Rick Allen: “I rise to commend the Judiciary Committee but most importantly commend to my colleagues on the passage of the Voting…”

“I rise to commend the Judiciary Committee but most importantly commend to my colleagues on the passage of the Voting Rights Act renewal this afternoon. I spoke right before Independence Day last month on June 29 on the importance of certain principles as we celebrated the Declaration of Independence. I quoted and I will quote again the importance of this document which is the spirit of America: We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed. . . . So in our representative democracy, in our Republic, voting is how the owners, the people of our country in their counties, cities, and States, express their views for the just powers of our government. I spoke on how it was important for the Senate to act on this measure as promptly as possible. I commend the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Specter, and the ranking member, Senator Leahy, for moving yet another important piece of legislation this session. The enactment of the Voting Rights Act was absolutely necessary 41 years ago and was passed during a tumultuous time in our Nation's history.…”