Russ Feingold: “today I will introduce the End Racial Profiling Act of 2005. I am proud to be joined again by my friend from New Jersey…”

“today I will introduce the End Racial Profiling Act of 2005. I am proud to be joined again by my friend from New Jersey, Senator Corzine, and a number of other cosponsors. It is fitting that this bill will be introduced in one of the final days of Senator Corzine's service in this body. He has been a major force in efforts to advance this legislation from the day he joined the Senate 4 years ago. Ending racial profiling in America has been a priority for me for many years. I worked with the senior Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Lautenberg, back in 1999 on a bill to collect statistics on racial profiling. In 2001, in his first State of the Union address, President Bush told the American people that ``racial profiling is wrong and we will end it in America.'' He asked the Attorney General to implement a policy to end racial profiling. The Department of Justice released a Fact Sheet and Policy Guidance addressing racial profiling in 2003, stating that racial profiling is wrong and ineffective and perpetuates negative racial stereotypes in our country. Though these guidelines are helpful, they do not end racial profiling and they do not have the force of law. Unfortunately, more than 4 years after the President's ringing endorsement of our goal, racial profiling has not ended in this country. I am proud today, therefore, to introduce the End Racial Profiling Act of 2005.…”