WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today delivered remarks on the Senate floor where she discussed the JUSTICE Act, police reform legislation she co-sponsored. Senator Capito was selected to a small group of Republican senators that crafted this legislation—led by Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

HIGHLIGHTS:


ON DEFUNDING THE POLICE: “It is our job to hear these voices and to act. It does not mean defunding that police. It means improving the police and improving equal protection so that everybody has basic protections. We’re all equal in the eyes of justice and the law. We’ve seen looting. We’ve seen officers lose their lives. We’ve seen an underbelly to our country that’s been difficult to watch.”

LIVING UP TO AMERICA’S FOUNDING IDEALS: “While we want to know that our Declaration of Independence is lived up to and that the Fourteenth Amendment, which guaranteed that no government, including state and local governments, can deny basic Constitutional rights, we haven’t quite lived up to all of that. A century passed before we passed major civil rights legislation in 1964. One of the sources of great pride for me is that my father was one of the leading Republicans in the House of Representatives, representing West Virginia in 1964, that helped make sure that passed.”  

LISTENING TO BLACK COMMUNITIES: “When I hear the voice of a mother who is fearful that her son might not survive a traffic stop or they have to have certain behaviors…we can’t have those anguished cries in a double system anymore. That’s what this bill is about.”

PRO-CIVIL RIGHTS AND PRO-LAW ENFORCEMENT: “I stand with the men and women of law enforcement who dedicate themselves to serving and protecting others. There should be no conflict between a pro-civil rights bill and a pro-law enforcement bill. They should be able to be joined together. So this [the JUSTICE Act] supports our police officers while bringing about positive change that will help guarantee equal protection to all of our citizens. The police reform bill will make a real difference in advancing our constitutional ideals and in making our communities safer. I am proud to stand with Senator Scott, but I want to stand with the entire whole body to talk about the ways to make this bill even better.”


# # #