Providing for Consideration of H.R. 9, Fanie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act and Reauthorization Amendment Act of 2006
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 9, FANNIE LOU HAMER, ROSA PARKS, AND CORETTA SCOTT KING VOTING RIGHTS ACT REAUTHORIZATION AND AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - July 13, 2006)
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Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am excited to be here supporting the reimplementation of the Voting Rights Act.
Let me give a little bit of recent history. You have heard a lot about past history. In the State where I am from, in Florida, redistricting was always a way that was used to discriminate against minorities and to stop minorities from the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
We all know that there is a substantial African American population in Florida and a substantial Hispanic American population in Florida, and yet, and I do not want to sound partisan, but the reality is that one party controlled the State legislature for 122 years. During that entire time, not once did they deem it necessary or important to create one African American congressional district, one district for African Americans so they could elect a candidate of their choice.
Finally, in redistricting before the 1992 elections, after a lot of haggling, and I was involved in that redistricting and other Members who were then in the State legislature who are now in Congress were also involved, finally the then-majority party, the Democratic Party, finally saw the wisdom to create one district where African Americans could elect a candidate of their choice for Congress and one district only where Hispanic Americans could elect a candidate of their choice.
We had to sue the State of Florida. We had to go to Federal court to get more districts where Hispanics and African Americans could elect candidates of their choice, and because of the Voting Rights Act and because some of us sued the majority party in those days, which was the Democrats, the courts agreed and created districts where three African American Members of Congress were elected, serving in this wonderful body. One of them is leading the effort on that side of the aisle for the implementation of this Voting Rights Act again, and two districts where Hispanic Americans could elect candidates of their choice.
We are not talking ancient history. We are talking the need is still there today. It is there. The need is still there today in Florida, as a matter of fact.
We saw recently a group, mostly from outside of Florida, spending millions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in Florida trying to get something on the ballot. A group that supports multimember districts for the State of Florida, which have been proven to be discriminatory. The threat is still there. The need is still there.
That is why I am so grateful to Chairman Sensenbrenner for his leadership on this issue not only now, but also in the past. I thank Mr. Sensenbrenner.
It is a privilege to be here. I think it is an historic day because we have the opportunity to extend this important act for many, many years. It is right for the country, not only for minorities, but for democracy and for the entire country.
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