[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11048]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT ACT

  (Mrs. BUSTOS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. BUSTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the 
Voting Rights Amendment Act. This is a critical piece of bipartisan 
legislation in response to the Supreme Court's ruling, Shelby County v. 
Holder, that was handed down exactly 1 year ago this week.
  This decision undid critical voting protections that have proven 
effective over the years and that Congress has reauthorized as early as 
2006. The Voting Rights Amendment will do several things, among them: 
enhance the power of Federal courts to stop discriminatory voting 
changes from being implemented, create new nationwide transparency 
requirements that help keep communities informed about voting changes 
in their community, and continue the Federal observer program that 
combats racial discrimination at the polls.
  Voter discrimination is not just a problem of the past but is very 
much alive today. In fact, since the 2013 decision, there have been 10 
voting changes across the country that have raised concerns about 
voting discrimination.
  As Representatives in a democratic government, we have a duty to 
prevent voter discrimination and make sure that every citizen's voice 
is heard.

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