Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. House Representative Robert McClory (R-IL) finishing remarks on Voting Rights Act Extension: "...as we have five percent or more of minority language groups that develop in various parts of our country." U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-NY) interjects: "... During Hispanic Heritage Week, which was last week, those of us who were Hispanic traveled to many of the agencies. I remember the first time I spoke. I spoke at HEW when Joe Califano was the Secretary of HEW. And I remember he was talking to me about how Italians and how Hispanics, and how Italians discovered America, and God knows Italians have made their contribution. But I reminded the Secretary, it may have been an Italian who discovered America, but it was an Hispanic woman that gave him the money to get here." Rep. Garcia leaves floor. U.S. Rep and Chairman of the Whole House Richard Bolling (D-MO), standing atop House rostrum, bangs gavel: "The time of the gentleman has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from Texas rise?"
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. Representative George Thomas "Mickey" Leland (D-TX) walks to podium in House of Representatives; adult Caucasian and African American men and women sitting at rostrum; U.S. Rep and Chairman of the Whole House Richard Bolling (D-MO) bangs gavel: "Gentleman is recognized for five minutes." Rep. Leland begins speaking in Spanish. U.S. House Representative Milicent Fenwick (R-NJ) interjects briefly in Italian. Rep. Leland continues speaking in Spanish.
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. House Representative George Thomas "Mickey" Leland (D-TX) speaking in House of Representatives: "My colleagues, I want to begin speaking Spanish. I want to begin speaking the language of millions of citizens of this country. Many of you cannot understand me. And if you cannot understand me, nor can you understand 21 percent of the adult citizens of El Paso, and nor can you understand 17 percent of all adult workers of the Southwest of this country. These citizens of the United States speak only Spanish. You perhaps cannot understand them nor participate in their culture, but these are citizens of the United States of America, with the rights of citizens; their culture is an American culture, and an intimate part of our culture which makes it more rich and more strong. And even though you cannot understand me when I speak Spanish, or as I attempt to, maybe you can begin to understand the hypocrisy of our political system which excludes the participation of Hispanic Americans only for having a different culture and speaking a different language. Ya Basta! Enough!" U.S. Representative Milicent Fenwick (R-NJ) : "Will the colleague yield?" Rep. Leland: "Not right now." Fenwick speaking in Italian to Rep. Leland, laughter heard in BG. Leland continues: "I rise in opposition to this amendment to eliminate extension of the language voting provisions of the Voting Rights Act. We should not defer consideration of the language minorities provisions until 1985, when, under present law, they will expire. In fact, it was a legislative drafting error to allow two different expiration dates for the various provisions of the act to come out of the 1975 amendment of the Voting Rights Act... I think the record is clear that the extension of the minority language provisions is absolutely necessary. The record is also clear that the costs they would impose are minimal..."
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. Representative George Thomas "Mickey" Leland (D-TX) continues speak in U.S. House of Representatives: "The number of Americans for whom Spanish is the principal tongue is enormous. In 1976, the Census Bureau estimated that 17 percent of the adult male work force of the Southwest is Spanish monolingual..." Chairman of the Whole House Richard Bolling (D-MO) bangs gavel. Rep. Leeland: "It is estimated that another 37 percent is primarily Spanish-speaking with limited English. In other words, about 54 percent of the adult male work force speaks primarily Spanish in the Southwest. Consider further that the inability to speak English of many adult Mexican American citizens born in the United States of America, or who came here as children, is a consequence of their being denied educational opportunities as children... It is true that significant improvements have been made, and the statistics are impressive. In Texas, which has 3 million Hispanic American citizens, about 21 percent of the population, voter registration increased 64 percent among Hispanics in the period between 1976 and 1980, compared to a nationwide average increase among Hispanics of 30 percent. Voter turnout increased 49 percent for Hispanic Americans in Texas during the same period... In spite of all this, in 1980, only 57 percent of eligible Hispanic voters in Texas were registered and only 25 percent actually voted... As for the number of Hispanic elected officials, out of a possible 490 county officials, there are only 17 Hispanics in county offices in Texas... There are only 6 members who are Hispanic in the House of Representatives in this Congress. It is clear that if anything, the bilingual provisions of the Voting Rights Act must be reinforced and not weakened... There is considerable work to be done to bring language minorities to their just and due level of representation. To dilute these provisions or eliminate them-- today or in 1985-- is to exclude many American citizens from the political process..." Chairman Bolling bangs gavel, notes time is up. Off-screen adult male asks Chairman for unanimous consent while Rep. Leland leaves Floor; Chairman Bolling acknowledges the gentleman from California.
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. Representative Don Edwards (D-CA) speaking in U.S. House of Representatives: "I am wondering if we can get an agreement on time. We have been on this important amendment for more than 2 hours. How about 5 more minutes?"; adult male voices in BG shout, "Vote." Chairman of the Whole House and Representative Richard Bolling (D-MO) standing atop House rostrum. Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL): "We just have one speaker left on this side, so could we finish? Do you have many more who want to speak on your side?" Rep. Allen E. Ertel (D-PA): "I would like to have one opportunity to ask a question, so..." Rep. Edwards: "I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania." Rep. Ertel: " I would ask the gentleman from California, we have been spending a great deal of time talking about the language of Spanish. Is there any Native Americans-- by that, the Indians-- who would have the opportunity to get assistance under this act, that would be struck out by this amendment? For instance, the Indians were really the Native Americans, and if they have the right to vote, it seems to me their language, if they have a language, and they meet the requirements of this, do we provide them assistance under this act?" Rep. Edwards: "A number of Native American tribes are entitled under this act to assistance at the polls. They get assistance at the polls. And if this amendment were adopted, they would be cut out. The answer is yes." Rep. Ertel: "So, in other words, if we adopt this amendment, we are striking out the assistance for really basically the people that we have come into this country and sort of moved out of the eastern part of the United States and into other areas." Rep. Edwards: "Do we have an agreement for 5 minutes on this side and 5 minutes on that side?" Chairman Bolling: "Is there an objection? The chair hears none. So ordered. The gentleman from Illinois has 5 minutes." Rep Hyde: "I yield to the gentleman from California." U.S. House Representative Dan Lungren (R-CA): The only point I wanted to make concerning the gentleman from Texas' eloquent statement was that, although it is interesting, it has absolutely nothing to do, in terms of Texas, with the amendment before us. The State of Texas is completely in, under the pre-clearance sections, because of the low voter participation, particularly by the minority groups, especially the Hispanics... In the State of Texas, until the 1930's, if you were Hispanic, after I believe it was the 6th grade, you were not able to go to school. So there is a legitimate connection between the State action or inaction and the inability to speak the English language and, therefore, the whole State is caught in the question of pre-clearance, and that includes the requirement for bilingual ballots..."
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. House Representative Dan Lungren (R-CA) yields to U.S. Representative George Thomas "Mickey" Leland (D-TX) who responds to his previous remarks: "I certainly understand that and feel as the gentleman does, that this does not directly affect Texas because, in fact, it is under another section, it is protected under another section. But, the fact of the matter is that Texas represents the example of what we are talking about when we talk about protecting the interests of people who do not speak English in this country. Texas happens to be my State, which is the only reason that I use Texas as an example." Rep. Lungren responds: "But the reason why Texas was included was the inability of the Hispanic members of that State, was directly related to the lack of educational opportunities presented to them, which, I would suggest to the gentleman, may or may not be the case in other jurisdictions. And since it's already covered with respect to pre-clearance, what the gentleman is suggesting by his argument is that we then include this overly broad section for the very reasons that are covered in pre-clearance, and not by section 203." Rep. Leland responds: "If the gentleman will yield further, I would just like to respond by saying that my concern is what happens in the totality of this country, as opposed to being just operating from a self-interest, because I happen to be from Texas. I am concerned about those particularly, Mr. [Edward] Roybal (D-CA) and Mr. [Robert] Garcia's (D-NY) interests, who have expressed so eloquently their desire to maintain the provisions". Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) steps in: "I yield to the gentleman from Illinois." Rep. Robert McClory (R-IL) states: "We've been talking a lot about Hispanics, and Hispanics, of course, are covered under the minority language provisions. We're also talking about Chinese, we're talking about Tagalog, we're talking about Ilocano in Hawaii. The reason we need this amendment is that the Federal Government mandates expenses on these States and on these localities which they otherwise would not have to experience. We should not impose ourselves on them, while they are undertaking to comply with the 14th and 15th amendments which we all want to have them comply with, an English language document, by the way." Rep. Hyde asks: "Is the gentleman making a ringing endorsement of home rule when it comes to bilingual ballots?" Rep. McClory responds: "I am supporting home rule. I am supporting efficiency and economy at the state and local levels, and I think this is a very good amendment, and I hope it will be overwhelmingly supported." Rep. Hyde yields back the balance of his time.
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. House Representative and Chairman Richard Bolling (D-MO) atop the House rostrum, on the Speaker's platform says: "The gentleman from California has five minutes." U.S. House Representative Don Edwards (D-CA) states: "I rise in opposition to the amendment. I yield to the gentleman from Colorado for unanimous consent request." U.S. House Representative Tim Wirth (D-CO) states: "I rise in opposition of the McClory Amendment and for unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks." Chairman Bolling: "Without objection, so ordered." Rep. Edwards: "I yield to the gentleman from Ohio for one minute." House Representative Dennis Eckart (D-OH) speaks: "Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. You know, I was intrigued to listen to the parade of speakers come down to the well and condemn their very own actions. You know, I really don't think that our actions speak as loud as our bilingual words have, particularly in the past year. How many of us did not take out ads in newspapers in Spanish, German, Hungarian, Polish? How many of us didn't put out campaign literature in foreign languages, or put radio ads on in foreign languages? Why, even the Republican National Committee bragged about the fact that they printed campaign literature in dozens of nationality languages. And now that it comes time to put their money where their mouth is, they refuse to do it. How many of us have stuffed ourselves with pierogi, tortillas, kielbasa, lasagna, matzo ball soup, particularly this last week? Why do we not put our votes where our stomachs have been and where our campaigns have been?" Rep. Edwards: "I thank the gentleman. To close debate on this amendment, I yield to the distinguished Majority Leader, the gentleman from Texas."
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. House Representative and Chairman Richard Bolling (D-MO) sits atop the House rostrum in the Speaker's chair, banging the gavel as U.S. House Representative Jim Wright (D-TX) walks onto the House floor; adult Caucasian and African American men and women sitting at the House rostrum. Rep. Wright giving his remarks: "Mr. Chairman, what's involved in this amendment and what's involved in this bill, I think, is very basic to this country. This is that America never has made a mistake when it's trusted the people. It really comes down to that, I think. The history of our whole nation may be written as a history of a steady, gradual broadening of the franchise and of the participation in the good things of this life. We did not set out quite that way, but we did set out different from any other country. We didn't set out as the British did, or as some of our other European ancestors did, to create an aristocracy as a ruling class and establish it as an exclusive elite to run things for the benefit of all the rest of us. Nor did we set out, as did the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution, to reduce everybody to the lowest common denominator, and substitute for the aristocracy a dictatorship of the proletariat. We didn't do that. We set out to do something kind of different. It was to create an equality of opportunity that would "let the rising tide lift all the ships", in the words of John F. Kennedy and that's what we've been about doing. Of course it was not fully true in the beginning. That dream didn't come true when we let just those who had large amounts of property vote. That cruel system fell under Thomas Jefferson's onslaught, and we had universal manhood suffrage. That was not quite good enough, either, until finally, in God's good time, we let women vote, too, with women's suffrage. And still, that wasn't good enough either, Still, that was not good enough, so long as great numbers of the people weren't able to finish twelve years of public schooling, maybe 60 percent of those who were black, or those who were Hispanic, or those who were of minority origin, but they were Americans, nonetheless, and we kept working at it until we brought them into the participation of this democracy of ours. We've never made a mistake when we trusted the people. We never have made a mistake when we broadened the franchise. We've never made a mistake when we have given more people a piece of the action in this country. That's what's made this country great. We've never made a mistake when we've broadened the rights of educational opportunity to let more people get more education. We've never made a mistake when we let more people vote. We didn't make a mistake when we lowered the voting right to eighteen on the ground that people who were able to defend the country, and called upon to give their lives in defense of the country sometimes, ought to at least to be able to vote their convictions, whether they are for or against a given proposition or a given candidate or a given party. Now we say, there are people in this country, maybe people who didn't know how to speak English very well, but I am reminded of World War II and the 442nd Regimental Combat team, made up of Japanese Americans. And I am reminded also that there never has been since the beginning of time and the wars in which the United States has engaged a single American of Latin origin who was ever accused of cowardice or treason."
Voting Rights Act Extension
U.S. House Representative Jim Wright (D-TX) continues his remarks on the House floor: "Roy Benavidez, the most recent earner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, when being quizzed and questioned about how he felt under those extreme, travailed circumstances in which he saved six of his colleagues who had been otherwise pretty well out of the action; reported that when he was hit in the head three times with a rifle butt by the enemy, there came to his mind as his memory was failing and he was just about to pass out, some words from his childhood spoken in the voice of his mother. And those words were: "No te rajes." Spanish words, yes, but American words, "Don't let them get you down.'' And that is what it's all about. And that's as American as apple pie, or let me say that is as American as tamales, or matzo ball soup. It's as American as all these things that go to make up this polyglot culture of ours. We don't have to be all the same. We don't come out a single stream of sameness like ores poured into a melting pot. We come out a little more like a fruitcake with each one of us giving to it all, giving a bit of its own flavor to the whole, but each retaining a bit of the integrity of his own identity. And that's what makes America great. We don't believe in one culture overall, but we believe as I tried to say once when they asked me..." Gavel is heard as Chairman of the Whole House, Rep. Richard Bolling (D-MO) stating that the gentleman's time has expired; adult Caucasian and African American men and women seated around House rostrum.
Voting Rights Act Extension
Committee Chairman of the Whole House, Rep. Richard Bolling (D-MO) states: "The question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. McClory. Those in favor of the amendment will say aye... those opposed will say no." Adult male voices heard in the BG voicing their vote. Rep. Bolling: "The no's appear to have it." Rep. Robert McClory (R-IL): "Mr. Chairman, on that, I demand a roll call vote, a recorded vote." Rep. Bolling: "A recorded vote is demanded. Those in favor of the amendment will vote aye, those opposed will vote no. Members will record themselves via electronic means."
Voting Rights Act Extension
Congressional members voting on the Amendment to extend the Voting Rights Act; time left for members to vote is displayed on screen. Chairman of the Whole House, Rep. Richard Bolling (D-MO) states final count: "On this vote, the yeas are 129, the nays are 283. The amendment is not agreed to." Rep. Bolling bangs the gavel; adult Caucasian and African American men and women seated around the House rostrum.
Voting Rights Act Extension
Chairman of the Whole House and Rep. Richard Bolling (D-MO) asks: "For what purpose does the gentleman from California rise?....The committee will be in order! Committee will not proceed until the committee is in order. Members will please take their seats. Committee will not proceed with its business until its in order." Gavel is banged multiple times. Adult Caucasian and African American men and women seated around the House rostrum.
Voting Rights Act Extension
Chairman of the Whole House and Rep. Richard Bolling (D-MO) introducing U.S. House Representative Dan Lungren (R-CA): "Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk." Chairman Bolling: "Clerk will report the amendment." Adult Caucasian male clerk reads: "An amendment offered by Mr. Lungren..." Interruption off camera forces the gavel to be banged. Chairman Bolling: "The business of the committee will be expedited if we have the regular order. The regular order is order. Clerk will report the amendment." Adult Caucasian male clerk reads: "An amendment offered by Mr. Lungren of California; on page 9, line 7, insert "(a)" after "Sec. 3.". On page 9, after line 9, insert the following: "(b) Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is amended by striking out ', including ballots," each place it appears in subsections (b), (c), and (d) and inserting '(other than ballots)' in lieu thereof." Chairman Bolling: "Gentleman from California is recognized for five minutes." Rep. Lungren: "Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I realize that the hour is late. I realize that it is difficult asking the indulgence of this body ten minutes after kickoff time, but I did give my commitment to some members, particularly on the other side of the aisle, that I would offer this amendment. This amendment deals with the same subject that was the subject of the last amendment, but there is one major difference. This makes one simple change in section 203; and that is, it limits the ability of the federal government to require bilingual assistance, to assist in materials, voting assistance, oral or printed, ballot facsimiles, things of this nature. The reason I offer this amendment is that during the hearings we constantly heard from those defending the provisions that in fact bilingual ballots were not required, and in fact if a jurisdiction showed that it made a good faith effort to create ballot facsimiles, materials, assistance, etc., it would not be required. It was never clear..."