Politics

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Restore Voting Rights Act

Published

9 years ago

June 30, 2015

In this Dec. 22, 2014 image taken from video, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., discusses the historical drama “Selma” and civil rights in the United States during an interview in Atlanta. He is one of the legislators who introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz)

By Zenitha Prince
Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper

Legislation that would retool and restore the Voting Rights Act was introduced in Congress on June 24.

Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced the “Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015” in the Senate. Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) of the Congressional Black Caucus; Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; and Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, also introduced an identical measure in the House.

The bills were introduced on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby v. Holder, which gutted essential voter protections in the VRA.

The right to vote is “precious” and “almost sacred” and the “most powerful non-violent tool” of a democracy, Lewis said in a statement.

“I think it is clear today that we have come a great distance in this country toward healing the divisions and problems among us, but we are not there yet. This legislation acknowledges that we still have much more work to do,” he said, adding, “I support this legislation and hope that this Congress will do what is right by the people of this nation and pass the voting rights legislation that restores justice, dignity, and equal access to the ballot box in America.”

Lewis is an iconic civil rights leader, who was among the activists who took part in and was beaten during the seminal march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., a campaign that led to the passage of the VRA.

During the 50-year anniversary of the march earlier this year, President Obama noted the half-century birthday of the VRA in August and the continuing challenges to voting rights in the modern era.

“Right now, in 2015, 50 years after Selma, there are laws across this country designed to make it harder for people to vote [and] as we speak, more of such laws are being proposed,” he said. “Meanwhile, the Voting Rights Act, the culmination of so much blood, so much sweat and tears, the product of so much sacrifice in the face of wanton violence, the Voting Rights Act stands weakened, its future subject to political rancor.”

This week, the president praised lawmakers for taking up his charge to restore the voting law.

“The Administration applauds today’s efforts by Members of both the House and Senate to take up this charge to restore the promise of the Voting Rights Act to repair the damage done to this centerpiece of our democracy and honor the sacrifices made by so many who were willing to die to protect the rights it guarantees,” the White House said in a statement.

Civil rights groups have decried Congress’ two-year lag in making the changes to the VRA suggested by the Supreme Court.

“In the past two years, Congress has done nothing to repair the damage to the VRA inflicted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby decision,” said Elisabeth MacNamara, President of the League of Women Voters of the U.S. “As a result of this inaction, there has been more voter discrimination taking place at ballot boxes across the nation and we are getting dangerously close to having our first presidential election in 50 years without the critical protections once embodied in the VRA.”

Now, many are applauding the advancement of the legislation, especially since the 2016 presidential election cycle has already begun.

The measure would create a new geographic coverage formula that covers all states and is based on current conditions; allow federal courts to bail in states for preclearance; offer greater transparency in federal elections to ensure that voters are made aware of late-breaking changes in voting procedures; and allow courts to halt a questionable election law as soon as litigation begins and not after the potentially discriminatory law has already been imposed in an election cycle.

“We welcome the introduction of this crucial legislation and look forward to working with all members of Congress to rebuild a fully effective Voting Rights Act and to ensure that all Americans are protected from voting discrimination,” Tanya Clay House, public policy director for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement.

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Related Topics:Chris Coons Dick Durbin Patrick Leahy Shelby v. Holder supreme court voting rights Voting Rights Act

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Bay Area

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

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7 days ago

April 19, 2024

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.