Date: 2012-05-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I had intended to offer an amendment regarding the civil rights division. and recognizing the structure of the amendment. I chose to raise a point of concern. as I did with the date rape. and I look forward to working with the chairman and the ranking member. particularly on the date rape backlog that I believe is epidemic across America. But in looking at the appropriations bill. I noticed $40 million. 4 percent less than requested. for certain areas in the Justice Department which would include the solicitor general. the tax division. the criminal division. civil division. but more importantly. the civil rights division. And it is well important to recognize how valuable civil rights are to Americans. No matter what your political perspective. there is always someone raising the point. I dont want my civil rights violated. And so obviously. as I have interacted with the civil rights division. particularly as they are engaging in the results of the discrimination in lending and foreclosures. a large responsibility. particularly looking at the impact of subprime mortgages. and as they look at the enormity of voting rights. and we have had a siege of attacks with voting ID laws passed across America. And one would argue there is nothing wrong with voting ID laws. and you are absolutely right. But when they have been determined to impact minorities in a discriminatory fashion. then it is sad when the civil rights division may be limited in funding. In the State of Texas. for example. our State law has been ruled invalid under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act because it discriminates against Hispanics. African Americans. and even the elderly. based upon the requirement of getting a photo ID from the Department of Public Safety. It is not the fault of the Department of Public Safety. but those officers are not located in many places where communities of color live. and. therefore. they are disproportionately impacted in being prevented from having the right to vote. We have gone through many States redistricting. and in some instances those cases have gone before the Department of Justice and the Federal court. So civil rights. I am well reminded that it was the civil rights department of both the Kennedy administration and the Johnson administration that came to the aid of civil rights leaders and activists. particularly in the 1960s under the Johnson administration. On occasion. they had to be rescued by the Department of Justice. And so I raise great concern when we find ourselves in a place where we would cut those funds such that they might impact the rendering of justice. It is well known that we have tough times. but I hope that as we make our way through the Congress. that we will find that it is important that we ensure that the funding that is rendered to the particular group of lawyers that come to the defense of civil rights of all Americans. that we ensure the full funding of that particular subset of the division under the Department of Justice. And so my intent would be to add this comment to the RECORD. and with that I yield back the balance of my time.