SUDAN ACCOUNTABILITY AND DIVESTMENT ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - December 18, 2007)
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding the time. We who believe in freedom cannot rest. We who believe in freedom cannot rest. And today we who believe in freedom must stand up on behalf of the people of Darfur.
It is a wonderful opportunity that we have through Senate 2271 authorizing State and local governments to divest assets in companies that conduct business operations in Sudan. While I want to celebrate the work of the Senate, I must celebrate the work of my colleagues here in the House who have been really carrying this heavy load and pushing folks to move forward on this legislation, to the Chair, to the ranking member, to my good friend, BARBARA LEE, who is always stepping up and saying, if we believe in freedom we must step out and make a difference in our communities across the world.
As we fight terrorism, and make no mistake about it, the violence in Sudan is akin to what happened in Rwanda and Serbia in recent decades, this is a form of terrorism and genocide. We turned our backs on those populations then, but we must assume responsibility now.
The bill would prohibit the United States Government from contracting with companies that engage in business in Sudan. The American dollar should not be put to use to enforce instability and slaughter of civilians. This legislation also authorizes States, local government and universities to prohibit new contracts with such companies.
[Time: 14:30]
It provides safe harbor to mutual funds and pension plans choosing to divest their assets and prohibits the Federal Government from entering into new contracts. I have already said that. But I really want also to take the time to thank many of the organizations across this country who have stood up on our behalf. Specifically, the work of the Save Darfur Coalition, STAND, the NAACP, American Jewish World Service, the National Association of Evangelicals, and especially the Genocide Intervention Network and the Sudan Divestment Task Force.
Lastly, I want to say that all 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus were signatories to this legislation. This is a piece of legislation that was a priority for the Congressional Black Caucus under the leadership of our Chair, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, and we are so proud we have stood so tall and fought this good fight. And, as I said at the beginning: We who believe in freedom cannot rest. We who believe in freedom cannot rest, and we cannot rest until the people of Darfur are taken care of and we are looking out for them and their babies just like we look after our own.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT