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“THE APPOINTMENT OF BILL LANN LEE AS ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR CIVIL RIGHTS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1398-E1399 on Sept. 6, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE APPOINTMENT OF BILL LANN LEE AS ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR
CIVIL RIGHTS
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HON. TOM LANTOS
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 6, 2000
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud to the recess appointment of Bill Lann Lee as assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Bill Lann Lee is a true civil rights crusader, and his appointment reflects the Clinton-Gore administration's unflinching commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans by rigorously enforcing our nation's civil rights legislation.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Lee's personal experiences with discrimination as an Asian-American have driven him to fight passionately for the last quarter century to secure the civil rights of all Americans. Bill Lann Lee's deep and personal commitment to civil rights and his outstanding record of service make him an exemplary choice for this critical position. In Bill Lann Lee all Americans can rest assured that they have a true civil rights crusader looking out for their civil rights, forcefully advocating fair affirmative action policies for all those discriminated against. The appointment of Bill Lann Lee as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights brings to this critical position a proven civil rights leader with a deep and personal commitment to protecting the rights of all Americans.
Bill Lann Lee's personal drive in civil rights advocacy was fueled by the experiences of his father, a proud but poor Chinese immigrant. Bill Lann Lee grew up knowing his father fought for freedom abroad in World War II even though he was denied dignity and freedom here at home because of his ethnicity. Inspired by that kind of unshakeable patriotism, Bill Lann Lee set out to establish a legal career in which he could fight to protect all Americans from the kind of discrimination his father experienced. Today he says, ``Whenever I work on cases for women, for minorities, for individuals who need help, I sincerely feel that they are people like my father.'' Bill Lann Lee's desire to protect everyone from discrimination is a personal one, and it is this kind of commitment that makes him an outstanding choice for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
Mr. Speaker, Bill Lann Lee brings a strong work ethic and record of service to his new position. He who grew up near Harlem's 125th street, and spent hours sorting piles of dirty clothes in his family laundry. He experienced racism because of his Asian-American background, but he had the courage and determination to work beyond that bias and excel in the classroom. Because of his hard work, he had the opportunity to take advantage of a scholarship for minorities and attended Yale University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.
He went on to Columbia Law School, where he studied with Jack Greenberg, a veteran civil rights lawyer who succeeded Thurgood Marshall as director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Because of Bill Lann Lee's hard work, he received an excellent education and laid the foundation for an outstanding legal career at the forefront of Civil Rights advocacy. It is from this position that he has spent the last 25 years continuing to work hard to protect the civil rights of all Americans.
Mr. Speaker, for the past 25 years of his distinguished legal career, Bill Lann Lee has been an advocate for civil rights enforcement, leading the fight for health care accessibility, public transportation equity, fair employment and housing rights and school desegregation. He worked for the NAACP since 1974 and the Center for Law in the Public Interests since 1983 where he served for five years as supervising attorney for Civil Rights Litigation. Among his most noteworthy victories are a 1985 case that provided housing for Los Angeles area residents displaced by the Century Freeway; a 1987 case that broke down barriers to the hiring and promotion of women and minorities at Lucky Stores, a retail chain in California; and a 1991 case that led to the expansion of California's efforts to screen underprivileged children for lead poisoning.
On December 15, 1997, Bill Lann Lee was appointed Acting Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice. In this position, he has worked to strengthen our nation's hate crime laws, make society accessible to Americans with disabilities, fight housing discrimination, and protect reproductive health care providers and combat modern day slavery. His accomplishments as Acting Assistant Attorney General have been remarkable, and that taken together with his previous accomplishments in the NAACP and the Center for Law in the Public Interests make him an excellent choice for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
Mr. Speaker, Bill Lann Lee has established a remarkable record of service as Acting Assistant Attorney General, and it is most fitting that President Clinton made the recess appointment of Mr. Lee as Assistant Attorney General because of his deep commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans. Bill Lann Lee deserves to serve in this position, but more importantly, our country needs to have Bill Lann Lee in this post.
Mr. Speaker, I commend President Clinton for appointing Bill Lann Lee to the post of Assistant Attorney General, and I applaud the appointment of the first Asian-American to America's top civil rights post.
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