Congressional Record—House H2663
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May 16, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2663 has been introduced that require voters right to vote is not at the mercy of sources. He will be sorely missed and to show a photo ID. States from Vir- those acting with partisan motives. always remembered. ginia to New Mexico have considered The right to vote is not a Democratic f bills that would make voter registra- right, nor is it a Republican right. It is POVERTY IN AMERICA tion more difficult. And from Arizona an American right, and it is funda- to Tennessee, States have taken steps mental to a government for the people, The SPEAKER pro tempore. The to limit early voting. by the people. Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Unfortunately, this plague of restric- Madam Speaker, I’m proud to sup- California (Ms. LEE) for 5 minutes. tive voting efforts has hit my State of port this bill, and I urge my colleagues Ms. LEE of California. Madam Wisconsin as well. In 2011, our legisla- to join on and protect our most funda- Speaker, as the cofounder of the Con- ture passed a law that would limit the mental right. gressional Out of Poverty Caucus and chair of the Democratic Whip Task fundamental rights Wisconsinites have f to vote. Not only would this law re- Force on Poverty and Opportunity, I quire a photo ID; it also took steps to HONORING JACOBY DICKENS rise today to continue talking about the ongoing crisis of poverty and the disenfranchise senior citizens and col- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from impact of sequester. lege students, reduce registration op- We are well aware of the impact the Illinois (Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS) for 5 min- portunities, and restrict the ability of sequester is having on many, many utes. citizens to receive absentee ballots. communities across the country in Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. But Wisconsin has something that terms of devastating some of the basic other States do not possess—a guaran- Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute social safety networks that we have all teed right to vote. Article III, section to one of America’s most prominent benefited from in many, many ways. 1, of the Wisconsin Constitution spe- African American businessmen and fin- They’re really very, very harmful to cifically states: anciers. Mr. Jacoby Dickens was born our most vulnerable. Every United States citizen age 18 or older and grew up in Panama City, Florida, Nearly 50 million Americans, includ- who is a resident of an election district in one of six children in a low-income ing 16 million children all across our this State is a qualified elector of that dis- family. country and in every congressional dis- trict. The family moved to the south side trict, are living in poverty. Yet the se- This one sentence makes a huge dif- of Chicago when Mr. Dickens was a quester continues to have devastating ference for Wisconsinites. In two sepa- teenager. He attended Wendell Phillips impacts on access to childhood edu- rate cases challenging the Wisconsin High School. After school he worked as cation, affordable housing, hot meals voter ID law, the Wisconsin circuit a building engineer, saved his money, for low-income seniors, Head Start, and courts have ruled that these restric- and began investing in real estate. He countless other programs that help tive, burdensome voting laws are un- eventually purchased and managed a low-income and vulnerable Americans. constitutional because, from the deci- large number of apartment buildings But, Madam Speaker, these draco- sion in NAACP of Milwaukee v. Walk- before selling them in 1971. nian cuts are not enough for some of er: After investing in several bowling my colleagues, given what took place The Wisconsin Constitution expressly alleys in the Chicago area, he was last night at the Ag Committee. Last guarantees the right to vote. asked to join the board of Seaway night, the Ag Committee passed a $20 But this isn’t enough. Not all States Bank in 1979. In 1983, he became chair- billion cut to our Nation’s first line of have this right. Our friends in Indiana, man of the board and remained until defense against hunger in the farm bill. as we have seen, have little recourse if his death earlier this year. Under his The Supplemental Nutrition Assist- a restrictive voting law is signed into guidance and leadership, Seaway Bank ance Program, formerly known as the law. and Trust Company became the largest Food Stamp program, is really a vital Now more than ever, we need to be Black-owned bank in Chicago with as- lifeline for millions of Americans. protecting our right to vote, not re- sets of $547 million. As a young, single mother, I relied on stricting it. We need to reaffirm our Mr. Dickens was a great civic activ- food stamps and public assistance dur- founding principle that our country is ist and contributor to public causes. He ing a very difficult period in my life. at its strongest when everyone partici- served on the boards of Chicago State Let me tell you, no one—no one—wants pates. We need to guarantee a right to University, the School of Business at to be on food stamps, but it is a bridge vote for everyone. Florida A&M University, and the Chi- over troubled water. And so I am, quite frankly, appalled and very sad to see So this week, along with my friend cago Urban League. He donated more my colleagues attacking the integrity and colleague, Congressman KEITH than $1 million to Chicago State Uni- of such essential programs for families ELLISON from Minnesota, I introduced versity’s athletic center, which bears that need a helping hand during dif- a right-to-vote amendment to the Con- his name. He was a trustee at the Mu- stitution that will explicitly guar- ficult times. seum of Science and Industry and As we work to create, hopefully, a antee, without a doubt, the right of the DePaul University, where a scholarship balanced reauthorization of the farm American people to vote. The amend- and loan program are named for him. bill, we must keep in mind the people, ment is as simple as it is necessary: In the 1980s, he was a key supporter the families, and businesses impacted every American citizen possesses the and fundraiser for Harold Washington, by these proposed cuts. fundamental right to vote in every who was elected the first African Nearly half of all SNAP recipients public election where they reside, and American mayor of Chicago. are children. One in five children in Congress has the right and power to Jacoby Dickens was a man of vision, America are at risk of hunger, and we protect it. courage, and determination. He used know that nearly half of all children in No more will Americans have to his wisdom, business acumen, and America will be on SNAP benefits prove their right to vote has been in- money wisely, not only for himself and sometime during their childhood. fringed. Instead, the burden of proof his family, but also for the uplifting of That’s half of all children in America. will be left to States to demonstrate humanity. My condolences and well Not only does SNAP help put food on that any efforts they take will not wishes go out to his wife, Ms. Veranda the table for struggling families, every deny or abridge the fundamental right Dickens, their family, and all of the $1 increase in SNAP benefits generates to vote. trustees and employees of Seaway $1.70 in economic activity. Yet, if the Now, I know there are some out there Bank and Trust Company. farm bill becomes law, more than 2 who will say that an amendment to the million families will be cut off from 1040 Constitution is unrealistic; it’s too b this economic lifeline. hard to achieve. Those critics are Mr. Dickens was, indeed, a man for With unemployment still at 7.5 per- shortsighted. This is about engaging the times and the seasons in which he cent—and in some communities it’s my colleagues in Congress on both lived. His bank gave loans in depressed over 13 percent—and the rate of pov- sides of the aisle and the American communities and neighborhoods where erty at 15 percent—again, some com- public in a movement to ensure our people were hard-pressed to find re- munities, it’s 27 to 30 percent—ongoing VerDate Mar 15 2010 01:16 May 17, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K16MY7.007 H16MYPT1 pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with HOUSE.