Speech #940064282

Thus. the presence of Federal observers can still serve to deter abuses and to prevent or diminish the intimidation frequently experienced by minority voters. H.R. 6219. a bill Which extends each of these remedies for an additional 10 years. must be passed by this body if the political rights of minority citizens are to continue to be safeguarded from future infringements. H.R. 6219 also proposes to make permanent the temporary nationwide ban on literacy tests which Congress enacted In 1970. That nationwide test suspension expires In August of this year and the committee concluded that it was now appropriate. as well as constitutional. for that ban to be made permanent. It is well documented that. primarily because of disparate education opportunities. minority citizens in this country suffer from much higher rates of illiteracy than do nonminority citizens. In reaching its conclusion that literacy tests ought to be permanently banned. the committee also took into account the long and tragic history of the discriminatory use of such tests to disenfranchise minority voters. as well as the extensive use of broadcast media in todays society as a source of acquiring knowledge on the political scene. Having decided in favor of extending the Voting Rights Acts special provisions. the committee was then faced with another important and momentous decision. namely. whether or not the acts special coverage ought to be expanded in some manner to insure the protection of the voting rights of language minority citizens. During subcommittee proceedings. members of language minorities offered testimony on incident after incident in uncovered jurisdictions where language barriers as well as other forms of discrimination served to impede political participation on the part of minority citizens with native languages other than English.