Speech #1030032863

I suppose the Chair will notify me after I have used 8 minutes so I will not intrude on the time. Mr. President. this conference report will cost the States. all 50 of them. and their respective taxpayers. millions of dollars while making it even easier for illegal aliens to register to vote and obtain welfare benefits. This is an outrageous set of circumstances. and I am especially disappointed that the conference committee stripped out the SimpsonHelms amendment that would have prevented illegal aliens and noncitizens from voting. This amendment. approved by the Senate. was simple and straightforward: it allowed States to require proof of citizenship of any individual desiring to register to vote. Why did the political types in this country decide this was too much to ask? Mr. President. without this amendment. illegal aliens such as Zoe Bairds chauffeur could end up voting in our elections. This bill should be called the Illegal Aliens Voter Registration Act. The right to vote is one of the most precious rights of American citizenship. It is. in essence. one of the foundations of our democracy. Voting determines the makeup of our Government and the policies that affect every American. But this conference report could enable illegals and noncitizens to dilute the voting process and undermine our democratic form of government. The SimpsonHelms amendment. deleted by the conferees. would have protected the integrity of the electoral process. Proof of citizenship is not merely a reasonable requirementit is an imperative one.