Remarks Of Sen. Patrick Leahy
On Passage Of The Voting Rights Act
By The House Of Representatives
July 13, 2006

I am encouraged that a strong, bipartisan majority voted to reauthorize and revitalize the Voting Rights Act.  Chairman Sensenbrenner and Ranking Member Conyers deserve great credit for guiding this bill to a final vote. 

The bipartisan efforts in the House today have received the strong endorsement of the White House.  A Statement of Administration Policy was released today strongly supporting the Voting Rights Act and the provisions which correct legislative intent wrongly interpreted by the Supreme Court.  (Georgia v. Ashcroft and Reno v. Bossier Parish) 

On several occasions there were attempts by a few to derail this bipartisan bill.  In the end, they could not thwart the widespread support for renewal of this historic civil rights legislation.

Now that the House completed its extensive work, the pressure is on our leadership in the Senate to make this bill a priority. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to report the Voting Rights Act out within a week. Next, we will need the Senate Majority Leader to make this historic legislation a priority so the full Senate can debate and vote on it before the August recess.

This legislation has broad, bipartisan support and has the votes to pass the Senate.  The only thing that threatens its passage is partisan delay to serve a narrow ideological base. 

The VRA is a keystone in the body of civil rights laws that changed our country.  Congresses since then have come together in bipartisanship to renew VRA, recognizing its continuing vitality and importance.

It would be a travesty for the 109th Congress to break that historic solidarity with American values and with the importance of protecting the foundational right to vote.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing for the Senate to turn to an issue that unites instead of divides the American people?

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