[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 22271-22272]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS VOTER 
                            REGISTRATION DAY

  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 73) supporting the goals and 
ideals of National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 73

       Whereas in order for the government of the United States to 
     remain of the people, by the people, and for the people, 
     individuals must take advantage of their right to vote;
       Whereas the right to vote is one of the most important 
     rights of a citizen, and every effort should be made to 
     promote voter registration at school so that students may 
     begin participating in the foundation of the Nation's 
     representative democracy;
       Whereas the Legislature of Louisiana voted in 2002 to 
     recognize annually the first Tuesday in May as National High 
     School Seniors Voter Registration Day; and
       Whereas the purpose of National High School Seniors Voter 
     Registration Day is to allow students to register to vote at 
     school to encourage their participation in making democracy 
     work: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring),  That Congress supports the goals and ideals of 
     National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day, and 
     encourages all eligible students to register to vote.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Millender-McDonald) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan
  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 73, 
introduced by my colleague from Louisiana, Congressman McCrery. This 
bill will establish the first Tuesday in May as National High School 
Seniors Voter Registration Day, during which volunteers will register 
high school seniors and other students of voting age on site in their 
schools.
  As I have often stated, my goal as the chairman of the House 
Administration Committee is to make sure that every citizen who is able 
to vote does so. As an educator, I have witnessed firsthand the passion 
and energy our young people possess when given a chance to voice their 
beliefs, qualities that will serve them well as they enter the voting 
booth. The National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day will 
create an additional mechanism to register young men and women and 
perhaps encourage an early desire to participate in the political 
process. Accordingly, I call upon my colleagues to support this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 73 and thank 
Representative McCrery for introducing this very important concurrent 
resolution which encourages our Nation's youth to register to vote. 
There are few rights as Americans that are more sacred than the 
precious right to vote. Discussing this resolution today gives all of 
us in Congress the opportunity to express our support for the goals set 
forth by the great State of Louisiana to provide the opportunity for 
all high school seniors to register to vote at school and to encourage 
their participation in the political process.
  Madam Speaker, you and I and many Members very frequently visit our 
high schools and speak with our students, and it is so important for 
the high school seniors to register to vote. A lot of them are very 
much interested in what goes on in this House, and it is important that 
we continue to engage in dialogue with them so that they will be 
participants, active participants in this political process.
  In the spring session of 2002, the Louisiana legislature ratified 
House Concurrent Resolution 20, declaring the first Tuesday in May as 
Louisiana High School Seniors Voting Registration Day. This resolution 
encourages students to participate in our political process and in 
making democracy work. In my home State of California, the legislature 
passed the Student Voting Registration Act of 2003, which gives the 
Secretary of State the power to annually provide every high school, 
community college, and California State university and the University 
of California systems' campuses with voter registration forms to expand 
the number of youth participating in the voting process.
  The goal of California's law is to ensure that every high school and 
college student receives a voter registration card with his or her 
diploma. California is achieving its goal by providing voter 
registration forms at the start of the school year, including voter 
registration forms with orientation materials, placing voter 
registration forms at central locations, and including voter 
registration forms with graduation materials. I am so pleased and so 
proud of the State of California for expanding this type of service to 
our high school students, and I hope that all States follow these 
models to enfranchise all of our Nation's youth.
  I hope that this resolution on the floor today will encourage our 
youth to participate in our democracy not only by registering to vote 
and voting, but by becoming poll workers. To facilitate youth 
involvement in our elections, this summer I offered an amendment to 
H.R. 5576, the Transportation-Treasury-HUD appropriations bill, to 
double the funding to the Election Assistance Commission to administer 
the College Poll Workers Grant program. This amendment was accepted to 
the bill without objection. I realize that the resolution under 
consideration today only speaks to high school students, but it 
highlights an important first step in increasing youth civic engagement 
and strengthening American democracy.
  I support this resolution and the continued goals and ideals of 
National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day and encourage all 
eligible students not only to register to vote but to exercise that 
franchise as well.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield as much time as 
he may consume to the sponsor of the resolution, Mr. McCrery of 
Louisiana.
  Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to be on the floor today 
to support this resolution, and I thank the chairman and ranking member 
of the committee for bringing this to the floor today.
  The resolution actually encourages the Congress to support the goals 
and ideals of National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day. This 
is a program that was actually started in my hometown of Shreveport, 
Louisiana, back in 1996; and the results have been indeed noteworthy. 
Just this year, for example, in the class of 2006, the high school 
graduating class of 2006, nearly 50 percent of the graduating class 
registered to vote in Shreveport this year. That is far above what you 
will find in most cities and towns that don't have a program similar to 
this in effect.
  The goals and ideals of the High School Seniors Voter Registration 
Day are contained in the program's mission statement; and simply, the 
program's mission is to register to vote high school seniors and 
students of voting age on the first Tuesday in May.

                              {time}  1115

  And also, to encourage students to make a lifelong commitment to 
civic participation in all areas of society by educating them about the 
importance of voting.
  That's the mission. Certainly I would hope this Congress today by its 
vote here in the House and I hope later in the other body would support 
the goals and ideals of this program.

[[Page 22272]]

  Certainly we can think of no better message to send to young people 
in this country that civic participation is important, in fact critical 
to the progress of this Nation and perhaps, some would say, to the 
survival of this Nation.
  So I am pleased to be able to present this resolution today endorsing 
a program that sprang up in my hometown and now has spread across the 
State of Louisiana and we hope will spread across the Nation. I urge 
its adoption.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, I applaud the gentleman from 
Louisiana for this very interesting and important resolution. I support 
the resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 73.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having 
responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the 
concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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