[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E73]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTRODUCTION OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 23, 2008

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, today I rise to introduce the 
Civil Rights Act of 2008. This legislation will keep the promise of 
equality that this Congress has made in passing our civil rights laws 
and ensure that discriminators are held accountable for their actions. 
Over the years, Congress has addressed some of our most pressing civil 
rights concerns by passing bipartisan legislation, legislation that 
protects American workers from discrimination on the basis of color, 
race, religion, age, disability, and sex. Our civil rights laws have 
strengthened our country, providing opportunity to those who had been 
denied opportunity and affording the Nation the benefit of abilities 
that would have otherwise been wasted. They have brought us closer to 
the beloved community where all people are able to succeed based on 
their abilities.
  Unfortunately, over the years, the Supreme Court has weakened some of 
these basic protections in ways that Congress never intended. They have 
undermined the protections for workers, for older Americans, for the 
disabled, for racial and ethnic minorities, for women, and for those in 
the military. So today, I join Senator Edward Kennedy in introducing 
the Civil Rights Act of 2008 to restore workers' rights and strengthens 
and reaffirms our commitment to the promise of equal opportunity. The 
bill corrects the misinterpretations of our civil rights laws that have 
left too many American workers without a remedy when they have suffered 
discrimination.
  The relationship between workers and civil rights in America runs 
wide and deep. It was the laborers--the sharecroppers, the sanitation 
workers, the teachers, the students, the construction workers, and the 
street sweepers--who tore down the walls of racial segregation in the 
South. It is these ordinary men and women with extraordinary vision who 
have sacrificed their lives in confrontations throughout American 
history to help build this democracy. We cannot stand by and let their 
hard-earned victories be erased.
  This bill better protects workers from discrimination in agencies 
that receive Federal money, defends students against harassment, 
fortifies civil rights for State employees, and prevents employers from 
forcing workers to give up their right to a day in court. It also 
ensures remedies for undocumented workers who are victims of unfair 
labor practices. It restores the individual right to challenge 
practices that have an unjustified discriminatory effect based on race, 
color, national origin, disability, age, or gender. It ensures that 
members of the Armed Forces who work for State governments are 
protected from discrimination.
  If you work for a State government, you should have the same 
protections from discrimination as a person working in private 
industry--but the courts didn't see it that way. Students who are 
victims of sexual harassment shouldn't have to meet a higher standard 
of proof than their teachers--but the courts didn't see it that way. 
Members of the uniformed services should be able to get relief if they 
are discriminated against while they are on active military duty, 
whether they are employees of State governments or the private 
industry--but the courts didn't see it that way.
  The struggle for civil rights is beyond one bill, one vote, or one 
judicial decision. It's beyond one Presidential term or act of 
Congress. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, and each generation, each 
citizen, each president and each member of Congress must do his or her 
part. Together all of our efforts comprise the struggle of a nation to 
build the beloved community, a nation at peace with itself and its own 
ideals. This bill is just another step in that struggle to ensure the 
freedoms of all Americans to pursue their dreams.

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