The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORT FOR H.R. 4, THE JOHN R. LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT
______
HON. TERRI A. SEWELL
of alabama
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Ms. SEWELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4--the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Growing up in Selma, Alabama, under the shadow of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the history of the Civil Rights Movement was not something I had to learn in school. The foot soldiers of the movement were not names or pictures in a history book. They were a vital and vibrant part of my community--
they were my school teachers, church members and my neighbors.
The Edmund Pettus Bridge loomed large over my hometown of Selma, serving as a constant reminder, not only of Bloody Sunday, but of the national movement that ultimately led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Fifty-six years later, the cause for which the foot soldiers, like our beloved colleague John Lewis, marched, bled and some died for, is now our cause too. Today, old battles have become new again as we face the most pernicious assault on the right to vote in generations. It's clear: federal oversight is urgently needed. By preventing states with a recent history of voter discrimination from restricting the right to vote, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act restores the full promise of our democracy and advances the legacy of those brave foot soldiers like John Lewis who dedicated their lives for the sacred right to vote.
Over eight years ago, the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holder decision gutted key provisions of the Voting Rights Act that, for decades, prevented states from enacting discriminatory and restrictive voter suppression laws. In her dissent, Justice Ginsburg wrote that
``throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.'' Justice Ginsburg was right, and over eight years later, we are drenched to the bone.
Driven by the Big Lie, state lawmakers have introduced over 400 bills in 49 states just this year that would restrict the right to vote. In 18 states, these anti-voter bills have already been signed into law. These laws are intended to allow politicians to pick and choose whose voices are heard by subjecting voters to longer lines, inaccessible polling places, strict voter ID requirements, broken voting machines, and purges of voter rolls.
Furthermore, earlier this summer, the Supreme Court weakened another essential section of the Voting Rights Act in the Brnovich decision by upholding Arizona's discriminatory voter restrictions intended to target Latino and other minority voters.
Let me be clear: Today our nation faces a critical juncture. As President Biden said, this represents the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War. Without congressional action to restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act, a fundamental pillar of our great democracy will crumble.
But we have a solution. H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will restore and modernize key provisions of the VRA which were gutted by the Supreme Court.
Most importantly, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act provides Federal oversight of states and political subdivisions that have a significant and recent history of voting rights violations by requiring those with a specific number of repeated violations in the preceding 25 years to receive preclearance. The bill also provides for a practice-based preclearance coverage to target those jurisdictions that have enacted measures that have historically been used to suppress the right to vote.
Moreover, H.R. 4 clarifies Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in response to the Supreme Court's recent Brnovich decision where it improperly changed congressional intent behind the standard for determining vote denial cases under the VRA. Other principal provisions of H.R. 4 include increased transparency and notice requirements for states and political subdivisions, strengthened protections for voters before certain discriminatory laws have been implemented, and expanded authority for use of federal election observers.
As a daughter of Selma and the Congresswoman who represents the Civil Rights District, I know the injustices suffered on the Edmund Pettus Bridge have not yet been fully vindicated. Progress is elusive, and every generation must fight and fight again to preserve the progress of the past and advance it. This is our generation's time to act to protect our democracy.
The need for Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act has never been more urgent.
From our dear friend and colleague John Lewis, we learned of the importance of getting into necessary trouble--``good trouble.'' Now more than ever, it is time for Congress to act to preserve our democracy--to get into ``good trouble'' for the people.
I urge all my colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, to vote in favor of H.R. 4 and to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act.
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 147
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