{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hayes.house.gov/press-releases?ID=ECFEE78A-D23B-4E1A-9009-C95E41E891C6", "Hayes Statement on the Passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act", "2021-08-24", "2021", "2021-08", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Jahana Hayes", "H001081", "hayes.house.gov", "hayes", "https://hayes.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) provided a statement on the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act:\n\n\"Today, I voted to pass H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to ensure that decades of action taken to prevent discrimination in voting are not reversed, but are instead restored and strengthened. This bill is necessary, as we witness sweeping efforts to implement some of the most restrictive voting laws in a generation. H.R.4 will protect vulnerable Americans by restoring and strengthening key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, which were dismantled in 2003 by the Supreme Court\u2019s Shelby County v. Holder decision. The right to vote is our most fundamental right, without it all of our other rights are in jeopardy. Congress must pursue policies to protect voter integrity and equitable access to the ballot. I am steadfast in my commitment to protecting the sacred right to vote,\" said Congresswoman Hayes.\n\nFor decades, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) empowered the federal government to block certain states and localities with dark histories of discriminatory barriers to voting from enacting restrictions on the right to vote. However, in its disastrous Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013, the Supreme Court gutted the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s \u201cpreclearance\u201d power under the VRA. In July 2021, the Court further weakened the law in its decision in Brnovich v. DNC, which made it more difficult for the federal government to challenge discriminatory voting laws.\n\nAs a result of the Shelby decision, states began passing voter suppression laws, because there was no preclearance requirement hindering them. The restrictive laws \u2013 including voter roll purges, restrictions to mail-in voting, elimination of polling places and more \u2013 have disproportionately reduced turnout among communities of color, voters with disabilities, young adults and older voters. This has been meticulously documented by the Democratic House over two Congresses.\n\nThis year, Republican-controlled state legislatures across the nation have accelerated their voter suppression campaign, fed by former President Trump\u2019s Big Lie about the results of the 2020 election. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 18 states have already enacted 30 laws that restrict the right to vote, and more than 400 voter suppression bills are still actively being considered across the country.\n\nNamed for the late Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, H.R. 4 restores the preclearance requirement, allowing the federal government to once again reject many restrictions to voting, and creates a new practice-based preclearance requirement. The bill also eliminates the heightened standard for challenging voter suppression laws, which was created by the Brnovich decision.\n\nThe John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will also:\n\nAllow federal courts to immediately halt measures that put voting rights at stake until a final ruling is made.\n\nEmpower the Attorney General to request that federal election observers be present anywhere in the country where discriminatory voting practices pose a serious threat.\n\nRequire reasonable public notice for proposed voting changes to increase transparency.\n\nAllow the federal government to review already-enacted but not-yet-implemented measures.\n\nHelp plaintiffs seek injunctive relief for voting rights violations ahead of an election.\n\nEstablish a grant program for small jurisdictions to help them comply with the bill\u2019s requirement to provide public notice for proposed voting laws.\n\nAfter passing today in the House, H.R. 4 will now go to the Senate for consideration.\n\n###\n\nCongresswoman Jahana Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Labor and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut\u2019s 5th District. She was a public school teacher in Connecticut for more than 15 years and was recognized in 2016 as the National Teacher of the Year.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:11:17Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hayes.house.gov/press-releases?ID=ECFEE78A-D23B-4E1A-9009-C95E41E891C6"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0321058109402657, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}