For the week ending Spetember 18
CONDEMNING RACISM AGAINST ASIAN AMERICANS: Voting 243 for and 164 against, the House on Sept. 17 adopted a non-binding Democratic-sponsored measure (H Res 908) to condemn expressions of racism, discrimination or religious intolerance against Asian Americans related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the use of such terms as “Chinese Virus,” “Wuhan Virus” and “Kung-flu.”
A yes vote was in support of the resolution.
YES: Deb Haaland, D-1, Xochitl Torres Small, D-2, Ben Ray Luján, D-3
FILING PRIVATE LAWSUITS AGAINST SCHOOL BIAS: Voting 232 for and 188 against, the House on Sept. 16 passed a bill (HR 2574) that would authorize private individuals to file “disparate impact” lawsuits under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This legal doctrine comes into play when government policies that appear neutral on the surface have the effect of discriminating against protected groups. Seemingly neutral policies affecting public schools are often alleged to have an unlawful disparate impact on minorities. This bill would override the 2001 Supreme Court ruling in Alexander v. Sandoval that denies private citizens the right to bring disparate impact claims against federally funded programs.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
ADDRESSING ANTI-SEMITISM UNDER TITLE VI: Voting 255 for and 164 against, the House on Sept. 16 broadened the duties of officials empowered by HR 2574 (above) to monitor compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under the GOP-sponsored motion, these overseers would have to treat anti-Semitism as prohibited discrimination under Title VI, even though the Department of Education and Department of Justice started doing that as early as 2010, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Title VII is the part of the Civil Rights Act focused on religious discrimination. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs receiving federal assistance.
A yes vote was to adopt the motion.
YES: Torres Small, Luján
NO: Haaland
ACCOMMODATING PREGNANCY IN THE WORKPLACE: Voting 329 for and 73 against, the House on Sept. 17 passed a bill (HR 2694) that would require private- sector firms and government agencies with at least 15 employees to provide reasonable accommodations for workers and job applicants who are pregnant or have recently given birth. The bill would not require employers to make accommodations that impose undue hardship on their operations.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
GRANTING EXEMPTION BASED ON RELIGION: Voting 177 for and 226 against, the House on Sept. 17 defeated a Republican bid to exempt employers from having to make reasonable accommodations under HR 2694 (above) in cases where to do so would deprive them of religious freedom protected under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
A yes vote was to adopt the GOP motion.
NO: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
PROMOTING INTEGRATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Voting 248 for and 167 against, the House on Sept. 15 established a grant program to promote integration in school districts where opportunity is sharply divided along racial and economic lines. The bill (HR 2639) would provide a limited number of districts with funding to develop strategies for increasing the diversity of student populations shaped by de facto segregation. The bill is patterned after a $10-mllion-per-year Obama administration program, killed by the Trump administration, in which up to 20 school districts received grants to develop pilot programs for increasing racial and economic diversity.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
DEFEATING REPUBLICAN DIVERSITY PLAN: Voting 171 for and 243 against, the House on Sept. 15 defeated a Republican alternative to HR 2639 (above) that proposed open-ended funding in the form of block grants rather than narrowly defined categorical grants to increase diversity in K-12 classrooms.
A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
NO: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
CONFIRMING JUDGE VALDERRAMA: Voting 68 for and 26 against, the Senate on Sept. 17 confirmed Franklin U. Valderrama, a Circuit Court judge in Cook County, Illinois, as a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. Valderrama was an attorney in private practice before joining the Cook County bench in 2007, and he has taught pre-trial civil litigation
at the University of Illinois-Chicago John Marshall Law School.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
YES: Tom Udall, D, Martin Heinrich, D
HOUSE Deb Haaland (D) Ben Ray Luján (D) Xochitl Torres Small (D)
SENATE Martin Heinrich (D) Tom Udall (D)
Contact your legislators at the U.S. Capitol
Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510
Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121