[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13703]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   VOTING RIGHTS ACT REAUTHORIZATION

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of 
order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
California is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, last week, the Republican leadership decided 
to pull the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization legislation from the 
floor. Debate on this historic civil rights statute had been scheduled 
for last Wednesday afternoon, and just hours before it was to start, 
the bill was withdrawn from consideration.
  As a cosponsor of this important bill, I am deeply troubled by the 
majority leadership's willingness to allow extreme members of their 
party to hijack reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, a law that 
has protected minority voters from intimidation and discrimination for 
40 years. It was an act unbefitting a party that calls itself the 
``Party of Lincoln.''
  The original Voting Rights Act reinforced the Constitution's 15th 
amendment guarantee that race cannot be a bar to any citizen's right to 
vote. Although the 15th amendment was ratified in 1870, it took nearly 
100 years for Congress to give it teeth with the Voting Rights Act. 
Until then, the rights of millions of Americans to vote was nullified 
by poll taxes, literacy tests, voter intimidation, and outright 
violence. Only in 1965, with the passage of the Voting Rights Act, were 
African Americans finally able to exercise the right to vote. But the 
path to this legislation was by no means easy.
  On March 7, 1965, what has become known as Bloody Sunday, 600 civil 
rights marchers peacefully protested for the right to vote. Upon 
reaching the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the marchers were 
attacked by State and local police, who tear-gassed them and beat them 
with batons.
  Three years ago, in commemoration of the struggle for civil rights, I 
joined a pilgrimage led by my colleague Congressman John Lewis through 
many of the sites that were part of the fight for true equality here in 
America. We visited the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and on the wall of my 
office is a picture of the delegation, black, white, Asian and Latino, 
standing together in celebration of the sacrifices of those who marched 
there.
  Standing there then and reflecting on the experience now, it is 
impossible to miss the transcendent importance of the unfettered right 
to vote. It was powerful enough then to garner the hatred of a mob of 
segregationists, and it inspires us now to continue to fight for 
reauthorization of the legislation and the full protections of our 
sacred franchise. I welcome a debate over the continuing vitality of 
the Voting Rights Act, but I deplore the delay which the Republican 
leadership's decision to pull the bill has occasioned.
  In the decades since President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting 
Rights Act into law, racial discrimination is still far too prevalent a 
feature of elections across the Nation from California to Florida. It 
is very true that significant progress has been made in the past 41 
years since the VRA was first passed, and minority voters have a much 
greater voice in the political process today because of the Voting 
Rights Act. Despite that, after every election, we still hear stories 
of voter discrimination and intimidation, and we are reminded that this 
legislation remains important today, and we cannot let the provisions 
of the VRA expire.
  These expiring provisions, preclearance of election law changes for 
jurisdictions with a history of discrimination, Federal observers at 
polls, and language assistance for limited English speakers, are still 
needed to ensure minority voting rights. It is evident to those from my 
State of California just how critical, for example, language assistance 
is for those with limited English skills.
  We do not make our elections easy on voters. In a State where 135 
candidates ran for Governor 3 years ago, it should be no surprise that 
during the 2004 general election, the California voter guidebook was 
nearly 200 pages. This guide included information on candidates and 
ballot measures that helped voters prepare for the election. Even 
native English speakers struggled to digest the ballot arguments in 
preparation for voting. For citizens with limited English proficiency, 
the task was all the more daunting.
  I believe all U.S. citizens should learn the English language. It is 
the key to upward mobility in our society and a powerful common bond. 
Yet new citizens still learning the English language have the right to 
vote. Thankfully, due to the VRA, our polling sites provide language 
assistance so that all citizens can meaningfully participate in the 
election process, including new citizens still struggling to master the 
English language.
  The right to vote for every American citizen is the foundation of our 
democracy. Unfortunately, there are still barriers to overcome, and we 
as a Nation must not give up on the protections that give content to 
that right. I am proud to support the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization 
and will continue to do my part to ensure that the VRA remains 
effective and enforced. For this reason, Mr. Speaker, I call upon the 
leadership to take immediate action to bring this legislation to the 
floor for a vote.

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