The Justice Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I want to end my few moments on the floor with an acknowledgement of where we are going to be next week. It has been made clear that we are going to have an opportunity to bring up for discussion legislation that has been drafted by Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina, along with a group of fellow colleagues over here, focused on matters relating to policing reforms.

My hope--it is more than a hope; it is really a prayer. My prayer is that we will come to this floor next week as colleagues and as individuals who want to bring to bear good policy for a country at a time that is so desperate for leadership that is responsive, leadership that has demonstrated a willingness to listen to the raw emotion of what we have seen expressed across this country in the few weeks since the terrible death and killing of George Floyd but recognizing that it is far more than the horrible death of one individual. It is a history that in many parts of our country is raw and open and needs to be addressed.

My prayer is that we can come to this floor not here to debate through a partisan lens but here to debate those issues that are so important and so imperative for the American public to hear; that the response is not a Republican effort versus a Democratic effort, but that these are matters that we must address, whether it is how we ensure that there is full and fair accountability, whether it relates to safe policing practices, whether it is how we address the concerns with modern policing when there are issues before our law enforcement officers that span the scope of how we address mental health issues-- those with addictions--and how we respond from a broader view and lens but do so with our hearts rather than trying to project through our political alignment.

I even hesitate to say because some would ask: Well, exactly what do you mean by that?

I guess what I am asking for us to do is to come here and debate honestly about where we are as a nation, and that comes to ensuring that when we speak of justice, that we speak of justice for all in a way that is inclusive, that is fair, that is equal, and that is compassionate; that we recognize that the men and women who get up every morning or stay out late every evening to protect and defend, that we are there with them and for them as they serve us.

I am asking for us to come into our work next week with open hearts and open minds, having listened well. If we do that, I can only suspect that the outcome will be good.

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