Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, and I thank the outstanding cosponsors of this legislation, my friend Mr.…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, and I thank the outstanding cosponsors of this legislation, my friend Mr. Rose and my colleague from New Jersey, for coming together around a concept that I have had the disappointment and sadness to work on for most of my tenure in the United States Congress, and that is bullying. I am so saddened that we have to name bills after young people, precious young people, who have taken their lives. Bullying--breaking news--destroys our children. It not only destroys the person that is bullied--many times, unbeknownst to their friends or their family so that someone could provide them comfort and reaffirm their dignity and their worth because that is what bullying does, it says that you are not worth anything--but it also destroys the bully. So, I am excited about a commission, a roundtable established by the President to study bullying in elementary and secondary schools in the United States. Their report will make recommendations for combating bullying and educating school officials in recognizing it. I know how hard school officials work. I talk to my superintendents and teachers all the time. But they miss these things, and that means the child suffers alone. This bill is named after Daniel Fitzpatrick, a 13-year-old boy who died on August 11, 2016. He was a loving and generous kid who embodied kindness and empathy to all. He was also the victim of relentless physical, mental, verbal, and emotional bullying.…”