In June we celebrate our civil rights (voting, water, healthcare and equal pay)

Voting Rights Advancement Act (S 1659 -Leahy/HR 2867 - Sewell)
The Advancement Act will:

• Modernize the formula used to cover states with a pattern of discrimination that puts voters at risk: The Advancement Act will require 13 states with a recent history of voting rights violations, including New York and California, to have all voting changes examined (“precleared” or “preclearance”) prior to implementation. Preclearance would be lifted after 10 years for states and local jurisdictions without violations.

• Ensure that last-minute voting changes won’t adversely affect voters: Communities have a right to know about voting changes that affect them. To put an end to last-minute changes to election laws or procedures that may adversely impact voters, the Advancement Act require that jurisdictions publicly notice all changes to voting laws that happen within 180 days of an election.

• Protect voters nationwide from changes that are likely to discriminate against people of color and language minorities: The Advancement Act will require preclearance for certain new voting procedures in all jurisdictions, including: adding or subtracting seats that affect the influence of communities of color; reduction in language accessibility of voting materials; addition of new barriers to voter registration and verification; and consolidation or relocation of polling places.

• Enhance the ability to apply additional preclearance review when needed: The Advancement Act will allow a federal court the discretion to order a preclearance remedy following any violation of the Act.

• Expand federal observer program: The Attorney General will be able to send federal observers to any place she determines to have a substantial risk of racial discrimination.

• Improve Voting Rights Protections for Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Among other things, the bill will offer greater access for voter registration and voting on and off reservations, and greater language accessibility.

Voter Empowerment Act (HR 12 - Lewis)
This legislation advances reforms to ensure that eligible voters can register and cast ballots without undue burden, regardless of race, age, economic class or disability. It includes necessary protections to ensure that all ballots are counted as cast.

• Restores voting rights to person's with past felony convictions
• Allows same day voter registration
• Ensures online voter registration
• Counts all provisional ballots of eligible voters
• Returns by auditable elections using paper ballots

Expanded and Improved Medicare for All (HR 676 - Conyers)
This legislation expands Medicare so that it is lifelong, includes dental, vision, long-term care and mental health on parity with physical health. There are no deductibles and no co-pays for healthcare. This system provides actual health treatment rather than health insurance.

The WATER Act (HR 5313 - Conyers)
The “Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2016” that will provide a
dedicated funding stream for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs.

The WATER Act provides funding for the existing SRF programs by eliminating the deferral U.S. multinational corporations currently enjoy on paying domestic tax on overseas income. By taxing these overseas revenues in the year they are earned, we can raise more than $60 billion a year to fund repairs, maintenance, and improvement of our nation’s water infrastructure. This investment
will also create tens of thousands of jobs across the United States. According to the Clean Water
water infrastructure creates between 20,000 and nearly 27,000 jobs across the economy.

In addition to providing a permanent, dedicated source of funding for the SRFs, the WATER Act will also:

• require EPA to coordinate a study about water affordability, discrimination and civil rights violations by water and sewer providers, public participation in water regionalization efforts, and water shutoffs;

• increase technical assistance to rural and small municipalities and tribal governments;
• create a new grant program for the repair, replacement or upgrading of septic tanks and drainage fields
• limit Drinking Water SRF funding to publicly owned, operated and managed utilities;
• create a new grant program to fund public schools’ testing and replacement of drinking water infrastructure due to lead;
• provide SRF funding for grants to owners of private service lines for replacement of lead service lines; and,

• increase funding for grants to tribal governments for drinking water infrastructure.

Equal Rights Amendment - 3 State (SJ Res 15 - Cardin/HJ Res 51 Speier) to finish the Constitutional amendment started in 1920 by Alice Paul that codifies equal pay for equal work and brings strict judicial scrutiny to discrimination based on sex. Currently there are 35 states that have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. This bill allows us to add 3 more states and complete the amendment process.

New Columbia Admissions Act (S 1688 - Carper/HR 317 - Norton)
The 685,000 residents of Washington, DC have no Senators and no voting Representative. This bill creates the 51st state for the residents of the city and returns the Federal enclave to the District.