The House passed an important civil-rights bill yesterday with near-unanimous support. The Senate, however, is another matter.
The House passed a bill Wednesday to establish a new division of federal prosecutors and FBI agents focused strictly on cracking unsolved murders from the civil rights era.
The bill, which is also moving swiftly through the Senate, would authorize $10 million a year over the next decade to create the unit in the Justice Department. It also would earmark $2 million per year in grants for state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate cases in which federal prosecution isn’t practical, and $1.5 million more to improve coordination among investigating agencies.
The bill, passed 422-2, is named in honor of Emmett Till, a black 14-year-old from Chicago who was beaten and murdered in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman. His killers were never convicted.
“We must do something to right these wrongs,” said U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., who sponsored the bill. “We have an obligation…. Let us move to close this dark stain on our nation’s history.”
For decent people, this should be a no-brainer. (In the House, the two nays were from Republican Reps. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia and Ron Paul of Texas.)
With overwhelming House support, the Bush administration’s blessing, and the support of the Senate, the Emmett Till bill was poised to sail through the chamber and become law.
Until Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) put a hold on the bill and threatened to block it permanently.
I’m tempted to describe this as “shameful,” but it’s actually worse than that. Perhaps “disgusting” is more appropriate.
Coburn said he felt compelled to single-handedly block the legislation because he didn’t want to spend the money on the law-enforcement effort. How much does the initiative cost? About $135 million over 10 years. Coburn voted for the last several Bush budgets, which ran massive deficits, but his opposition to $135 million over 10 years is so strong, he just has to block the bill. What’s more, he doesn’t hesitate to give the White House a blank check for the war in Iraq, but a modest bill on civil rights is too pricey.
I should also add that, unlike the spending Coburn has been supporting the past several years, congressional Dems found a way to pay for the Emmett Till bill — none of this is deficit spending.
Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd (Conn.) and Pat Leahy (Vt.) aren’t giving up.
“My colleagues and I have fought long and hard for this bill in order to bring to justice people who have perpetrated heinous crimes based on racial hatred,” said Dodd. “It has been a bipartisan effort, and I am angry that one of my colleagues is delaying this bill’s passage under false pretense. While we allow another day, another week, another month to pass before enacting this legislation, we allow racist criminals to live the lives of innocent people when they should be apprehended and brought to justice. After so many decades, to further delay justice and solace to the families of the victims of these horrific crimes is simply unimaginable.
“The Senate should not wait another day to take up this important legislation,” Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said. “This legislation provides necessary tools for our federal government, in cooperation with state and local officials, to vigorously investigate and prosecute these cases. As each day passes, new evidence trickles in while older evidence fades and witnesses age. We must have a sense of urgency about these unsolved cases – justice cannot afford to wait.”
Note to Republicans: the next time you’re struggling to understand why the GOP struggles to earn the support of African-American voters, remember who opposed The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act.