James T. Tucker

Preserving the fundamental right to vote for all Americans is what brings us together in this hearing.

Their testimony showed that first generation barriers to voting are not only alive and well, but they are in fact the dominant theme of Indian Country.

All of us suffer and our elected government has less legitimacy each time an American Indian or Alaska Native is prevented from registering to vote or being turned away at the polls.

That conclusion simply does not reflect reality in Indian Country.

But like so much of these sorts of gains, they are fleeting and they can go away at the whim of an election official who just simply chooses not to follow the law.

First generation barriers are those that limit access to registration, casting a ballot, or having that ballot counted.

what we are really talking about here is that many of the barriers that exist are things such as the National Voter Registration Act that were originally put in place to facilitate the administration of elections, but far too often, rather…

The problem that we experience with the natives in particular is that oftentimes the National Voter Registration Act may be complied with in form, but it is not being complied with in its spirit because language assistance is not being…

It is ironic because all of us thought when the National Voter Registration Act was enacted in 1993 that this problem was resolved.

I have seen up close the difference between this bill and the one in the last Congress, the 103d Congress. I know there are a lot of concerns over the issues of nonpoint source pollution, storm water management, wetlands and risk…

Mr. Chairman, so what is wrong with a $19 billion tax cut for individuals and for businesses? Well, on the surface, nothing. Except two crucial questions: Who and what? Who benefits from these tax cuts, and what will be the cost of these…

Step right up. Step right up for the GOP's famous disappearing act. Yes, the circus has come to town. Deficit reduction, now you see it, poof, now you do not. Yes, Republicans want to cut taxes, but it does not take a rocket scientist to…

The reality, Mr. Speaker, is that the problem with welfare is this body's total abdication of its responsibility to deal openly and forthrightly with the cause of welfare. Once again, we run around here so often talking about the problems…

That is right, we are moving backwards fast, because backwards is nowhere, it is a place called nowhere. We are moving so fast that we do not realize that we are moving backwards, and backwards is nowhere to be. It is nowhere we want to…

There is an attack on our children. If I have to wear one of those scarves, I guess I will too, certainly to make the point that there is a very insidious attack on our children right now. So many talk about the Contract With America. But…

Thank you. I will wear it. I think the gentlewoman expressed the point so aptly, that our children do not have the big lobbying firms. They are not this powerful special interest that can come up here and fight. That is why we have to be a…

But today, Mr. Speaker, I rise for a different reason. I rise to pay tribute to a very special woman. A woman of substance, style, grace, and an inner beauty that would pale the brightest star. A committed leader in the struggle to enhance…

I did not support the balanced budget amendment, but, thank God, we live in a country where I can say that democracy had its will and its way. As to the reasons why I did not support it, they are precisely because it did not prohibit…

What better guarantee can we give our senior citizens that Social Security will be taken off the table? This is not the better guarantee... Let us take action not on a mere symbolic commitment, not on a mere symbolic one, Mr. Speaker, like…

Mr. Chairman, obviously we are all concerned with balancing the budget. There are three areas, however, Mr. Chairman, that are bones of contention. The first one is the area that my illustrious colleague who just yielded to me has produced…

this is an interesting day today. We are not only going to hear from the President of the United States later on tonight, but we have heard from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle who have offered us some interesting accolades…

I rise today to bring recognition to the White House response to my call and the call of other Members of this House who represent areas in California that have been egregiously affected by the continuous pounding of severe Pacific storms…

Ross Perot was right when he said ``The devil is in the details.'' My constituents have indicated to me that they do not support a balanced budget amendment and that the Republican majority is moving too fast on this issue. In a shocking…