[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RENEW VOTING RIGHTS ACT

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, nearly 50 years after the Voting Rights Act 
was signed into law, we still see efforts to weaken voter protections 
and suppress votes.
  Discriminatory voting laws, such as strict photo ID requirements and 
reduced early voting, disproportionately impact minority voters in the 
name of preventing widespread voter fraud, a problem that simply does 
not exist.
  Clearly, since the Supreme Court's decision 2 years ago to erode some 
of the VRA's most critical protections, including preclearance 
requirements that protect against disenfranchising laws, the Voting 
Rights Act is still needed more now than ever before; yet Republicans 
have refused to allow a renewed and strengthened Voting Rights Act to 
come to the floor.
  This should concern everyone who believes the right to vote is one of 
the most fundamental to our democracy. It is time we renew and 
strengthen the Voting Rights Act.

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