Since 2005, Mr. Martin has been the public address announcer for football and basketball games at Port Gibson High School. He is also a former mock trial coach for Mississippi Bar Association and Magnolia Bar Association. Mr. Martin is a member of several professional organizations, including the Mississippi Bar Association, Magnolia Bar Association, Mississippi Prosecutors Association, National District Attorneys Association, Copiah County Bar Association and Claiborne County Bar Association. He also serves on the Mississippi Prosecutors Association Board of Directors, Mississippi Center for Legal Services Board of Directors and the Claiborne County Preservation Commission. Mr. Martin is married to Mrs. Karen Martin and is the proud father of four children: Joecephus, Alexander C. Martin II, Jamila and Jaron Anthony and five grandchildren: Miles, Anna Rose, Alexander III, August, and Elijah. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Alexander C. Martin, Esq.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a resourceful and ambitious woman, Ms. Harriet Smith. Harriet has shown what can be done through hard work, dedication and a desire to serve others. Ms. Harriet Smith, a Yazoo City native, is the daughter of Derrick and Beverly Young and great granddaughter of the late Harry Young, who she was named after. Smith grew up in Yazoo City but moved to Jackson during her third- grade year. After graduating from Ridgeland High School, she joined the Air Force Reserves and trained on the weekends while attending Hinds Community College. She later attended Jackson State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in Education in 2015. As a teacher, Smith trained at Murrah High School, learning from the teachers who educated her while she was a student there. She also taught in Memphis before realizing that there was another calling in her life; to promote community literacy with library programs. She became the children's librarian at Ricks Memorial Library in Yazoo City on March 14, 2019. While this is Smith's first year working in a library setting, she plans to use her knowledge and techniques from the classroom to pursue her dream. Her goals during her first year are to make reading a priority at home for children in the community, to enable more students to borrow books from the library and to collaborate with class room teachers on how to improve literacy among their students. She has already established new reading programs at Ricks Library such as preschool reading times in the morning, and story times and other children's activities in the afternoon. She is also planning to make visits to many child care centers and schools to promote literacy. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Ms. Harriet Smith for her passion and dedication to serving our great Country, desiring to make a difference in the community and preparing children for the future.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate the unveiling of the Proud to Take Stand Monument in Natchez, Mississippi. I would like to recognize the State of Mississippi and the City of Natchez for their efforts in establishing the monument, which sits on the southwest corner of the Natchez City Auditorium at Jefferson and Canal streets. The Proud to Take Stand Monument honors 486 civil rights activists who were arrested for attempting to protest segregation, discrimination and mistreatment by white leaders in October of 1965. The group was forced by local authorities onto buses and charged with ``parading without permit,'' a local ordinance later ruled unconstitutional. The activists were taken to the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman where prison authorities subjected them to days of abuse, humiliation and punishment under horrific conditions. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing these civil rights activists and honoring their memories through the dedication of the Proud to Take Stand Monument.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable public servant, Mrs. Eva Jones who has been a servant leader for most of her adult life. She began in her church organizing health fairs, women empowerment sessions, teen summits, and domestic abuse conferences that focused on raising awareness and ending dating and sexual assault violence in the Metro Jackson community. After raising her three sons, Mrs. Jones returned to college as an adult learner and earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Mississippi College to enhance her knowledge in order to help women, men, and children who are victims and survivors of abuse and violence. In 2010, Mrs. Jones founded Butterflies by Grace Defined by Faith, an organization that strives to educate, empower, and advocate awareness to change the hearts of people and propose policy and legislation to protect victims and survivors of sexual assault, human trafficking, and domestic violence. Butterflies by Grace Defined by Faith also strives to empower individuals and educate the community to create social change within the community. Butterflies by Grace Defined by Faith is a true ministry which has changed hundreds of lives. Mrs. Jones has had the privilege to serve and volunteer on various boards and organizations such as the American Medical Technologist, Sickle Cell Foundation, SIDS, Diabetes Foundation, Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the Susan Komen Breast Cancer and many more. She has been honored by many civic organizations and most recently Black Girls Rock, AMT Distinguished Achievement Award, National Visionary Award and Hero of the Year Award recipient. Mrs. Jones is an active member of her church and has worked as a registered medical assistant for over 30 years. Mrs. Jones is a proud wife, mother of three sons, and grandmother of 7 grandchildren. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. Eva Jones.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable public servant, Mrs. Erica Webber Jones. A native of Houston, Mississippi, Mrs. Jones earned a bachelor's and master's degree in Elementary Education from Jackson State University in May 2000. Mrs. Jones served as an instructional coach and teacher in the Hinds County School District for four years. While there, she improved her students' passage rate on district-level assessments and saw profound academic growth in her pupils. Because of her effective instructional practices, she was named Teacher of the Year for Gary Road Elementary. It didn't take long before district leadership took notice of her superb performance in the classroom. Jones was named Hinds County's District Teacher of the Year and her class became a model classroom for teachers to visit. In 2018, she was also selected by the NEA Foundation to serve as a Global Leaming Fellow. Later this summer she will travel to South Africa where she will share educational experiences from the United States. Jones has served as a local president for the Jackson Association of Educators and been an advocate for educators in Mississippi for eighteen years. She has served on MAE's state leadership team as Mississippi's national education director and, most recently, as the organization's secretary-treasurer. Jones is also a prolific Praxis trainer and has helped to place dozens of teachers in Mississippi classrooms. Mrs. Jones is a member of several professional organizations, including the Mississippi Association of Educators and the National Education Association, The Byram-Terry JSU Alumni Association, Byram- Terry Junior Auxiliary, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is married to Arthur Jones and is the proud mother of two children: Nicholas and Kenley Grace. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. Erica Webber Jones.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a tenacious and self-driven community servant, Tina Ingram. Tina Ingram is a Yazoo City native. Tina started her career as a young mother after graduating from Yazoo City High School in 1986. She attended Phillips College where she obtained a certification in Word Processing, which led to her first job in word processing at Deposit Guaranty Bank in Jackson in 1987. For eight years Tina commuted to Jackson while she worked at Deposit Guaranty, and also spent another two years in Jackson working for Allstate Insurance, but she missed spending time at home with her children. It was in January of 1999 that Tina was given an opportunity to start working with Bank of Yazoo as a part-time teller. By April of the same year, she was working full-time and has been with the Bank ever since. During her tenure at Bank of Yazoo she has worked in the loan department before becoming a Vault Teller and a Customer Service Representative at the Jerry Clower location. Most recently Tina has been promoted to Teller Manager of the Yazoo City and Flora Branches. While continuing her work at Bank of Yazoo, Tina graduated from the Mississippi School of Banking and earned her bachelor's degree in Business management from Belhaven University in 2016. Tina has been married to Louis Ingram for 28 years. She is the mother of three. With Proverbs 3:5-6 as her guiding light, Tina gives all honor and glory to God for each success that has blessed her life thus far. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Tina Ingram for her hard work, dedication and tenacity to serving others.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I am happy to join my colleagues in paying tribute to Elijah Cummings. We all have at least one Elijah Cummings story. Some of us have a lot more. But more importantly, it is how Elijah lived that we have to pay tribute to. Elijah demonstrated every day not only that he loved the people of Baltimore, but he loved this great country. If we can just pattern our lives after Elijah Cummings' past, we will be fine. To a great warrior, a great patriot, a great leader who, obviously, in a lot of our minds, was taken too short, we say God bless you. We understand that if we had anything to do with it, we would have kept you here. But it just wasn't in the plan. So, departing, I say to you, as well as my colleagues: Elijah, we appreciate you. Your job here in this Congress speaks volumes. God bless you.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Melvin Curtis Whitlock, Jr. Melvin Curtis Whitlock, Jr. was born on Saturday, June 8, 1957. He was the first born of Melvin Curtis Whitlock, Sr. and Mary Lean Johnson-Whitlock, or ``Mary Lean'' as she is most affectionately called. As engaged members of their community, Melvin Sr. and Mary Lean's high-spirited union was further harmonized by the joy and laughter Melvin would bring. As he grew, Melvin became openly passionate and outgoing through his love of music and baseball. He became a member of the band and joined the baseball team during his trajectory at Jim Hill High School. Melvin had a love for motorcycles, percussion, The Temptations, Good Times, and Sanford & Son. Following high school, Melvin attended Jackson State University. Upon leaving JSU, he married his high school sweetheart and started a family. From their union came three beautiful children which Melvin would tell everyone were his three greatest accomplishments. Melvin received certification in masonry from Hinds Community College and spent time working with his father, Melvin Sr. He was known for the phrase, ``Y'all think y'all deserve everything on a silver platter'', which encouraged his children and others to appreciate the value of earning whatever they wanted in life. He was an outstanding, faithful member at his spiritual home, Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ until his passing on September 24, 2019. Melvin is survived by his father: Melvin ``M.C.'' Whitlock, Sr., mother: Mary Lean Whitlock, daughter: Niki Whitlock, grandsons: Tyler Nelson and Lance Jones, great granddaughters: BellaKay Jones and Emerson Jones, son: Brian M. Whitlock, son: Gerren K. Whitlock, Sr., grandchildren: Gerren Whitlock, II and Cayla Whitlock, brothers: James Whitlock and Marvin Whitlock, sisters: Sandra Moses, Joyce Whitlock, Debbie Whitlock, and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the life and legacy of Melvin Whitlock, Jr.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter endorsing H.R. 3106 from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Washington, DC, September 26, 2019. Dear Representative: On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, we urge you to support the Domestic and International Terrorism Act (DATA Act) (H.R.3106). Congress should use its oversight and appropriations power to demand that federal agencies make public how it is using its resources to fight white supremacist violence. Congress must pass pertinent legislation like the DATA Act to strengthen laws related to hate violence in this country.The DATA Act will provide Congress information about the federal government's approach to counterterrorism, including data on investigations and prosecutions. We support the DATA Act because it promotes increased oversight of federal counterterrorism activities without creating enhanced authorities or resources like new offices. The most recent data from FBI documented that hate crimes against African Americans, Latinos, the LGBTQ community, Native Americans, Jews, and Muslims all increased in 2017. Through the DATA Act, Congress has devised ways to improve federal and state responses to hate violence, including how to address FBI Hate Crime Statistics Act underreporting. The DATA Act comes at a crucial time, when too many people in this country feel unwelcome, unsafe, and marginalized due to acts of terror. There is little question that violence committed against individuals because of their race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation remains a serious problem in America. The DATA Act will study these current trends with the intention of combatting hate. The Leadership Conference applauds Chairman Thompson for placing this key legislation on the suspension calendar for a House vote. The DATA Act will assist Congress in its efforts to elevate the fight against white supremacy and end a climate in which individual perpetrators feel emboldened to act. Sincerely, Vanita Gupta, President & CEO.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, in the last year, six children have died after being in CBP custody. This disheartening statistic demands our attention, especially when you stop to think that, in the entire decade preceding these deaths, not one child died in CBP custody. Processes for the treatment of migrants crossing the border clearly need to be improved. H.R. 3525 does that by forcing DHS to look at its medical screening process and come up with ways to improve it and address any performance gaps. It also helps move the Department's recordkeeping into the 21st century. H.R. 3525 is one step we can take to ensure that the money that DHS is already spending on screening and caring for apprehended families and children is done wisely. And I might add, Mr. Speaker, all of us saw the conditions that children were kept in along the border. You can't put children in fences. You can't give people inadequate healthcare. You can't do those things. Most of us in this body are either parents or grandparents or we have relatives who are. For us not to care about children is something that America should never be proud of. We are a nation of values. Our values have to say that children matter. Ms. Underwood's bill clearly says that children in the custody of the United States Government matter. Not only do they matter, but we have to keep up with them; we should not lose them. If they are sick, we need to have copies of their records accessible so that our professionals who are tasked with the responsibility of taking care of them actually know what is going on. So I am clear about the bill. If my colleagues on the other side are not interested in helping children and solving this problem that we have along our borders, then that is too bad. Democrats are prepared to work with them if they want to. If not, children do matter. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3525, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee). (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Miss Rice), the chair of the Homeland Security, Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations Subcommittee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barragan).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard), the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3525, the U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act, as amended, seeks to build on legislation passed by the House in July to strengthen the medical care and attention provided to migrants who cross our borders. In July, in response to reports of inhumane conditions at our southern border and the death of six children who had been in CBP custody, the House approved a bill to require in-person medical screening by licensed medical professionals for apprehended individuals. H.R. 3525 builds upon that measure by focusing on improving health screening processes and recordkeeping within DHS. The bill authored by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood) takes a two-pronged approach. First, it requires DHS to research innovative solutions for deficiencies in the medical screening it conducts at the border. This research is to be carried out in consultation with national medical professional associations that have expertise in emergency medicine, nursing, and pediatric care. Importantly, in carrying out the research, DHS is directed to pay particular attention to the screening of children, pregnant women, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations. Once completed, DHS is required to transmit to Congress information on what actions the Department plans to take in response to the research findings. The second prong of H.R. 3525 is focused on driving DHS to improve interoperability among components responsible for the care of apprehended individuals. It does so by requiring DHS to set up an electronic health records system to track health screening and care of individuals in DHS custody. This system would create records that could be accessed by all the relevant DHS components. The benefits of such a system are unmistakable: A migrant's medical information cannot get lost. There will be a clear system to track when any followup medication or medical attention is needed, ensuring cases will not fall through the cracks. It will also avoid duplication of medical services and time delays due to lost or incomplete medical records. As important, all the information gained from the initial medical screening will follow the children and adults as they are transferred to other DHS components. Even though apprehension numbers have recently declined, we must take the lessons learned from the poor handling of the recent migrant crisis to heart and drive performance improvement within DHS. H.R. 3525 represents a step in the right direction, and, as such, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 577, I call up the bill (H.R. 3525) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to establish uniform processes for medical screening of individuals interdicted between ports of entry, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3106, the Domestic and International Terrorism DATA Act. El Paso. Poway. Pittsburgh. Charlottesville. Charleston. Oak Creek. In the last 7 years, these great American cities have found themselves involuntarily linked by the horror of domestic terrorism. Just last year, in 2018, there were 50 extremist killings in the United States. Every single one had links to rightwing extremism, mostly white supremacist extremism. Between 2009 and 2018, there were 427 deaths linked to extremism in America. Nearly three-fourths of those were linked to domestic rightwing extremists, as compared to the less than one-fourth linked to Islamist extremists. The Committee on Homeland Security has tackled the challenge of understanding and preventing domestic terrorism head-on. In May of this year, the committee held its first-ever hearing on domestic terrorism while we took testimony from the FBI, DHS, and the Justice Department on white supremacist and other domestic terrorism movements. Since then, the committee has broadened its oversight of domestic terrorism by not only weaving it into our traditional work with respect to foreign terrorist groups but also by focusing on how social media platforms are exploited to recruit, plan, and carry out terrorist attacks. All along, the committee has given special attention to the challenges associated with keeping places of worship and other public spaces secure in a current terrorism climate by, among other things, holding roundtables in Jackson, Mississippi, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here to present H.R. 3106, a bill that was approved by the committee on a bipartisan basis to improve the Federal response to domestic terrorism. Today, Americans have a sense that domestic terrorism threats are significant but have not been presented with the full-threat picture. There is some information available to the public, but it is limited. Americans have learned, for example, there were more arrests tied to domestic terrorism than to international terrorism in 2017 and 2018. In May, the FBI revealed that it had around 850 active domestic terrorism investigations across the country. As of July, according to the FBI, the number of domestic terrorism arrests in 2019 is on par with the number of international terrorism arrests. In the absence of complete and reliable information from the Federal Government, groups like the Anti-Defamation League have done this Nation a great service by collecting and publishing data on the threat of extremist violence in the United States. My bill would require the FBI, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security to publish an annual report on terrorism. Enactment of this legislation would help Americans understand, over time, the nature of the terrorism threat and how it is evolving. Importantly, the legislation also requires Federal agencies to share information on how the government is keeping us safe. We need to know how many staff are on the job and how many terrorism-related investigations, indictments, prosecutions, and convictions there have been. The bill has been endorsed by the Anti-Defamation League, the Arab American Institute, the Jewish Federations of North America, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Muslim Advocates, the NAACP, the National Action Network, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record endorsement letters from the following organizations: the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, the Arab American Institute, the Jewish Federations of North America; the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. July 12, 2019. Dear Representative: We are writing to urge you to support H.R. 3106, the Domestic Terrorism Documentation and Analysis of Threats in America Act, or the Domestic Terrorism DATA Act, which we have endorsed. The ADL (Anti-Defamation League) is a leading anti-hate organization and has been working to secure justice and fair treatment to all since its founding in 1913. As part of our mandate, we have been compiling and analyzing comprehensive domestic terrorism data for years. We use this data to investigate the threat of extremist groups and domestic terrorism, work with law enforcement to help keep our communities safe from those threats, and inform debates about how to shape policy. ADL has long found that data collection is essential to effectively counter hate and extremism in all forms. Without transparency, collective efforts, and comprehensive data collection, advocacy and solutions are not possible. Our data show that threats against Jews, Muslims, and other minorities in the United States are at disturbingly high levels, and a key reason for that is the resurgence of white supremacist ideologies. ADL's latest report on extremist- related murders, Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2018, found that 78% of the 50 murders committed by extremists in 2018 were tied specifically to white supremacy. The ten-year overview tells a similar story: Of the 313 people killed by right-wing extremists between 2009 to 2018, 76% were killed by white supremacists, making white supremacists the deadliest extremist movement in the United States over the past decade. The proliferation of hate and the dangerous ideology of white supremacy puts our communities at risk. From Charlottesville to Pittsburgh to Poway, American communities are under attack. In a time of crisis such as this, one might expect a complete overhaul of the priorities, policies, and resources that the U.S. government brings to bear to counter and prevent this ideology from claiming its next victims. Instead, Americans have been met with an abdication of that duty, while the government, in fact, has reduced resources to counter domestic terrorism, leaving our communities more vulnerable to the next inevitable tragedy. The Domestic Terrorism Documentation and Analysis of Threats in America Act focuses on increasing the coordination, accountability, and transparency of the federal government in collecting and recording data on domestic terrorism. H.R. 3106 would Require FBI, DOJ, and DHS to produce an annual, unclassified joint report that provides the following: data on domestic terrorist incidents; assessments, investigations, indictments, prosecutions, and convictions with a domestic terrorism nexus; the number of full-time staff working on domestic terrorism employed by DOJ and DHS, as well as a new requirement for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit the annual joint reports. Data drives policy; we cannot address what we are not measuring. Collecting accurate and transparent data on domestic terrorism is an essential way to ensure this threat to American democracy receives the attention it deserves. That is why we urge you to support the Domestic Terrorism DATA Act. Sincerely, Erika Moritsugu, Vice President, Government Relations, Advocacy and Community Engagement.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3106) to require a joint domestic terrorism report, establish within the Department of Homeland Security a National Center for the Study of Domestic Terrorism, authorize research within the Department of Homeland Security on current trends in domestic terrorism, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, put simply, H.R. 3106 is a commonsense bill that will improve transparency into a growing homeland security threat. Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this critical legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, September 19, 2019. Hon. Bennie Thompson, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Thompson: This is to advise you that the Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to review the provisions in H.R. 3106, the ``Domestic Terrorism DATA Act,'' that fall within our Rule X jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us on those provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection to your including them in the resolution for consideration on the House floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to forgo action on H.R. 2106, with the understanding that we do not thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those provisions or their subject matters. In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the right to request an appropriate number of conferees to address any concerns with these or similar provisions that may arise in conference. Please place this letter into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked regarding this matter and others between our committees. Sincerely, Jerrold Nadler, Chairman.