Issue Position: Civil Rights

Issue Position

Throughout my career, I have fought for the civil rights of all Americans. We have made great progress as a nation, but we still have to work at making this the "more perfect union" our founders envisioned. Below is a sampling of the important civil rights legislation I have introduced and cosponsored.

During the 112th Congress, I have been working on sponsoring and introducing multiple civil rights bills dealing with issues ranging from increasing the representation of diversity on Capitol Hill to examining racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. Justice System. Many of the bills I have sponsored or cosponsored are listed below.

In the 112th Congress, I was closely involved with two bills involving property rights and fair employment practices. I sponsored the Equal Employment for All Act (H.R. 321), which would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a current or prospective employer from using a consumer report or an investigative consumer report for employment purposes. It would prevent companies from barring otherwise competitive candidates from employment simply because of a bad credit history. The bill does include appropriate exceptions for jobs related to finance, national security, or state or local government agencies.

I also cosponsored the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2011 (H.R. 1433), which would prohibit a state or political subdivision from exercising the power of eminent domain over property for the purpose of economic development. This bill would prevent the government from stripping homeowners of private property in order to transfer that property to another private entity for private development that may increase tax revenue or stimulate job growth. The bill would protect the constitutional right of homeowners and small business owners to possess private property.

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