REPS. CONYERS AND JACKSON LEE CALL FOR CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ON DATA COLLECTION LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON – Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) and Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) released the following joint statement in support of their bills, the End Racial Profiling Act (H.R. 1933) and the CADET Act (H.R. 1810) respectively, that would enhance and Federalize much-needed data collection in law enforcement practices:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“For the last eight months, our nation has been shaken by a continuing stream of police-involved deaths arising from traffic and pedestrian stops.  Unfortunately, the Republican majority in Congress has failed to take action on any legislation that would address community concerns or offer greater accountability from law enforcement. 

“Since the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, over 15 bills have been referred to the Judiciary Committee to address discriminatory policing practices, two of which feature data collection as a major component: the End Racial Profiling Act and the CADET Act.  These vital pieces of legislation will help address the lack of data of discriminatory police practices and of deaths in police custody.  Law enforcement leaders, such as FBI Director James Comey, have acknowledged and requested the need for mandatory reporting of this data.

“Dating back to the leadership of Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), where the House twice passed the Traffic Stops Statistics Study Act and in 2001, when President Bush called for legislation to end racial profiling, bipartisanship has been has been the hallmark of congressional action on law enforcement accountability.  Given the heightened level of concerns, the same should be true in the 114^th Congress.  

“Next month, we and others plan to introduce comprehensive legislation to address the broader scope of law enforcement accountability issues.  That legislation will provide police officers -- the vast majority who are concerned about their communities -- the tools necessary to work with their communities and to enhance their professional growth and education.  As we move into the month of May, which includes Law Enforcement Week, we hope to continue building a bipartisan coalition to reestablish community confidence in law enforcement which has been seriously undermined by these recent incidents.”

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