Civil Rights
When the civil liberties of any group are violated, we all suffer. We must protect the ideals of justice and equal protection under the law so that our country is one where all people are treated equal.
Discrimination is still an issue in this country. Our civil rights were earned by the blood, sweat and tears of those who came before us. I believe that all Americans deserve to have their rights protected and enforced.
That is why I am working to combat discrimination and to strengthen the protection of civil rights for all people.
My priorities to ensure the protection of civil rights include:
Standing up Against Racial and Ethnic Profiling
Protecting the Voting Rights of All Americans
Supporting Equal Rights for Women
Standing up Against Racial and Ethnic Profiling
I understand how harmful racial and ethnic profiling is to American society. From the Japanese Internment, to post 9/11 profiling of Arabs, Sikhs, Muslims and South Asians to immigration enforcement laws like Arizona’s SB1070 profiling fundamentally damages the fabric of our society. I have been working actively to end this hurtful and ineffective practice.
• Supporting the End Racial Profiling Act (H.R. 3618). I am a cosponsor of the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA) to prohibit law enforcement agencies from engaging in racial profiling. Racial profiling occurs when race, ethnicity, national origin, gender or religion is used in choosing which individuals to investigate.
• Standing up against post 9/11 profiling. When I learned that the New York Police Department (NYPD) was spying and collecting information on Muslim Americans, I led a letter, with thirty-three other Members of Congress, asking the Department of Justice to investigate the situation. I have also been working to ensure that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is not racially profiling people when they pass through airport security. Also I have consistently stood up in Congress against hearings and investigations that unjustly single out the Muslim community.
Protecting the Voting Rights of All Americans
The right to vote is one of the most sacred fundamentals of the American democracy. Unfortunately since the beginning of 2011, there has been a concerted effort by state legislatures to pass laws that suppress the voting rights of Americans (over 160 laws have been introduced). These measures have made it harder for millions of Americans to vote – especially the elderly, our youth, the disabled and minorities. Attacks on voting rights are now coupled with the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which gave corporations the right to be able to make unlimited campaign donations without disclosing who they are has very dangerous implications for the rights of Americans.
• Supporting the Voter Empowerment Act. The Voter Empowerment Act (VEA) seeks not only to protect the right to vote but also helps ensure that all Americans have equal access to the ballot box. The VEA seeks to assist voters with disabilities, modernize the voting and registration process, ensure all votes are counted, create a national voter hotline and a range of other protections.
• Overturning endless political spending under Citizens United. I am a co-sponsor of the Disclosure of Information on Spending on Campaigns Leads to Open and Secure Elections Act of 2012 (DISCLOSE Act) to require political advertisements to disclose their major donors. It seeks to prevent corporations and special interests from trying to influence elections through campaign donations. I am also a co-sponsor H.J.RES.90, a constitutional amendment which would exclude for profit corporations from the rights given to natural persons by the Constitutions and prohibits corporate spending in all elections.
Supporting Equal Rights for Women
Though we have made progress in women’s rights, we still have a ways to go before women are treated as true equals to men. Women still face discrimination in all facets of life including paying more for healthcare, only making 77 cents to a dollar compared to men and many other basic rights. I have been working hard to address this very important issue.
• Supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. I am a cosponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment, H.J. Res.69. This constitutional amendment prohibits denying equal rights to men and women.
• Pushing for fair pay. In 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law yet there are many more steps that must be taken to ensure women get paid equal to men. This is why I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1519, the Paycheck Fairness Act. This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to help ensure there is no sex discrimination in the payment of wages.
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