Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006
FANNIE LOU HAMER, ROSA PARKS, AND CORETTA SCOTT KING VOTING RIGHTS ACT REAUTHORIZATION AND AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2006 -- (Senate - July 20, 2006)
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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. Let me first commend everyone who has been involved with getting this bill to where it is today, including the chairman of the Judiciary Committee here in the Senate, Chairman Specter. Chairman Specter has attempted to ensure that everyone involved in this process received the opportunity to explore the issues about which they had further questions, while still moving the bill through expeditiously. Thanks to all these efforts, we will see final passage of the Voting Rights Act reauthorization today, nearly a year ahead of the expiration of any of the temporary provisions.
I have long been a supporter of the Voting Rights Act. I had the opportunity to work with Senators DOLE and KENNEDY and others in 1982 to continue the VRA's vital protections, to ensure that all Americans truly have the right to vote.
As I explained during the reauthorization of the VRA in 1982, the right to vote is fundamental. Only through voting can we guarantee preservation of all our other rights. The right to vote is the very cornerstone of democracy and merits the highest protection of law.
People of all races have been guaranteed the right to vote since passage of the 15th amendment in 1870. For far too long, though, this was a right only in theory. Many minorities were discriminated against in the days before the Voting Rights Act was introduced. Since this Act was passed, we have seen the voting proportions of these populations increase dramatically. The Voting Rights Act has had very significant success in fighting racial discrimination, probably more than anything else that Congress has done since the adoption of the Civil War amendments.
Next year, important provisions of the Voting Rights Act will expire. The right of every American to have a voice and vote is the essence of America's strength and greatness. As was the case in 1982, conditions have improved since the original Voting Rights Act was passed. It is our duty as the ultimate custodians of the public trust, however, to ensure that we never return to a world in which some of our citizens do not truly have the right to vote.
For this reason, I stand with Chairman Specter as an original cosponsor of the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. Many people, including the bill's authors, members of the Judiciary Committees in both Houses, and thousands of civil rights activists, have worked incredibly hard to see this reauthorization become a reality.
I will repeat what I said on this floor 15 years ago: It is our duty to guarantee that all citizens have the same opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice. All of us here today recognize that it is our duty, as elected representatives of the people, as guardians of democracy, to protect the right to vote. I remain confident, as I was in 1982, that the Voting Rights Act is a key tool--perhaps the key tool--in eradicating any remaining vestiges of racial discrimination.
I support reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and encourage my colleagues to do the same. As it was in 1965 and in 1982 and for all the other extensions along the way, this vote today is among the most important civil rights votes on the floor of this body. We have the opportunity today to show that we are, indeed, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please join me in voting aye.
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