Hoyer Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of House Passage of H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
For Immediate Release:
December 6, 2020
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today marking one year since the House passed H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act:
"It has now been one year since the Democratic-led House passed H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This legislation responds to the challenge issued to Congress in 2013 by the Supreme Court, when it struck down a key section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The justices called on Congress to update the process by which the federal government protects citizens in certain jurisdictions with a history of voter suppression so that it would reflect twenty-first century voting rights challenges.
“Under the Republican-controlled Congress and President Trump, however, this charge was ignored. The Republican-led Senate has continued its refusal to take up this legislation even after it passed the House. As a result, states and localities with a history of discrimination and voter disenfranchisement are back at it, using restrictive laws and voter-ID rules to prevent people of color, students, and others from having their voices heard in our democracy.
"As we look ahead to the next Congress and a new Biden-Harris Administration, I hope that the House and Senate can both move forward on this legislation and honor the memory of civil rights heroes like John Lewis by restoring the protections of the voting rights law he helped pass fifty-five years ago. The road to full equality and democracy will always present roadblocks, as these past seven years have proven. But it will surely continue and see the march of justice, freedom, inclusion, and equal representation progress ever onward. House Democrats will not rest until this work is completed."
"It has now been one year since the Democratic-led House passed H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This legislation responds to the challenge issued to Congress in 2013 by the Supreme Court, when it struck down a key section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The justices called on Congress to update the process by which the federal government protects citizens in certain jurisdictions with a history of voter suppression so that it would reflect twenty-first century voting rights challenges.
“Under the Republican-controlled Congress and President Trump, however, this charge was ignored. The Republican-led Senate has continued its refusal to take up this legislation even after it passed the House. As a result, states and localities with a history of discrimination and voter disenfranchisement are back at it, using restrictive laws and voter-ID rules to prevent people of color, students, and others from having their voices heard in our democracy.
"As we look ahead to the next Congress and a new Biden-Harris Administration, I hope that the House and Senate can both move forward on this legislation and honor the memory of civil rights heroes like John Lewis by restoring the protections of the voting rights law he helped pass fifty-five years ago. The road to full equality and democracy will always present roadblocks, as these past seven years have proven. But it will surely continue and see the march of justice, freedom, inclusion, and equal representation progress ever onward. House Democrats will not rest until this work is completed."