Congressional Black Caucus
"The Conscience of Congress since 1969"
www.congressionalblackcaucus.net
| For Immediate Release July 27, 2006 |
Contact: Myra L. Dandridge (202) 226-9776 |
|
Members of the CBC Attend White House Signing Ceremony of the Voting Rights Act |
||
(Washington, D.C.)- Today, members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) attended the White House signing ceremony of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) where President George Bush signed the bill into law.
In Congress, members of the CBC and the civil rights community, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League (NUL), led the effort in the passage of the VRA. The bill recently passed the U.S. House by a vote of 390 to 33 and the U.S. Senate by a margin of 98 to 0.
The bicameral, bipartisan bill, also known as the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, provides the legal basis to protect the right to vote for all Americans.
"I applaud my colleagues in both the House and Senate for passing the VRA, which will extend the expiring provisions of the bill for another 25 years and I applaud the President for signing it promptly," noted U.S. Representative Melvin L. Watt
(D-NC), CBC Chair.
"The passage and signing of the bill is a triumph for the legacy of civil rights pioneers and those individuals who sacrificed so much and worked tirelessly to ensure that all minority citizens can participate fully in our democracy."
"With the passage of the Voting Rights Reauthorization Act, our nation makes the commitment to protecting the right to vote in the 21st century," said U.S. Representative John Conyers (D-MI), Ranking 
Member of the House Judiciary Committee. "While there is much to celebrate over the last 40 years, we must remain vigilant because efforts to suppress or dilute minority votes are still all too common."
According to U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA): "American democracy cannot endure without the protections guaranteed under the Voting Rights Act. We must continue to build a nation where every citizen values every vote. Our nation must view any barrier to the ballot box as an assault on freedom and liberty."
"With this signing, the members of the Congress and the President have done their part," noted U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA). "The President’s clear message that he would sign this bill, from the very beginning of the public debate, was helpful to its passage."
(####)
