Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) is taking credit for the racial profiling section of an omnibus transportation bill that recently passed the House.
According to Norton's office, The Transportation Equity Act is designed to ensure that police are not using racial profiling when conducting traffic stops. The bill also allots a significant increase of funds for the District's transportation projects.
According to a statement from Norton's office, "The Norton provision allows states to apply for federal funds ($60 million over six years) to develop racial profiling laws, to maintain racial data of vehicle stops by police, and to train law enforcement officers so that they do not make stops on the basis of race."
To be eligible for funds, states would first be required to enact a statute that strictly prohibits the use of race or ethnicity when making traffic stops. To prove compliance with profiling laws, states would need to document and make public racial and ethnic statistics of traffic stops.
"One of the reasons racial profiling remains widespread is because federal law has been silent, unlike the case with job discrimination and discrimination in other state and federal activities," Norton said.
Norton's press secretary, Doxie McCoy, said that NBC's Dateline program did a study that proved minorities are two to three times more likely than whites to be ticketed for infractions such as burned out taillights and seat-belt violations.
The Senate's transportation bill contains no so such provision, so whether or not it will become law depends on what happens in the conference committee. McCoy said that Norton will fight to make sure the racial profiling provision remains in the finalized transportation bill. She said the bill will be voted on after Congress is back in session April 20, but was unable to give a specific date for the vote.
Also included in the bill was a $1.6 billion increase in funding for D.C. transit. That money will be allocated to the District over the next six years. Norton has already been working with the District's Department of Transportation to target the funds. Projects may include repairing deteriorating bridges, installing bicycle trails and buying natural-gas buses for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
