[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 25695-25699]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS HOUR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be 
given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks in the 
Record on this topic.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FUDGE. I appreciate the opportunity to join my colleagues of the 
Congressional Black Caucus for this special hour. Currently, the CBC is 
chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee

[[Page 25696]]

from the Ninth Congressional District of California. My name is 
Representative Marcia L. Fudge, and I represent the 11th Congressional 
District of Ohio. CBC members work diligently to be the conscience of 
the Congress and provide dedicated and focused service to our 
congressional districts and families nationally and internationally. 
The vision of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus is 
to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the 
needs of millions of neglected citizens. It continues to be a focal 
point for the legislative work and the political activities of the 
Congressional Black Caucus today. As Members of Congress, CBC members 
also promote civic engagement and active participation in the 
legislative process.
  The United States is the world's longest-existing democracy. 
Americans understand that our ability to elect our leadership through a 
democratic process is precious, and we recognize the need for greater 
civic engagement. Madam Speaker, I have been joined by my friend and 
colleague, the Honorable Sheila Jackson-Lee from Texas.
  I now yield to my friend.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Thank you so very much, Congresswoman 
Fudge. Your opening remarks are framed excellently, the reason for our 
presence here tonight. There are many issues that the Congressional 
Black Caucus, led by Chairwoman Barbara Lee, focus on. The disciplines 
of the members are varied. The chairmanships of the members are varied, 
including full chairmanships on a number of committees which really 
enhance the opportunity for a very full agenda.
  As I listen to you speak about civic participation, I would venture 
to say--and probably would not be incorrect--that all of the members of 
the Congressional Black Caucus and our colleagues here, Republicans and 
Democrats, engaged in civic participation before being elected to the 
United States Congress.

                              {time}  2030

  They may have started in their early educational days, if you will, 
primary and secondary school. Some may have started in college. Some 
may have been activists or locally elected officials. But they 
understood under this democracy, as you have indicated, the importance 
of participatory process.
  I have the privilege of serving on the House Judiciary Committee with 
Chairman John Conyers, and our committees embrace this whole question 
of fair election laws, the right to vote, and the protection of that 
privilege and that right to vote.
  You may be well aware that in the early days of my tenure, if you 
will, there were a number of occasions during the presidential election 
years that members of the Congressional Black Caucus came to the floor 
of the House to challenge the counting of the electoral college. You 
may be reminded that in the particular year of 2000, Ohio was in the 
crosshairs. I know how active you were, having gone to Ohio, having 
worked with you and, of course, your predecessor, walking the streets 
with you, remembering discussions that you had about ensuring that you 
had a election. As you recall, Ohio was quite upset and, therefore, it 
was the Congressional Black Caucus that went to the floor of the House, 
in particular your predecessor, the late Stephanie Tubbs Jones. We 
joined her in challenging the counting of the electoral votes of Ohio. 
Many people would wonder is that civic participation? And it is. It is 
making sure that any process is fair.
  So I come to emphasize where we are today in pivotal elections that 
will be coming up on November 3, 2009. As I reflect on those elections, 
I want to remind people that the best of America was the times in which 
it moved to remove the barriers of voting. To remove the distinctions 
between slave and nonslave took a very long time. But to remove the 
distinction between landowner and nonlandowner were some of the first 
efforts to create an opportunity for all to vote.
  In 1920, of course, there was the amendment to create the opportunity 
for women to vote. African Americans, however, and language minorities 
had longer periods of time, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 came 
around and then its amendment, which, by the way, the language minority 
provision in the Voting Rights Act was placed in that act by the 
Honorable Barbara Jordan, my predecessor. But the idea was to increase 
participation.
  And as I listen to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
recounting maybe the dismay that they have in some of the major changes 
that are being made by both this White House and Congress, might I say 
that it is a direct evidence of the vitality of the vote in 2008. It 
was not something that just developed. It was the message of the voters 
who went in huge numbers to the polls in November, 2008, ultimately 
electing President Barack Obama with the message of green energy or 
renewables or the opportunity for expanding the horizon on producing 
energy. And I come from oil and gas territory, and I frankly believe we 
have room for many of those energy types, but I recognize that green 
energy will be part of our future.
  Likewise, the message came from the voters, because of their civic 
participation, on a vigorous public option in health care reform. So 
our colleagues are really speaking to the American people whose numbers 
say give us a vigorous public option.
  This vote that is coming up, one or two of the most highlighted ones, 
of course, are Virginia and, of course, New Jersey. I am not here to 
speak particularly about the ultimate outcome, but there are 
messengers, the Governor of New Jersey, for example, who is carrying 
the message of change in this whole question of public health insurance 
or public option in health care and the idea of full employment. 
Likewise, those opportunities or discussions are being heard in 
Virginia as well.
  It is important in every election that is coming up in November of 
2009 for the same momentum and the same participation to surge as it 
did in 2008. And I think this Special Order, if you will, is enormously 
crucial for the fact that people don't think of elections when you 
don't focus them on a presidential election. They really think of 
elections as that highlight, but you are coming to bring to our 
attention the vitality and the importance of elections every single 
year, city elections, county elections, Federal elections, and State 
elections.
  Ms. FUDGE. Reclaiming my time, just to take that one step further, I 
think that people don't understand the significance of voting, as you 
suggest, all the time. What most people don't realize is that it is 
bodies like ours, which the gentlewoman from Texas talked about, who 
make decisions about things that people never think about. Just the 
very air we breathe, we make decisions about pollution and how much 
pollution can be in the air, about the quality of the food people eat, 
about the quality of their children's education. Those are decisions 
that are made by elected officials many, many times. I think that if 
people understood how significant it is to vote and how much change 
could be made by a vote, more people might be inclined to do it on a 
regular basis.
  I yield.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the gentlewoman. That is why I 
salute you as I join with you in the Congressional Black Caucus because 
many would not think of bringing this to the attention of the American 
people.
  In addition, I want to salute the Congress and the Congressional 
Black Caucus because this Democratic majority took the lead on fair 
election laws right after the unfortunate, I call it, debacle in Ohio. 
We began to talk about rewriting the election laws to insist that 
certain parameters be in place to protect the voter, to protect the 
voter at the voting ballot, to assess the kinds of voting tools that 
are being used, to try to find consistency. As you know, the most 
important issue was this accountability, the ability to track the 
balloting in electronic balloting, to have a paper trail, as we call 
it. We're still fighting to get that done, but we were the voices to 
speak about that so that people could have the ability to challenge.

[[Page 25697]]

  Right now in Harris County we had a very difficult race in 2008. A 
number of candidates lost. They posed a challenge because they believed 
there were ballot infractions. We are now in the midst of looking at a 
settlement agreement that I believe may not be the right kind of 
settlement agreement, that really didn't answer the concerns of those 
who were violated, whose votes were not counted and the candidates who 
did not prevail because we felt that there were inaccuracies in a 
voting system or a voting office, if you will, the officer who presided 
over the voting count--there were some infractions.
  So even today in 2009 we should not be hesitant to remind voters that 
a vote is precious, every vote counts, and that it is important, as the 
United States Congress exists, that local elected officials exist, that 
State officials exist, they exist because of the vote. And I am hoping 
as we have the spotlight on States like Virginia and New Jersey that we 
will spotlight on the local elections and that civic participation is 
the direct relationship for the kind of outstanding leadership that you 
get.
  I want to yield back on this point: We have local elections in 
Houston, Texas, local elections around the Nation. Not one single vote 
should be diminished in its value, for your life gets changed or your 
voice gets heard by that vote. And it is my commitment, as a member of 
the Congressional Black Caucus and a member of the House Judiciary 
Committee, to insist, if you will, on the idea of full participation of 
voters and making sure that we have the opportunity to protect the 
right to vote and to make sure that, as protectors of the right to 
vote, people take advantage of it and vote.
  Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so very much.
  I just want to just go one step further and talk about the power of 
the vote. There are so many people who believe that one vote doesn't 
make a difference. I could go through a litany of things that were 
decided by one vote, but I won't. But what I will say is this: Your 
vote is your voice. If you don't vote, then you have silenced yourself. 
So I think that it is important for us to understand and let the 
American people understand that no matter what the issue is, if you 
don't vote, what you've done is help the other side.
  So let your voice be heard, because even though I wasn't in the 
House, obviously, when you took up this whole thing about revising the 
way we do elections, I am just so pleased that in my State as a result 
of that, we now have absentee voting for any person. It used to be you 
had to be a certain age or you had to be infirm or you had to be this. 
Now any single person with no reason whatsoever can request a vote from 
the comfort of their home. Especially when we have many, many issues as 
things get difficult and more and more communities are asking for 
resources, then they can sit and take their time and not be in a voting 
booth being rushed or feeling rushed because people are behind them.
  I think it is something that really came out of that, and I 
appreciate and thank you and especially thank Stephanie Tubbs Jones for 
her work with it as well. But I just hope that people understand it is 
a responsibility. So many people fought to get us where we are today. 
It really is a responsibility to go out and vote.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. If the gentlelady would yield for a moment, 
I want to use one example because I chair the Congressional Children's 
Caucus. I remember in the summer of 2008, I was begging for Federal 
dollars for summer youth jobs. You remember those programs.
  Ms. FUDGE. Yes
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. And they existed 10, 15 years ago, 5 years 
ago, or I know they existed in the previous Democratic administration. 
But we literally were starving for those dollars over the last 8 years 
in the previous administration. So because we didn't have those 
dollars, I put together what you call a Houston summer job pilot 
program, where I grabbed small businesses and corporations in the 
summer of 2008 just to give these young people an opportunity. I 
couldn't give thousands but I gave a few the opportunity to work and to 
be paid. We raised the money, the community raised the money, to be 
paid by these small businesses.
  The community needs to know, the Nation needs to know, that in 2009 
with change and a new President, on the basis of the vote, there were 
millions of dollars going into communities during the summer for summer 
youth jobs.
  I want people to take a poll. It's interesting that I'm hearing my 
colleagues talk about where did the stimulus dollars go? Ask some 
teenager that had a summer youth job and worked and did legitimate 
work, cleaned parks, worked in various community services, because of 
the summer youth program. That came about through a vote that you made, 
the Nation made, in 2008, where you elected a President, President 
Barack Obama, who created this vision of stimulus dollars to energize 
the economy and put millions of young people to work who, by the way, 
saved money, bought clothes or bought school supplies or helped their 
family but charged the economy, which I am sure will be reflected as we 
look back over the summer months, those jobs were valuable input into 
the economy.
  That is what a vote will do. And I hope that as you proceed on this 
Special Order tonight, it will be well recognized how important it is 
for the vote to be cast and to be counted, and that will be our 
commitment as we continue to work together.
  Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so very much. I appreciate the gentlewoman from 
Texas for joining me.
  I just want to say this one thing: I was listening to one of my 
colleagues earlier ask what happened to the month of August? The month 
of August was spent, at least in my district, hiring 6,000 children to 
work summer jobs. The month of August was a time when I spent time 
talking to the people at home who want a public option. The month of 
August wasn't lost. But let me just say that in the event people 
believe it was, the month of October certainly isn't. And all the polls 
indicate that more people want a public option than not. So I just want 
to make that clear to make sure that the record was straight.
  Madam Speaker, I want to continue with our hour this evening, and I 
just want to say to everyone who is listening that we all share in the 
responsibility to create a better America. One way to strengthen our 
government is through civic engagement, whether it is through voting, 
attending a town hall or other public discussion, or writing a letter 
to your Members of Congress. These e-mails, letters, and phone calls 
you make to your elected officials really do have an impact.
  In my office my staff keeps a tally of all the phone calls we receive 
on the issues, which I review on a regular basis. One of my 
constituents, Paul Gordon, calls every week and sometimes several times 
a week. I may not always agree with Paul Gordon, but I appreciate his 
comments and encourage him and other constituents to share their views 
with me. And that's what happened in August, Madam Speaker. People 
shared their views. We learned a great deal from the dialogue we had in 
the month of August.
  Madam Speaker, in last year's historic presidential election, voter 
turnout was at a record high, particularly in the African American 
community. To create change and hold elected officials responsible for 
their votes, Americans must continue to stay engaged on the issues year 
round, not just at election time. Moreover, African Americans must be 
involved in the debate. The stakes are high in every election, on every 
ballot, and between elections. Every voting day presents Americans with 
the same question: Will we be the masters of our own destinies or will 
we allow others to decide our fate? We must voice our opinions through 
civic engagement to positively change the course of our cities, towns, 
and the Nation. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, Our lives begin to end 
the day, the very day, we become silent about things that matter.
  I am proud to share a few stories of individuals from my district who 
are

[[Page 25698]]

actively engaged in the civic process. They come from various 
backgrounds and ages.

                              {time}  2045

  However, they all share a desire to help others and to make 
government responsive to the people.
  There is a young woman named Artavia Hill from Euclid, Ohio. She is a 
shining example of a young person actively engaged in the political 
process. As president of the NAACP Cleveland Youth Council, she 
registered voters during Russ Parr's Back to School Bus Tour in August 
of this year. She also spearheaded the youth council's ``Vote Hard, 
Step Hard: Stop the Violence'' which was an event held at Cleveland 
State University in January where young people were encouraged to 
register to vote, they discussed the effects of violence on the city 
and listened to local candidates. Don't give up on our youth. Artavia 
Hill is not the only one doing things for Cleveland's community.
  Dorothy Jones is another young northeast Ohioan committed to civic 
engagement. Her grandmother, Margaret Walker Fields, put Dorothy under 
her wing and taught her the importance of voting. During her childhood, 
Dorothy canvassed the 55th and Broadway area, and helped seniors fill 
out their absentee ballots. Because of her grandmother and the sense of 
reward she gets from helping others, she has devoted her life to public 
service. Dorothy now works for a council member in Cleveland.
  It is people with passion like Pearl Livingstone that brought me and 
many others into politics. Pearl, a Shaker Heights resident, created a 
program where the Ohio Secretary of State's office sent letters to high 
school seniors congratulating them for graduating and encouraging them 
to vote. She also encouraged 17-year-olds, who would be 18 by election 
day, to register to vote. To support those efforts, she helped start a 
voting advocacy group in Cleveland to encourage young people to get out 
and vote. Pearl deserves praise for putting her energies toward 
engaging young people in the civic process and educating them on the 
powerful impact of voting.
  And then there are seniors. Senior citizens are also very involved in 
the process. My friend, Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm, told me about one of her 
friends and mentors and someone I have known for many years, Ms. Dionne 
Thomas-Carmichael. Dr. Chisholm said Dionne is very involved in the 
community, from signing people up for voter registration, to 
participating in political campaigns, to galvanizing individuals to 
care about their communities by turning complaints into positive action 
through advocacy. She is proud of the years that she has spent on the 
frontline in grassroots political action. I am always amazed by her 
energy and willingness to roll up her sleeves and get to work. She 
believes that we each have a responsibility to ourselves, our families, 
and our communities to make life better for others. To this end, she 
recognizes that the political process and advocacy are an important 
vehicle through which everyday people's voices are heard.
  I want to talk just a bit about ex-offenders, sometimes the forgotten 
people in our society. But in Ohio, an ex-offender can register to vote 
immediately upon release from confinement even if on parole. The 
reinstated citizen can vote in the next scheduled election without any 
restrictions. While there are no barriers that prevent ex-offenders 
from voting in the State of Ohio, many ex-offenders are not aware that 
they have these rights. David Singleton who is the executive director 
of the Prison Reform Advocacy Center says: ``States like Ohio, where 
all former prisoners can vote as soon as they are released, should take 
steps to ensure the ex-offenders fully understand this important right. 
When former prisoners believe they are stakeholders in their 
communities and have the power to contribute to civic life, they are 
more likely to succeed which is in all of our best interests. Our 
democracy suffers when the voices of all eligible voters, including 
former prisoners, are not heard. If 20 percent of the 34,000 ex-
offenders on community supervision in Ohio are not voting because they 
erroneously believe they are ineligible to do so, then 6,800 potential 
votes have been lost. We want to ensure that ex-prisoners are not being 
disenfranchised on account of misinformation.''
  Count every vote. We have all seen why counting each and every vote 
in an election is so important. During the 2004 Presidential election, 
Ohio suffered unfortunate irregularities in the voting system, which 
caused confusion and disruption. That disenfranchisement of voters is 
why my dear friend, the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, 
introduced the Count Every Vote Act while a Member of Congress. The 
Count Every Vote Act, or CEVA for short, sought to remedy many of the 
problems that voters continue to face all over this country. This bill 
is not yet law, but should be.
  While the bill is not law and has not been reintroduced this year, I 
want to highlight some of the voter protection and enfranchisement 
provisions of this bill.
  CEVA maintains that voters deserve a paper trail of their electronic 
vote. This must be done to ensure accuracy in counting and avoid 
technological glitches. The first portion of the bill focuses on voter 
verification and auditing procedures.
  CEVA would require that all voting systems produce or require the use 
of voter-verified paper ballot or record suitable for manual audits.
  We must ensure that all Americans, including those with disabilities 
or language barriers, retain their right to cast a ballot. To that end, 
CEVA asks that the Federal Government require that at least one machine 
per precinct must allow voters with disabilities and language-minority 
voters to cast a vote in a private and independent manner.
  I believe that the Federal Government should require all States to 
offer early voting. CEVA makes this proposal to encourage people to 
vote by allowing them to vote at times convenient for them and avoiding 
long lines on election day. As I mentioned before, for our democracy to 
function well, all Americans must have a pathway to participate in the 
election process. To that end, the bill proposes that all States end 
the practice of prohibiting convicted felons who have completed their 
prison term, parole or probation to vote. After all, they have served 
their time.
  CEVA further proposes that we study the impact of making election day 
a Federal holiday. Creating such a day would give more voters time to 
cast ballots and allow more qualified people to serve as poll workers.
  Our leadership and moral strength is only enhanced when we help 
others. We lift as we rise. To have a vibrant democracy, we must 
encourage the participation of all citizens and fight against efforts 
to disenfranchise voters. We must work to ensure that our citizens do 
not encounter barriers to their full participation in the election 
process. Whether it is seniors who need transportation to the voting 
booth or ex-offenders who are unaware of the reinstatement of the right 
to vote, we cannot sit by while our fellow Americans are excluded from 
the democratic process. We must also encourage voters to be educated 
and organized citizens in order to strengthen and empower our 
communities. At the end of the day, civic participation is both a duty 
and a right.
  The legislative process affects all aspects of our lives and we 
cannot afford to remain silent. Your vote is your voice, so speak loud 
and clear. Members of Congress and all elected officials will hear you.
  Next Tuesday is election day for many. Use the power of your one 
vote. When you do not vote, by default you cast a ballot against the 
person or proposal you prefer. Your missing vote is one less that the 
opposition has to overcome. Thus, your vote is for those with whom you 
disagree. Get out, use your voice, and vote.

[[Page 25699]]



                          ____________________