Republican or democrat. It is bipartisan and that is the right to vote. Mr. Speaker, i would like to yield as much time as he would like to consume to my colleague, ongressman veasey. Mr. Veasey thank you very much for organizing this very important special order today and something that is timely especially with the elections coming up. And i stand with my colleagues to bring awareness to the injustice to our members of our democracy and i want to start with the history from the 19 0s ap more recent history. In 19 5, the Voting Rights act sought to ensure that voters would never face the unnecessary obstacles to exercise the right to vote as american citizens. N 2013, shelby versus holder gutted the 19 5 Voting Rights act. And there was the subjew gation of seniors, to unfair punitive barriers that make it hard for them to vote and exercise their basic right as an american citizen. As a native of texas, i have een the effects of these oppressive laws in 3 states since the Supreme Court issued in shelby versus holder. Some of the tactics in texas that were used and you heard representative sewell talk about it earlier, if you have a school i. D. From the university of texas or texas southern, any of universities, they can use those i. D. s to identify themselves to Law Enforcement authorities on the campuses there, but if they were to try to use that i. D. At home, they would be denied the right to vote. If you are the concealed happened gun license, you can use that. Its almost unfair. And see how everything is stacked against the every day voters. With the requirement that a photo i. D. Be used to vote some individuals without an i. D. Had to travel great distances to get them or pay for the supporting documents they needed in order to get the i. D. To vote. And let me give you an example of that. In texas, we have 25 counties. Texas is is a big state. Some of those counties dont have i. D. Septemberers where people could get their voter i. D. Cards or other documentation that is needed to be able to vote. And thats why i got involved as the lead plaintiff which is the voter i. D. Case to overturp the law. Our case has been heard before three federal courts ip clueding what is considered the most conservative a. M. Ate court, that is the fifth circuit. And on july, 201 16, the full fifth circuit ruled in favor of texas voters. The fifth circuit said hey, this thing has some real problems. That same month the u. S. Court of afeels for the Fourth Circuit and the u. S. District court for the Western District of wisconsin invalidated their law designed to prevent individuals from casting their right to vote. And the courts have found we have always known to be true and these restrictive voter i. D. Laws discriminate and disenfranchise american voters. These victories are few of the major victories but we had victories in nonSouthern States. As i meppingsed, the Southern States where these issues have been a problem but we know that outside of the south. Ohio. Kansas, michigan and so far the courts continue to rule in the favor of the voter. And i hope they will continue to do so in the future. While we see these victories, we must continue to face challenges. Some of you recently have heard that judge ramos in the texas case who issued the voting rules had to order the attorney general and the governor and the secretary of state to stop sending out misleading and confusing election materials. And that worries me a lot because what is that saying going to happen in november of 2016 . Are we getting a sneak preview of some of the dirty tricks that will take place. The fact that a federal judge issued these guidelines and state officials tried to send out misleading information from a federal judge, that is scary. Those are dirty tricks we have to watch for in this november, 2016 election. We know that the attorney germ, because he said so, is going to appeal to the Supreme Court. End we send an end to the of misinformation and citizens casting their ballots, we will not stop fighting every day. My colleagues, led by the democratic outreach and task force and the Voting Rights caucus will continue to fight to have these suppressive laws invalidated. We welcome the challenge. Even if it means we have to protect the right to sote. One of the things that i did to continue to shed light on this issue is that i introduced a resolution last week to designates september the Voting Rights month. This year, americans will cast their ballots in one of the most important germ elections and the designation as september will serve to spread information about early voting, polling place logues, how to maintain voter rolls. Some of the suppressive rolls that are being in active as well and that will serve to allow oppressive tactics. That is why Congress Must continue to lead the charge in restoring the right for all americans by fixing the Voting Rights act and encouraging participation for what is our most sacred right as americans, that is the right to vote. I yield back. Ms. Sewell thank you, so much for your effort not only as a plaintiff in the texas case, courageously fighting against the injustices against voters. I thank you for your leadership on the Voting Rights caucus and thank you for your participation and know that which are all with you in you your efforts to make sure that all americans have a right to vote. At this time, i would like unanimous consent to enter for the record the statements of representative cop years and representative Clyburn Conyers and representative clyburn. The speaker pro tempore those statements will be included under germ leave. Ms. Sewell i introduced a bill the voters rights advancement act. I would like to talk about that in a an effort to encourage my colleagues to join with me in passing the Voting Rights advancement act. It provides a modernday formula what the Supreme Court asked by congress by striking down the old formula in the shelby decision. The Supreme Court issued a challenge to come up with a modernday formula and thats what we do in this bill. This bill doesnt look back to 1950, 1940, 1960. This looks at 1990 Going Forward. And if the states have had five or more statewide violations, then it would be a covered state. It is a morpeday formula looking at any instances of discriminatory practices since 1990 Going Forward. And mr. , mr. Speaker, you shouldnt be surprised in looking at modernday barriers or instituting this modernday formula, that you would still have 1 states that have had three or more statewide violations in the last 26 years. Those states include, alabama, georgia, mississippi, texas, louisiana, florida, South Carolina, north carolina, arizona, california, new york and virginia. Yes, mr. Speaker. It includes arizona. It includes california and new york. Not just deep south Southern States. In the last 26 years, these states have had five or more statewide violations of Voting Rights. And i have to tell you this goes to show you that there is a need for us to have continued full protections of the Voting Rights act. There is no way, mr. Speaker, that we can only rely on those lawsuits on section 2, which occur after the election has occurred. We need the efforts to be able to stop the discriminatory practices before they have the discriminatory effect. And thats what the Voting Rights act of 1965 does and the Voting Rights advancement act would do. Theould put piece back into preclearance provision. We call it that because it also talks about discriminatory effects and practices on tribal lands. You know, back in 1965, we didnt protect tribal lands and the right to protect the rights of those americans and it is important that we modernize the Voting Rights act of 1965 and make sure that we cover all americans, including those who live on tribal lands. The Voting Rights advancement act of 2015 would allow federal courts to halt questionable voting practices until a final ruling is made. Prohibiting a discriminatory practice after the election has concluded is too late to truly protect Voting Rights. This bill would give the attorney General Authority to request that federal observers be present anywhere in the country where discriminatory practices pose a serious threat. This bill would increase transparency by requiring Public Notice for voting changes. So, mr. Speaker, if this bill had been in effect during the primary in arizona, there would be no way that the Election Officials in maricopa county, arizona would be able to shrink the size of polling stations, the populations still or grew but they shrunk it from 400 in 2012 to 60 in 2016, in four years. There is no way that could have stood. That had a discriminatory impact on voters. We will never know how many people got discouraged and how many working families, parents, had to leave the line in order to pick up their children or provide for their families. We dont know how many people didnt get the chance to vote. That is the integrity of the democracy that is being questioned by not having the full protection of the Voting Rights act. So i ask my colleagues to join me in the Voting Rights advancement act and put teeth back into the Voting Rights act of 1965 by coming up and passing this modernday formula. I believe a lookback of 1990 Going Forward is a. M. Will evidence of voter discrimination and discriminatory practices. And states that have had five or more violations should be a covered state. Now, obviously, during the 10year period, it could no longer be a covered state. There are a. M. Will provisions for states to be opted in and opted out. And i think what we all want is the full integrity of our democratic process to be preserved and that is what would happen with this Voting Rights advancement act. I know my time is drawing near and i want to make sure i submit for the record so i ask unanimous consent to submit the find offings the New York Forum that occurred. So mr. Chairman, i ask for unanimous consent to submit to the record witness testimony from the Voting Rights town hall hosted by representatives jeffries and mention and velazquez in new york. And meng and velazquez in new york. Thank you, mr. Speaker. As i close out this conversation on Voting Rights, i would be remiss if i didnt say that as a daughter of selma, i can think of no more noble thing for me to fight for than the right, voting right and the full restoration of those Voting Rights. After all, it was because of the blood, sweat, and tears in my district and my hometown that we have so many elected officials that are of color. We it is no small wonder why are seeing such efforts to go out and make sure that people dont have a right to vote when elected Officials Say in their remarks, as they are introducing legislation for this restrictive voter i. D. s, make comments like, well, the people that were restricting will only be democratic voters. That just suggests to me that the reason why these restricted voting i. D. Laws were being promulgated was to do exactly that. Suppress certain groups of voters. And thats absolutely unacceptable and unamerican. And i can also tell you that one of the greatest great etc. Moments for me on this house floor was when i had an opportunity to escort as my state of the union guest in 2015 ms. Ameal la boynton robinson, who was 104 when she came to the state of the union in 2015. On Amelia Boynton robinson, bloody sunday, in 1965, was bludgeoned on the Edmund Pettus bridge along with congressman john lewis but at 104 years old she was so excited to come to this august body and hear president Barack Obamas state of the union address. She was excited not because she would get an opportunity to meet the first africanamerican president , she was excited because she got a chance to see this elected body at work. She told me that one of her proudest moments was not only casting a ballot, but she told me one of her proudest moments was being the first africanamerican woman to be on the ballot in the state of alabama running for congress. She ran, mr. Speaker, for this seat. The seventh congressional seat that im so fortunate to have. She ran for that seat in 1964. So when i think about ms. Amelia boynton, i not only think about bloody sunday and her sacrifice on that bridge but i also think about her courage, the courage of this africanamerican woman to have the audacity to think that she could be a member of congress from the great state of alabama in 1964. I know i get to walk these hallowed halls and get to stand here today and speak with you, mr. Speaker, because of her courage and her sacrifice. It is not lost on me that she is looking down now wondering if that sacrifice what that sacrifice truly meant to america that we could, 50 years later have a court case that totally dismantled the full protection f the Voting Rights act of 1965. Now, ms. Amelia boynton robinson, when she came to the state of the union, we did have an opportunity to meet and talk president barack obama before his speech. And ill never forget being in the holding room if you will, behind this chamber, and as many of his members of cabinet would come into the room, they would, without a person, say the same thing. Ms. Boynton, we stand on your shoulders, ms. Boynton, were so glad you sacrificed, made shows sacrifice on that bridge because we get to do what we do now because you made those sacrifices. We stand on your shoulders. And i can tell you, person after person, secretary of state, secretary of transportation, secretary of h. U. D. , they were all saying the same thing. By the time the attorney general came up to her and said, ms. Boynton, i stand on your shoulders she looked up at him and said, get off my shoulders. Do your own work. Yes, mr. Speaker, at 104 years old, she had the temerity to say, do your own work. Its not enough that we stand on the shoulders of giants like Amelia Boynton robinson and john lewis. We have to do our own work. And so i say to this body that we can do our own work, by protecting that sacred right to vote. And that we should do our own work as we rededicate ourselves to the proposition that these average, ordinary americans have the nerve, the audacity to fight for. If they can fight for it over 50 years ago, we can fight for it today. And i am grateful to have the opportunity to lead this special order hour on Voting Rights, not only as a native of selma, alabama, but as a very proud, proud beneficiary of the strength and power of the right to vote and of their sacrifices. And so i say, in closing, i hope that my fellow colleagues would join us by signing on to h. R. 2867, the Voting Rights advancement act. I urge all of my colleagues to do so. It is in some way, some small way, with a huge impact potentially that we can ensure that this great democracy lives on. Because after all, if one american is denied access to the ballot box, it does in fact go to the integrity of all of the election process. So much is at stake, not only in this president ial election but in every election. Because in every election americans use their vote as their voice. So when you dont have a vote, you dont have a voice in this great democracy. No vote, no voice. We should remember that as elected officials. As we grapple with the opportunities that we have to come up with a modern day formula. I will be willing to sit with any of my republican colleagues to come up with a modern day formula that would work for both in both houses and by both parties. I think its critically important that we do this work. I think that theres no greater work that we could be doing than to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights act of 1965. And so i am also reminded of what mrs. Boynton said to me when she finally did meet the president. It was quite a moment. I think that all of us who were present when he finally walked into that Small Holding room and he kneeled beside her and he took her hand and he said, mrs. Boynton, i dont know how to say thank you enough. I get to give a speech as a president of the United States in a few minutes, and its because of your sacrifice. And mrs. Boynton, at 104, without missing a beat looked up at our president and said, make it a good one yes, she said. Make this speech a good one. Why . Because of the sacrifices that she and so many brave americans had on that bridge. We as americans who are beneficiaries of that amazing legacy owe it to them to make every day a good one. To make everything we do good. Because people sacrifice for us to have the rights that we have. So i remember making a i remember make it a good one and i say to my colleagues, let us make it a good one right here in this august body by passing the Voting Rights advancement act of 2015 and fully restoring the voting right protections of all americans. Mr. Speaker, i proudly yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the entlelady yields back. Does the gentlelady from alabama have a motion . Ms. Sewell i