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Civil Rights Bill Approved

Press Release

Date: June 13, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Legal Criminal Justice


Civil Rights Bill Approved

The House Judiciary Committee today approved the "Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007," (H.R. 923) co-sponsored by Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX).

"This bill provides much-needed resources to the Justice Department and the FBI to prosecute unsolved civil rights-era homicides," said Congressman Smith.

In addition to new federal funding, H.R. 923 also designates new high-level positions with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to investigate and prosecute unsolved civil rights-era murders.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations has identified roughly 100 such cases and has now joined with the NAACP, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Urban League to uncover other cases, identify witnesses and gather evidence.

"This bill reaffirms the obligation we have to victims of past crimes," concluded Smith.


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