The Time Cole Exoneration Review Commission

Floor Speech

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Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the Texas State Legislature in passing House Bill 48, establishing the Tim Cole Exoneration Review Commission. Tim Cole was wrongfully convicted of rape and was the first Texas man to be posthumously cleared by DNA testing.

I know that, oftentimes, when people hear these stories, they think: What did he do to get on the police department's radar? Had he done something previously in his life that would have made the police department suspect him? I can tell you that, in Tim Cole's case, Tim was an Army veteran from Fort Worth; he was a Texas Tech student; and he honorably served in the military. Sadly, it was just a very bad time to be a Black man living in Lubbock, Texas. Tim was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and he died behind bars without being able to prove his innocence.

I am happy to let you know that this 11-member panel will examine wrongful convictions to determine what went wrong and then will make recommendations aimed at avoiding in the future the mistakes that were made in Tim Cole's case. On June 1, Governor Abbott signed a bill into law affirming that all Americans are entitled to due process. Tim Cole's family can take some small solace in the knowledge that his death has resulted in changes that can provide hope to those who are also wrongfully convicted.

I want to applaud Tim's brother, Cory Session, who has worked tirelessly for years to clear his brother's name. I also applaud his late mother, Ruby Session, who didn't get to see this bill signed into law, but she did get to see some changes made in Texas. I am just happy for this family. I am sad that this happened to Tim Cole, but I am glad that something positive has taken place.

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