NewsMS.fm - Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Legislation Could Receive Second Wind From Washington

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By Courtney Carter

U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss) have vouched support for a proposal to reauthorize the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act, a 2008 law that is set to expire next year.

The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016, S.2854, would renew the law that allowed for the collaboration between the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and state and local law enforcement to investigate unsolved civil rights-era violence.

"It is important that special emphasis be placed on reconciling the tragedies of the civil rights movement. The evidence and witnesses to these crimes become scarcer as time goes by, and we must act now," Cochran said. "Reauthorizing the Emmett Till law would allow federal, state and local investigators to continue pursuing these cold cases."

Senator Rocker Wicker said this bill would allow for the pursuit of justice even after all these years.

"This important law has helped deliver justice for victims and families who suffered terrible crimes during that bitter, painful period of our nation's history," Wicker said. "However, many of these cases still remain unsolved, leaving families without answers. I am hopeful that the Senate will give the law new life to keep these critical investigations ongoing."

The renewing of the legislation would not only continue to authorize the departments to work together, but also provide grant money and resources to aid in these investigations. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

Cochran and Wicker supported enactment of the original 2008 law, which is named for the African-American teenager who was brutally murdered in 1955 while visiting relatives in Mississippi.

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