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The NAACP & Congress
Keeping an eye on key civil rights votes on Capitol Hill NAACP members at the 93rd national convention in Houston may have been 2,000 miles away from Washington, but they still kept tabs on the progress of NACCP-supported legislation in Congress. The NAACP's Washington Bureau released its third legislative report card for the 107th Congress at the convention. The bureau tracked the fate of 51 key civil rights bills (33 in the Senate and 18 in the House), as well as the voting records of each member of Congress on those bills. The House and Senate both voted down amendments to approve federal funding for private school vouchers, while the Senate approved a measure that condenms hate crimes against Arab Americans and American Muslims in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Both votes were in line withe NACCP's stance. On election reform, however, votes were mixed. The legislation that passed the Senate incorporated NAACP-supported measures, including national standards in voting procedures and voting booths accessible to the disabled, but did not include an amendment that would have re-efranchised former felons. In the House, a rule was passed that limited debate on its reform package, whic resulted in the passage of a bill that excludes many civil rights provisions backed by the NAACP. "We weren't pleased with the outcome, but there's still a silver lining to this cloud,"Shelton says. The Senate and House election reform bills are in conference committee, where their differences will be worked out before a joint bill is resubmitted to each house. Shelton hopes there may be an opportunity to change certain provisions the NACCP opposes. The performances of certain individual members of Congress offered good new for the NAACP. House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) and House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) both voted in favor of NAACP-supported legislation to support relief efforts in Sudan and sub-Saharan Africa. In the Senate, both Don Nickles (R-Okla.) and Harry Reid (D-Nev.) voted to approve the lifetime appointment of Roger L. Gregory, the first African American judge on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers the states of Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The legislative report card also identifies 27 senators and 30 representatives who served as NAACP "legislative quarter backs" by promoting NAACP priorities in bills and amendments. This diverse group includes Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.). In addition, 10 senators and 20 representatives made it into "NAACP 100% Club" by voting in line with the NAACP on each of the measures considered in the report card. "I am proud the NAACP has given my record such high marks, "Sen. John "Jack" Reed (D-R.I.) said in a statement. "This record reflects the values of my constituents in Rhode Island; it is important to ensure all Americans receive equal treatment and rights and that we properly punish injustices such as hate crimes." etc... |
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This intel was contributed by bjk48
bjk48
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May, 2012
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