December 6, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 195 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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THE VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT OF 2019; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 195
(House of Representatives - December 06, 2019)
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[Pages H9331-H9334] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] THE VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT OF 2019 The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further consideration of the bill (H.R. 4) to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise the criteria for determining which States and political subdivisions are subject to section 4 of the Act, and for other purposes, will now resume. The Clerk read the title of the bill. Motion to Recommit Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill? Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. I am in its current form. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit. The Clerk read as follows: Mr. Davis moves to recommit the bill H.R. 4 to the Committee on the Judiciary with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with the following amendment: Page 39, after line 9, insert the following: SEC. 11. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act may be construed to allow fines or other amounts paid to the United States in connection with a violation of title I of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.), including any amount paid pursuant to a settlement agreement (including a plea agreement, deferred prosecution agreement, or non-prosecution agreement), to be used to make a payment in support of a campaign for election for the office of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress. Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to waive the reading of the motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois? There was no objection. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Illinois is recognized for 5 minutes in support of his motion. Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4 is the fourth partisan attempt by this majority to federalize our elections. One thing all four of these partisan bills have in common is they all have good titles. In October, the majority jammed through H.R. 4617, the SHIELD Act, an attempt to federally hijack campaign finance law in this country. In June, the majority jammed through H.R. 2722, the SAFE Act, an attempt to federally hijack election infrastructure in this country. And in February, the majority jammed through H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a piece of legislation that, as introduced, would fund all of our campaigns with tax dollars from hardworking Americans. Catchy titles can't hide the facts, and the facts are that these four bills are bad partisan policy that would negatively affect the American people. When the Democrats proposed public financing of campaigns in H.R. 1, I could hardly believe it. The 6-to-1 small-dollar campaign match program would create a mandatory donation from the American taxpayer to a political candidate. For every $200 donated by hardworking Americans to any political campaign of all of us in this institution, the Federal Government, on the backs of the taxpayers, would give $1,200 to that same politician's campaign. This program would do nothing but fill the swamp, and any Member who voted for it was voting to fill their own pockets and the pockets of political operatives nationwide. At Rules Committee, though, this was changed. The shell game now includes a fund which is supposedly financed through fines and settlements. But we have now seen the CBO score, and this fund does not support itself. So what happens when it fails? I will tell you. It will ultimately fall to the taxpayers in this country to support this Democratic policy. But fines and settlements take us back to the legislation we hope to recommit to the committee today. There are Members who would have you believe that there are currently no existing laws protecting the right for every American to vote or that the Voting Rights Act is no longer in place. However, the Voting Rights Act is in effect today and protecting every American's right to vote, and it includes many important provisions: Title I of the Voting Rights Act, 52 United States Code 10501(a) says: No citizen shall be denied, because of his failure to comply with any test or device, the right to vote in any election. That is still in effect today, without H.R. 4, and it comes with a $5,000 fine if you don't follow that. Section 307(a): No person shall prevent another who is entitled to vote, from voting. Still in effect, $5,000 fine. Section 308(b): No person shall destroy, deface, or alter official voting ballots. Still in effect, $5,000 fine. [[Page H9332]] 307(c): No person shall provide false information in registering to vote, or in voting. Still in effect, $10,000 fine. 307(e): No person shall vote more than once. Still in effect, $10,000 fine. 307(d): No person shall falsify or conceal material facts. Still in effect, $10,000 fine. 307(b): No person shall intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for voting or attempting to vote. Still in effect. Do not let anyone tell you the Voting Rights Act is not alive and well in this country. What we have debated today is not a reauthorization of this important, historically bipartisan legislation that has prevented discrimination at the ballot box, because it does not need reauthorization. Sections 2 and 3 of the VRA that are currently in effect are continuing to help safeguard the public from discrimination at the ballot box. Every eligible American who wants to vote in our country's elections should be able to cast their vote. This bill is only about preclearance and the Democrat majority giving the Department of Justice and the Federal Government control over all election activity. Jurisdictions under preclearance cannot move a polling location, expand vote-by-mail efforts, nor properly maintain their voting rolls without a partisan Department of Justice clearing everything they do. This is about control and taking power away from State and local election officials who they don't like and putting it in the hands of the Federal Government. This bill does not reauthorize the Voting Rights Act. What does it do? It opens the doors for fines and settlements in this country, including under this act, to be hijacked once again by my colleagues for their own political campaigns if they get their way. My motion to recommit is simple: Make it clear to your constituents that fines and settlements under the VRA will not be going to your own campaign coffers. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I oppose the amendment. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Alabama is recognized for 5 minutes. Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this amendment because it is a mere distraction. It is an attempt to politicize the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by interjecting campaign finance and settlement terms into civil rights legislation. If Republicans were really serious about voting rights--about voting rights--they would actually be willing to come to the table and talk about how we can fully restore section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Leave it up to our colleagues across the aisle to interject money and finance into civil rights law. What has been lost today in this debate is the very heart of this bill; it is the central meaning of the bill. Let's not forget the brave patriots of the civil rights and voting rights movement who marched, prayed, and died for the right to vote. These foot soldiers for equality, like our very own John Lewis, were ordinary citizens who dared to achieve extraordinary social change by forcing this Nation to live up to its ideals of equality and justice for all. We know, Mr. Speaker, that the price of freedom is not free. It has been bought and paid for by those brave foot soldiers so that, one day, a little Black girl from Selma, Alabama, could sit in this august body. I know I am not the only Black and Brown colleague of ours who owes our very presence in this Chamber to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Mr. Speaker, old battles have become new again. We fight for the same equity that these foot soldiers fought for in Selma. Progress is elusive. Every generation must fight to maintain the progress that we have had and to seek to advance it. Since the Supreme Court's decision in 2013 in Shelby v. Holder, States across this country have enacted harsh measures that make it more difficult to vote. Mr. Speaker, I dare say that Selma is now. Since the Shelby decision, 25 States have put in place new voting restrictions. Selma is still now, because, since the Shelby decision, 12 States have laws making it harder for citizens to register and stay registered. Selma is now. Since the Shelby decision, 10 more States have made early and absentee voting more difficult. While today there are no poll taxes or literacy tests, these modern- day barriers to voting are no less discriminatory or suppressive than those old practices. Voting rights should be a nonpartisan issue, and the fact that, in this amendment, they would try to politicize voting rights, we should all--all--be appalled by that. Voting rights have been, always, very nonpartisan, and it used to be that the Voting Rights Acts passed overwhelmingly with Republicans and Democrats. In fact, the VRA was reauthorized five times--yes--under Republican and Democratic Presidents. So what has changed? I ask my colleagues across the aisle: What are you afraid of? Why are you afraid to let more Americans vote? Is it because your own political interests are only realized when you limit access to the ballot box? I say: Shame on you. Shame on you. Could it be that what we need more than anything else is to look at our North Star; that is, John Lewis. Mr. Lewis, we are all honored, every day, to be able to call you ``colleague,'' and the reality is that what happened on that bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 is still occurring today. If one person who is an American and who is a voter is not allowed to vote, it goes to the very heart of the integrity of all of our elections. We should all want to make sure that every American can vote. So, let us make sure that we remember what Elijah Cummings would say. He would say: We are better than this. We are better than this. Having an amendment that deals with politicizing the Voting Rights Act is appalling. I ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the amendment and to remember the words of another civil rights activist, Amelia Boynton Robinson, who also was bludgeoned on that bridge with John Lewis in 1965, who came to this Chamber in 2015, as my special guest, for the State of the Union. Many of you on both sides of the aisle were willing to host her. I say to you what she said. When people said: ``I stand on your shoulders,'' she said, ``Get off my shoulders. Do your own work.'' I say now: Miss Amelia, we are doing our own work because we are voting to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their remarks to the Chair. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. There was no objection. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it. Recorded Vote Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, the Chair will reduce to 5 minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on the question of passage. This is a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 200, noes 215, not voting 15, as follows: [Roll No. 653] AYES--200 Abraham Aderholt Allen Amash Amodei Armstrong Arrington Axne Babin Bacon Baird Balderson Banks Bergman Biggs Bilirakis Bishop (NC) Bishop (UT) Bost Brady Brindisi Brooks (AL) Brooks (IN) Buchanan Buck Bucshon Budd Burchett Burgess Calvert Carter (GA) Carter (TX) Chabot Cheney Cline Cloud Cole Collins (GA) Comer Conaway Cook Crawford Crenshaw Cunningham Curtis Davidson (OH) Davis, Rodney DesJarlais Diaz-Balart Duncan Dunn Estes Ferguson Finkenauer Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Flores Fortenberry Foxx (NC) Fulcher Gaetz Gallagher Gianforte Gibbs Gohmert Gonzalez (OH) Gooden Gottheimer Granger Graves (GA) Graves (LA) Graves (MO) [[Page H9333]] Green (TN) Griffith Grothman Guest Guthrie Hagedorn Harris Hartzler Hern, Kevin Herrera Beutler Hice (GA) Higgins (LA) Hill (AR) Holding Hollingsworth Horn, Kendra S. Hudson Huizenga Hurd (TX) Johnson (LA) Johnson (OH) Johnson (SD) Jordan Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Katko Keller Kelly (MS) Kelly (PA) King (IA) King (NY) Kustoff (TN) LaHood LaMalfa Lamborn Latta Lesko Long Loudermilk Lucas Luetkemeyer Marshall Massie Mast McAdams McCarthy McCaul McClintock McHenry McKinley Meadows Meuser Miller Mitchell Moolenaar Mooney (WV) Mullin Murphy (NC) Newhouse Nunes Olson Palazzo Palmer Pence Perry Posey Ratcliffe Reed Reschenthaler Rice (SC) Riggleman Roby Rodgers (WA) Roe, David P. Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rooney (FL) Rose, John W. Rouzer Roy Rutherford Scalise Schweikert Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Simpson Slotkin Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smucker Spanberger Spano Stauber Stefanik Steil Steube Stewart Stivers Taylor Thompson (PA) Thornberry Timmons Tipton Torres Small (NM) Turner Upton Van Drew Wagner Walberg Walden Walker Walorski Waltz Watkins Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Wenstrup Westerman Williams Wilson (SC) Wittman Womack Woodall Wright Yoho Young Zeldin NOES--215 Adams Aguilar Allred Barragan Beatty Bera Beyer Bishop (GA) Blumenauer Blunt Rochester Bonamici Boyle, Brendan F. Brown (MD) Brownley (CA) Bustos Butterfield Carbajal Cardenas Carson (IN) Case Casten (IL) Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Chu, Judy Cicilline Cisneros Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Clay Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Connolly Cooper Correa Costa Courtney Cox (CA) Craig Crist Crow Cuellar Davids (KS) Davis (CA) Davis, Danny K. Dean DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Delgado Demings DeSaulnier Deutch Dingell Doggett Doyle, Michael F. Engel Escobar Eshoo Espaillat Evans Fletcher Foster Frankel Fudge Gallego Garamendi Garcia (IL) Garcia (TX) Golden Gomez Gonzalez (TX) Green, Al (TX) Grijalva Haaland Harder (CA) Hastings Hayes Heck Higgins (NY) Himes Horsford Houlahan Hoyer Huffman Jackson Lee Jayapal Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (TX) Kaptur Keating Kelly (IL) Kennedy Khanna Kildee Kilmer Kim Kind Kirkpatrick Krishnamoorthi Kuster (NH) Lamb Langevin Larsen (WA) Lawrence Lawson (FL) Lee (CA) Lee (NV) Levin (CA) Levin (MI) Lewis Lieu, Ted Lipinski Loebsack Lofgren Lowenthal Lowey Lujan Luria Lynch Malinowski Maloney, Carolyn B. Maloney, Sean Matsui McBath McCollum McEachin McGovern McNerney Meeks Meng Moore Morelle Moulton Mucarsel-Powell Murphy (FL) Nadler Napolitano Neal Neguse Norcross O'Halleran Ocasio-Cortez Omar Pallone Panetta Pappas Pascrell Payne Perlmutter Peters Peterson Phillips Pingree Pocan Pressley Price (NC) Quigley Raskin Rice (NY) Richmond Rose (NY) Rouda Roybal-Allard Ruiz Ruppersberger Rush Ryan Sanchez Sarbanes Scanlon Schakowsky Schiff Schneider Schrader Schrier Scott (VA) Scott, David Sewell (AL) Shalala Sherman Sherrill Sires Smith (WA) Soto Speier Stanton Stevens Suozzi Swalwell (CA) Takano Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Titus Tlaib Tonko Torres (CA) Trahan Trone Underwood Vargas Veasey Vela Velazquez Visclosky Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Welch Wexton Wild Wilson (FL) Yarmuth NOT VOTING--15 Barr Bass Byrne Cartwright Emmer Gabbard Gosar Hunter Kinzinger Larson (CT) Marchant Norman Porter Serrano Shimkus {time} 1231 So the motion to recommit was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it. Recorded Vote Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 228, noes 187, answered not voting 16, as follows: [Roll No. 654] AYES--228 Adams Aguilar Allred Axne Barragan Beatty Bera Beyer Bishop (GA) Blumenauer Blunt Rochester Bonamici Boyle, Brendan F. Brindisi Brown (MD) Brownley (CA) Bustos Butterfield Carbajal Cardenas Carson (IN) Case Casten (IL) Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Chu, Judy Cicilline Cisneros Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Clay Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Connolly Cooper Correa Costa Courtney Cox (CA) Craig Crist Crow Cuellar Cunningham Davids (KS) Davis (CA) Davis, Danny K. Dean DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Delgado Demings DeSaulnier Deutch Dingell Doggett Doyle, Michael F. Engel Escobar Eshoo Espaillat Evans Finkenauer Fitzpatrick Fletcher Foster Frankel Fudge Gallego Garamendi Garcia (IL) Garcia (TX) Golden Gomez Gonzalez (TX) Gottheimer Green, Al (TX) Grijalva Haaland Harder (CA) Hastings Hayes Heck Higgins (NY) Himes Horn, Kendra S. Horsford Houlahan Hoyer Huffman Jackson Lee Jayapal Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (TX) Kaptur Keating Kelly (IL) Kennedy Khanna Kildee Kilmer Kim Kind Kirkpatrick Krishnamoorthi Kuster (NH) Lamb Langevin Larsen (WA) Lawrence Lawson (FL) Lee (CA) Lee (NV) Levin (CA) Levin (MI) Lewis Lieu, Ted Lipinski Loebsack Lofgren Lowenthal Lowey Lujan Luria Lynch Malinowski Maloney, Carolyn B. Maloney, Sean Matsui McAdams McBath McCollum McEachin McGovern McNerney Meeks Meng Moore Morelle Moulton Mucarsel-Powell Murphy (FL) Nadler Napolitano Neal Neguse Norcross O'Halleran Ocasio-Cortez Omar Pallone Panetta Pappas Pascrell Payne Pelosi Perlmutter Peters Peterson Phillips Pingree Pocan Pressley Price (NC) Quigley Raskin Rice (NY) Richmond Rose (NY) Rouda Roybal-Allard Ruiz Ruppersberger Rush Ryan Sanchez Sarbanes Scanlon Schakowsky Schiff Schneider Schrader Schrier Scott (VA) Scott, David Sewell (AL) Shalala Sherman Sherrill Sires Slotkin Smith (WA) Soto Spanberger Speier Stanton Stevens Suozzi Swalwell (CA) Takano Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Titus Tlaib Tonko Torres (CA) Torres Small (NM) Trahan Trone Underwood Van Drew Vargas Veasey Vela Velazquez Visclosky Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Welch Wexton Wild Wilson (FL) Yarmuth NOES--187 Abraham Aderholt Allen Amash Amodei Armstrong Arrington Babin Bacon Baird Balderson Banks Bergman Biggs Bilirakis Bishop (NC) Bishop (UT) Bost Brady Brooks (AL) Brooks (IN) Buchanan Buck Bucshon Budd Burchett Burgess Calvert Carter (GA) Carter (TX) Chabot Cheney Cline Cloud Cole Collins (GA) Comer Conaway Cook Crawford Crenshaw Curtis Davidson (OH) Davis, Rodney DesJarlais Diaz-Balart Duncan Dunn Estes Ferguson Fleischmann Flores Fortenberry Foxx (NC) Fulcher Gaetz Gallagher Gianforte Gibbs Gohmert Gonzalez (OH) Gooden Granger Graves (GA) Graves (LA) Graves (MO) Green (TN) Griffith Grothman Guest Guthrie Hagedorn Harris Hartzler Hern, Kevin Herrera Beutler Hice (GA) Higgins (LA) Hill (AR) Holding Hollingsworth Hudson Huizenga Hurd (TX) Johnson (LA) Johnson (OH) Johnson (SD) Jordan Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Katko Keller Kelly (MS) Kelly (PA) King (IA) King (NY) Kustoff (TN) LaHood LaMalfa Lamborn Latta Lesko Long Loudermilk Lucas Luetkemeyer Marshall Massie Mast McCarthy McCaul McClintock McKinley Meadows Meuser Miller Mitchell Moolenaar Mooney (WV) Mullin Murphy (NC) Newhouse Nunes Olson Palazzo Palmer Pence Perry Posey Ratcliffe Reed Reschenthaler Rice (SC) Riggleman Roby Rodgers (WA) Roe, David P. Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rooney (FL) Rose, John W. Rouzer Roy Rutherford Scalise Schweikert Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Simpson Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smucker Spano Stauber Stefanik Steil Steube Stewart Stivers Taylor Thompson (PA) Thornberry Timmons Tipton Turner Upton Wagner Walberg Walden Walker Walorski Waltz Watkins Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Wenstrup Westerman Williams Wilson (SC) Wittman Womack Woodall Wright Yoho Young Zeldin [[Page H9334]] NOT VOTING--16 Barr Bass Byrne Cartwright Emmer Gabbard Gosar Hunter Kinzinger Larson (CT) Marchant McHenry Norman Porter Serrano Shimkus {time} 1239 So the bill was passed. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. personal explanation Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, December 6, 2019, I was unfortunately not present for roll call votes 653 through 654, in order to attend a funeral. If I had been present for these votes, I would have voted: Nay on roll call vote 653 on the motion to recommit with instructions. Yea on roll call vote 654 on the passage of H.R. 4. ____________________
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