Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act-Motion to Proceed

PROTECTION OF LAWFUL COMMERCE IN ARMS ACT-MOTION TO PROCEED

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, shortly the majority leader will send an amendment to the desk to provide for a permanent extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This was one of the truly landmark pieces of legislation in American history.

Last Congress, Senator Dodd and I spearheaded, along with Senator Bond, what became a 2-year quest to reform the way elections are conducted in this country. Senator Dodd was correct in saying the election reform legislation we passed was the most important civil rights bill of this century, the 21st century.

With the support of 92 Members of this Chamber, we were successful in protecting the rights of all Americans-all Americans-to cast a vote and have it counted, but to do so only once. Gone will be the days of dogs and dead people registering and voting, and so, too, will be the days of faulty equipment and being turned away at the polls. Now the majority leader shortly will offer an amendment which makes permanent the most important civil rights bill of the previous century, the 20th century.

If I may, let me recall a personal experience I had during that period in the 1960s that is indelibly imprinted on my mind. The day was August 28, 1963. It was the day Martin Luther King Jr. made that "I Have A Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The Mall was crowded with folks from here at the Capitol all the way down to the Lincoln Memorial. And in that crowd I found myself. I was there the day of the March on Washington and the day of the "I Have A Dream" speech. Unfortunately, I could not hear it because I was so far down the Mall, and there were so many people I did not hear the speech. But you had the sense, if you were in the crowd that day, and sympathetic with the effort to get voting rights, public accommodations, and fair housing, that you were in the presence of one of those seminal moments in American history.

Of course, we now all reflect on that day, August 28, 1963, with great reverence, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech is remembered as one of the great speeches in American history, delivered that day on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. I will always remember that I had an opportunity to be a part of that most important day.

A couple years after that, we passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There were three things that march was about: public accommodation, passed in 1964; voting rights, which passed in 1965; and fair housing, 1968. But voting, of course, is the most important in a democracy.

Over the years, the Voting Rights Act has successfully addressed truly egregious problems which existed at that time. Unfortunately, though, the pattern of the Voting Rights Act is to not make it permanent and, once again, it is set to expire in 2007.

The protections in the Voting Rights Act are, frankly, too important to provide on only a temporary basis, and that is the reason the majority leader will be offering shortly his amendment to make the Voting Rights Act permanent.

The majority leader, in fact, just within the last couple of weeks organized a civil rights pilgrimage which was attended by a number of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. My wife Elaine and I went to part of this 3-day pilgrimage that began in Alabama and ended in Nashville, with the dedication of the Civil Rights Room of the Nashville Public Library, which is replete with photographs of the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville in the 1960s, which led to the peaceful integration of Nashville during that period.

This was a meaningful experience for all of us who participated, at the majority leader's request, in this pilgrimage. Congressman John Lewis was along, one of the great heroes of the civil rights movement. We talked about August 28, 1963. He got to speak. He was the youngest speaker on the podium that day. Young JOHN LEWIS was there and thrilled to have an opportunity to speak, at age 23 or 22, on the same day and from the same podium as Rev. Martin Luther King.

I can think of no better way to memorialize our commitment to a free and equal society than the adoption of the Frist amendment. This amendment makes the preclearance and bilingual requirements permanent, providing a clear message from the Senate that we stand committed to not only the protection of civil rights but also to the preservation of those rights as well.

Some may suggest this action is premature. But how can the law of the land for 39 years be premature? Further, the language of the amendment is abundantly clear: "the provisions of this section shall not expire." Let me repeat, in the amendment it says: "the provisions of this section shall not expire."

I cannot think of any reason why anyone on either side of the aisle would oppose the protection of the franchise of all Americans. If so, we potentially jeopardize the fundamental tenet of our representative democracy.

In conclusion, I commend the majority leader for this amendment. It is an excellent amendment. This is a step we should have taken years ago. I commend him for offering the amendment today. I hope it will be adopted by the Senate on an overwhelming bipartisan basis.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.