Vote NO on Stearns Amendment to H.R. 5672

Recipient: United States House of Representatives

Dear Representative:

On behalf of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the nation’s oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition, we urge you to oppose the Stearns Amendment (No. 21) to H.R. 5672, the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2007. This amendment, by directing the Department of Justice not to expend funds to enforce the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act, amounts to an attack on the fundamental right to vote for millions of American citizens across the country.

During consideration of the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, the House Judiciary Committee held hearings on the continued need for the Act, including the minority language provisions. The oversight hearings demonstrated that citizens are often denied access to necessary language assistance and, as a result, the opportunity to cast an informed ballot. On May 10, the Judiciary Committee voted overwhelmingly to renew the minority language assistance provisions of the Act. The Strearns amendment to H.R. 5672 would subvert the VRA reauthorization process and effectively disenfranchise language minority citizens through the appropriations process.

According to the most recent information from the Census, more than 70% of citizens who use language assistance are native born, including American Indians, Alaska natives and Puerto Ricans. The denial of language assistance to citizens who need it amounts to a modern-day literacy test for voting.

Enforcement of the Voting Rights Act has helped to make our nation’s democratic ideals a reality by ensuring that eligible voters, regardless of language ability, can participate on a fair and equal basis in the electoral process. Therefore, we strongly urge you to oppose the Stearns Amendment (No. 21) to H.R. 5672, the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2007.

If you have any questions, or need more information, please call Julie Fernandes, LCCR Senior Counsel, at 202/263-2856.

Sincerely,

Wade Henderson, Executive Director
Nancy Zirkin, Deputy Director