from the bench, headed to nashville after the american road policy coalition and like congressman conniers, we have urged and indeed supported senator's webb's bill that would go into issue of the medical consequence of the use of drugs and to what extent would the use explode or not to the point where we would have the dimensions of the problems we have with alcoholism and the automobile accident and injuries and medical consequences and about increasing the use of drugs. indeed, we see now some evidence that some studies report in california where medical marijuana has been authorized, where there's been a serious uptick in the last two or three years of the use of drugs on the basis that is nowhere harmful than smoking tobacco. i think we need scientific medical evidence and not just popular beliefs on what the actual realities would be. with reference to the use of all these type of drugs. and i have been supported in fighting that battle both on the senate side and with the house judiciary committee now for about 67 years. since about 2004. on the other issue dealing with the issue of

john conniers. >> thank you chairman bobby scott.i would ask everyone to give you a round of applause. as a matter of fact, let's thank chairman bobby scott of virginia for all that he is doing. and with the tragic loss of one young man in our country, trayvon martin, which has electriified the nation here comes chairman bobby scott with a forum on the youth promise act. that's worth another round of applause because it's right on time. and what this bill does is it makes us safer. and on top of it it's cost effective and it brings greater hope and justice for our youth. as chairman scott said we incarcrate more people than any other country on earth. it is way too many. i celebrate what we are doing here today. i close with this observation. hill harper was late coming to this forum. we were trying to determine whether we should issue a warrant or a subpoena to bring him here one way or the other. i'm glad we don't have to do that now and i thank you chairman scott. >> thank you. and now for equal time we recognize hill harper. >> t

the briefing chairman jon conniers called for a moment of silence for trayvon. the witness list includes the president of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence, the retired former head of the miami-dade police department and the acting director of justice department community relations service. all trying to figure out what to be done to prevent a tragedy like this one in the future. >> we have to make sure that what has happened in florida with the police department and how they held this situation never happens again in the united states of america. >> a lot of people can relate to our situation. and it breaks their heart just like it breaks mine. >> i would like to say thank you to everyone who supportive of our family. everyone who has helped us stand tall in this matter. everyone who is holding the legacy of trayvon and making sure that he did not indeed, die in vain. >> reporter: the parents were not on the witness list but were allowed to make the brief statements as lawmakers called for racial profiling legislation and the special commission on the

connier's judiciary committee, when he was chairman, they're allowed a witness, now we're allowed a witness. the oversight hearing on the question dealing with the compromise of the president to ensure no religious institution ever has to engage against their view, which i will fight to the death to ensure that happens, there was a witness proposed by the democrats of that committee, a young woman law student. the last time i heard she was a private citizen, she was a law student, accredited or in good standing, of one of the nation's major law schools and she was blocked from testifying. shortly thereafter the democratic policy in the steering committee was led by leader pelosi, they held a hearing and gave this private citizen an opportunity to be heard. she was called before the democratic policy and steering committee which is an appropriate vehicle in order to have people heard on her views about the necessity of having access to women's health. that was the framework of her testimony. there were no accusatory words, as i understand it. there was no blaming. it was a simple, pure testi