[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCING A RESOLUTION DESIGNATING AUGUST 6TH AS NATIONAL VOTING 
                               RIGHTS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2015

  Mr. HASTINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution 
designating August 6th as National Voting Rights Day.
  On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting 
Rights Act into law. The Act not only outlawed discriminatory voting 
practices and exponentially expanded the level of African American 
voter registration and participation, but also vastly increased the 
number of African American and other minority elected officials. For 
nearly five decades the Voting Rights Act has served as our nation's 
most important safeguard against racial discrimination in our electoral 
system. As we prepare to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of its 
passage, establishing a day recognizing its magnitude will pay homage 
to this transformative law, which remains one of the most effective 
pieces of civil rights legislation ever enacted, and will serve as a 
critical reminder of the importance of continued efforts to ensure that 
all Americans are able to fully participate in our electoral process.
  I am pleased be joined by 36 of my colleagues in introducing this 
resolution. They include: Representatives: Mark Takai (D-HI), Eleanor 
Holmes Norton (D-DC), John Garamendi (D-CA), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), 
Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), 
Peter Welch (D-VT), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Robert 
Brady (D-PA), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), 
Patrick Murphy (D-FL), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz 
(D-FL), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Marcy 
Kaptur (D-OH), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Andre Carson (D-IN), Joyce Beatty (D-
OH), Mike Honda (D-CA), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA), Al 
Green (D-TX), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Elijah Cummings 
(D-MD), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Earl Blumenauer (D-
OR), John Yarmuth (D-KY) and Kathy Castor (D-FL).
  Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black History Month, I urge my 
colleagues to co-sponsor this resolution, so that we may all properly 
recognize the significance of the Voting Rights Act by designating 
August 6th as National Voting Rights Day.

                          ____________________