Thank you, my colleague from North Carolina, for your outstanding remarks on this topic of saving our community. I really, really appreciate it, and so do the American people. At this time, I would like to introduce my other colleague…

Thank you so much for your important remarks. I know this topic is one that you have been researching and studying, trying to come up with solutions for a long time. One thing that is a little disconcerting is you say that the SAFE Justice…

Is there any particular State that you think does a better job that we can hold up as a role model?

That is a good idea we have now in Illinois. Thank you, Representative. I really appreciate you taking the time and sharing your vast knowledge about this topic. Mr. Speaker, many of the families that we represent believe that the only and…

Thank you. I thank my colleagues for lending their voices for this important conversation about saving our communities, and I will be submitting some other work from other colleagues not here tonight. I yield back the balance of my time.

That is fantastic. I know in my district, we have held some roundtables, and some of my employers, manufacturers, they shared that they did hire people who were in prison and were some of their best employees because they are so grateful…

I recently hosted my third annual hiring event where 500 applicants connected with more than 70 employers looking to fill positions. I was delighted to see Ramona Young and Sommatra Jackson at the event, two women hired at my first event…

I am tired. I am tired of, once again, being asked to rise to honor the victims of gun violence. Not even a month ago, I stood at this very podium on behalf of gun violence victims. With nearly 300 mass shootings in less than 300 days…

Time and time again, I have come to this floor to urge my colleagues to stand with me against the rampant plague of gun violence spreading across our Nation, and I stand here again heartbroken. I recently had the difficult and tragic duty…

I feel this bill will close this glaring loophole and would help with the issue.

The transparency that the DATA Act is designed to provide will help hold agencies accountable for their spending decisions.

We are truly fortunate to live in and be Representatives of a Nation that recognizes and respects free press.

Effective implementation of the DATA Act is crucial in order to improve the transparency of Federal spending.

The basis of our Government is to be for and by the people. And in that spirit, the opinion of the people matters.

As students enjoy summer break, we need to ensure that our kids remain intellectually engaged. Today we hear so much about our youth being glued to their screens, their tablets, and their gaming apps. It has caused concerns among parents…

Our criminal justice system has different effects on unique populations as you have raised.

Thank you, Congressman Payne, for those words. Right now, it is my pleasure to introduce the Congressman from North Carolina and the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Butterfield.

Thank you so much, Congressman Green, for your words, your passion, and your call to action. I would like to thank all of my colleagues for participating tonight. Symbols of the Confederacy have been an inescapable and often haunting part…

Thank you, Congresswoman Jackson Lee. Always detailed and insightful. Thank you for all of your work on the Judiciary Committee. It is very much appreciated and hailed. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries)…

Thank you, Congresswoman Holmes. I am so glad that you and Congressman Payne brought up the issue of the gun because we cannot forget that either. I look at Charleston as when racism and hate found the gun. At this time, I yield to the…

Thank you, Congressman Jeffries, for reminding us about the Voting Rights Act. Again, thank you for everything you did last week in this Congress. It was so commendable. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green), who…

Thank you, Congressman Butterfield, for those fine words. Many questions, many questions: Why are they still holding on? Is it just heritage and tradition? Or is it something more? At this time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce the…

We are here tonight to have an important conversation, a conversation that is long overdue, a conversation that is crucial to healing America's deep racial wounds, our topic being the Confederate battle flag and why racial symbols matter…

I thank Congresswoman Fudge for her eloquent words and the truth of what happened in Congress last week and what we need to do to go forward. At this time, I yield to the gentlewoman from Houston, Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

America's national security is an issue that those of us trusted by the public to serve in Congress must and do take seriously.