Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the question: Where is the party…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the question: Where is the party of Lincoln? Where is the moment of courage when the slaves were freed in that moment in 1863? This Senate bill, the MTR, does not rise to the occasion of those who are in the streets. It fails the moment. It does not require anything. It does not ban, require, or create. The Senate bill is threadbare and lacking in substance. It does not even provide a proper baseline for negotiation. It does not contain any mechanism to hold law enforcement officers accountable in court for their misconduct. It does not address mens rea, a standard that should be the basis of due process. For too long, it has allowed law enforcement officers to evade criminal liability for excessive force. It is absolutely imperative that any meaningful policing reform contain accountability. It fails the moment. {time} 1900 Tim Scott introduced the Walter Scott bill many years ago. It has yet to see the light of day in the United States Senate. Where is the party of Lincoln? The JUSTICE Act has little to do with the urgent need, the cry of our people, or those gathering around me in Cuney Homes who came to me, friends of George Floyd, who knew Big Floyd, and said, ``What does this bill do?…”