WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today
delivered remarks on the Senate floor where she expressed her dismay that Democrats blocked debate on the JUSTICE Act—police reform
legislation she co-sponsored and introduced
last Wednesday.
HIGHLIGHTS:
THE SENATE FAILED: “If I’m somebody watching this from afar—from Oklahoma or West
Virginia or Vermont—I’m thinking to myself, ‘What is all this about 60 votes
and cloture and all this?’ They’re not focused on that. All they know is that
we failed. This failed. And this was an opportunity that we should have
grasped.”
IMPROVING THE POLICE: “We know that every American is entitled to equal
protection under the law. We also know there’s a lot of good police officers in
this country—many, the vast majority. It’s clear, though, we have a real need
to improve our law enforcement so that every American can have confidence that
officers are there to serve them equally.”
LETTING DOWN AMERICA: “Had we moved forward, I think we would have ended up
with a bipartisan bill that can pass both the House and the Senate and be
signed into law. But as of now, you know what we’ve got? Nothing. We have
nothing. We have people on the streets of every town in America begging us to
do something positive to help the situation. And today? Crickets. Nothing.”
BACKGROUND:
Last Wednesday, Senator
Capito joined Senator
Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and others
for a press conference to announce the
introduction of the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere
(JUSTICE) Act. The legislation provides long-term solutions focused on police
reform, accountability and transparency, while also promoting efforts to find
solutions to systemic issues affecting people of color such as education and
health disparities. Following the introduction, Senator Capito delivered remarks
on the Senate floor discussing the legislation and the importance of the
issue.
Both the JUSTICE Act and the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the
House Democrats’ bill, make lynching a federal crime, call
for increased data collection, more training for law enforcement officials
and incentives for law enforcement officers to wear body cameras, and create a
national criminal justice commission.
The full text of the JUSTICE Act is here, and a
section-by-section analysis is here.
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